Effects of Aging on Your Bones

Have you noticed that as people age they seem to shrink? People do shrink with age, your joints, muscles and bones become less dense. When the bones become less dense, it causes shrinking to occur, it usually is not much, perhaps a half inch to an inch but more noticeably will be the lack of flexibility and the appearance of thinner arms and legs due to a loss of muscle mass as you age.

When you age the most noticeable effects to the body will be your posture and the way you walk. The joints are less flexible, making your movement's jerky not like when you were younger and your movements were fluid and smooth. The muscles are what propel your movements and as you age these do not function as well and cause noticeable changes. Coordination is directed by the brain, but the muscles are what carry it out.

Women are more likely to suffer bone loss after menopause as the bones lose calcium and other vital minerals. Also common are the gel-like cushions between vertebrae to lose some liquid making the vertebrae compress which results in posture changes and the appearance of shrinking. The vertebrae itself will lose mineral content and thin out making the trunk of the body appear shorter and curved as the spinal column compresses.

As we age the arches of the foot become less pronounced also giving the appearance of shrinking. There is not a lot that can be done to prevent bone loss, you can exercise to strengthen muscles and eat a healthy diet with a calcium supplement and this may help in the long run. It is never too early to start a preventative regime to combat bone density loss.