Search

Objectives: Pain complaints at the musculoskeletal level, especially in their chronic manifestations, increase with age. The objectives of this review article are to discuss the physiologic and pathologic factors that may contribute to changes in sensitivity towards muscle pain with aging.Findings: Very few psychophysical studies have explored the physiologic changes in muscle sensitivity with age. The largest population study so far conducted would indicate a decrease in pain threshold [pressure and electrical stimuli], particularly in elderly men. The profile of this hypersensitivity runs parallel to that of an increased oxidative damage to muscle fibers documented with the aging process. The global prevalence of pathologic events potentially painful for the muscle in creases with age. The increase, however, mostly regards primary muscle pain, e.g., myofascial pain due to trigger points from microtraumatic events, or muscle pain secondary to deep somatic structure involvement, e.g., referred muscle pain/hyperalgesia from osteoarthritic joints. In contrast, the same phenomenon is not observed for muscle pain secondary to visceral pathology-especially in its acute form-which, instead decreases with age. The extent of the pain symptom due to pathologic conditions does not increase proportionally to that of the underlying pathologic process, probably due to reduced reactivity of the elderly tissues towards inflammatory events [lesser capacity of producing algogenic substances].Conclusions: The increased complaints of musculoskeletal pain with aging appear the result of a complex interaction between the physiologic process of aging, which seems to promote muscle damage and muscle hypersensitivity especially in the male sex, and the increased prevalence with age of most potentially painful pathologic conditions of the muscle itself or of other deep somatic structures. Future clinical and research efforts should aim at better understanding the pathophysiology of the increased pain in muscles in the elderly to help prevent not only the suffering to the patient but also the disabling consequences of the pain symptom at this level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To compare lipoprotein profile, body composition and diet in a sample of athletes practicing mixed and anaerobic sports activities, and in a group of sedentary controls. Experimental design. Cross selectional study. Participants. Twenty professional soccer players (mixed trained), twenty body builders (anaerobic trained) and twenty sedentary subjects, all males and matched for age were studied. Results. No significant differences in total serum cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-C, LDL-C, apolipoprotein A-I, A-II, B, C-II, C-III, and E levels were found when the three groups were compared. Bioelectrical impendace analysis disclosed significantly lower body fat percentages in both groups of athletes, and increased fat free mass only in body builders. Daily calorie intake was higher, and alcohol intake was lower in the athletes, compared with controls. Body builders had lower carbohydrate, and higher protein and cholesterol intakes, while soccer players had a lower polyunsatured to saturated fat ratio. None of the apolipoproteins examined was correlated with any body composition of diet parameters. No correlations between lipid parameters and anthropometric or dietary variables were found by multivariate analysis when the subjects were considered as a whole. Conclusions. Our data suggest that in healthy lean normolipemic males, the lipoprotein profile is not modified by mixed or anaerobic sport activities and the respective modifications in body composition and diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifies skeletal muscle tissue as the mechanical basis of physical exercise. What laboratory investigation showed about tissutal aging and training; Comments about the ultrastructural examination by electronic microscope; Details on morpho-functional elements.