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Name: Zain Ul Abdeen

Semester: 6th
Sap: 3657
Subject: Pathology-II
Submitted to: DR. Jawad Naveed
Assignment: ‘ What is the effect of aging on
musculoskeletal system?’

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Musculoskeletal System:
The musculoskeletal system is made up of bones, muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments
which all work together to provide the body with support, protection, and movement.
When they are healthy, they provide support and stability and allow us to move about in
our daily life. But if any of these components start to fail, this can have a serious knock-on
effect for the whole system.

Functions:
 The musculoskeletal system ‘s primary functions include supporting the body,
allowing motion
 protecting vital organs.
 The bones of the skeletal system provide stability to the body analogous to a
reinforcement bar in concrete construction.
 Heat production
 Blood circulation
Total muscles in human body:
There are about 600 muscles in human body which includes cardiac muscle, smooth muscles
and skeletal muscles. All these muscles coordinate with brain to cause movements in body
Total bones in human body:
Human body comprises about 206 bones which includes short bones and long bones.

Effects of aging on musculoskeletal system:

How our muscle responds:

 As we age, our muscles lose mass and begin to shrink. This is a natural process
but can be accelerated with an inactive lifestyle.
 Our muscle fibers will shrink in size and numbers making it harder for our
muscles to respond as we get older.
 This also leads to a decrease in water content in our tendons (the cord-like
tissues that attach our muscles to bones), thus creating stiff tissues.
 You may also notice your handgrip strength begin to weaken, making simple
activities like opening a jar more difficult.

How our bones respond:

 Our bones begin to lose mineral content causing them to become less dense and
more fragile.
 As they lose their mass, they become more susceptible to fracture.
 It is common to develop osteoporosis, which can cause crush fractures of the
vertebrae and hip fractures in both older men and women.

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How our joints respond:

 The changes in our tendons and ligaments cause our joint motion to become more
restricted and lose flexibility
 Over time, our cartilage begins to break down, resulting in our joints becoming
inflamed and arthritic.

General common changes:

 Loss of muscle (sarcopenia) is a process that starts around age 30 and progresses
throughout life
 muscles are not able to contract as quickly in old age.
 the density of bones begins to diminish in men and women.
 Range of motion is also limited
 bones become more fragile and are more likely to break (Osteoporosis)
 Musculoskeletal conditions can cause pain, stiffness and often inflammation in one
or more joints or muscles.
 With aging, there is a decline in the ability to repair such oxidative damage thereby
causing the cascade of events leading to muscular dysfunction

Offset the effects of aging:

Knowing what to expect and taking the right steps to counteract the effects of aging can
help you maintain a strong and healthy body. Maintaining a healthy diet and participating in
daily exercise helps to slow the loss of muscle mass. Stretching and weight training are great
ways to help maintain flexibility and muscle. Your exercise program doesn’t need to be
strenuous in order to be effective. Just 30 minutes of activity a day such as walking, biking,
or swimming can provide long-term health benefits.