Decline of Functional Capacity in Healthy Aging Workers

Soer, Remko; Brouwer, Sandra; Geertzen, Jan H. B.; Schans, Cees P. van der; Groothoff, Johan W.; Reneman, Michiel F.

doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2012.07.009

Cited by 41 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…A wider range of ages in our older cohort (65-93 yr) and an unequal distribution of sexes potentially introduced greater within-group variability. Study of distal than proximal muscles may have shown a more pronounced deficit because loss of skill is apparent much earlier (Soer et al 2012). We find hints of such a divergence in our data because both age and sex significantly affected grip strength on nondominant side (data not shown, P Ͻ 0.001 and P Ͻ 0.001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 32%

“…Studying adaptations that explain weakness of proximal, large muscle groups carries important implications. Even though loss of dexterity is one of the earliest signs of reduced motor function in aging (Soer et al 2012), weakness becomes prominent after 45 yr of age (Soer et al 2012), affecting manual function (Incel et al 2009). Greater strength of proximal groups is important to compensate for poor dexterity, such as in stroke (Canning et al 2000).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neurophysiological correlates of aging-related muscle weakness

Plow

Cunningham

Bonnett

et al. 2013

Journal of Neurophysiology

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Muscle weakness associated with aging implicates central neural degeneration. However, role of the primary motor cortex (M1) is poorly understood, despite evidence that gains in strength in younger adults are associated with its adaptations. We investigated whether weakness of biceps brachii in aging analogously relates to processes in M1. We enrolled 20 young (22.6 Ϯ 0.87 yr) and 28 old (74.79 Ϯ 1.37 yr) right-handed participants. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation, representation of biceps in M1 was identified. We examined the effect of age and sex on strength of left elbow flexion, voluntary activation of biceps, corticospinal excitability and output, and short-interval intracortical and interhemispheric inhibition. Interhemispheric inhibition was significantly exaggerated in the old (P ϭ 0.047), while strength tended to be lower (P ϭ 0.075). Overall, women were weaker (P Ͻ 0.001). Processes of M1 related to strength or voluntary activation of biceps, but only in older adults. Corticospinal excitability was lower in weaker individuals (r ϭ 0.38), and corticospinal output, intracortical inhibition and interhemispheric inhibition were reduced too in individuals who poorly activated biceps (r ϭ 0.43, 0.54 and 0.38). Lower intracortical inhibition may reflect compensation for reduced corticospinal excitability, allowing weaker older adults to spread activity in M1 to recruit synergists and attempt to sustain motor output. Exaggerated interhemispheric inhibition, however, conflicts with previous evidence, potentially related to greater callosal damage in our older sample, our choice of proximal vs. distal muscle and differing influence of measurement of inhibition in rest vs. active states of muscle. Overall, age-specific relation of M1 to strength and muscle activation emphasizes that its adaptations only emerge when necessitated, as in a weakening neuromuscular system in aging.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 32%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurophysiological correlates of aging-related muscle weakness

Plow

Cunningham

Bonnett

et al. 2013

Journal of Neurophysiology

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“…Despite this, the absolute physical demands of occupational tasks remain unchanged irrespective of worker age and attributes (Louhevaara 1999) such that a given task will represent a progressively greater percentage of an aging worker's peak functional capacity (Ilmarinen 2001;Jebens et al 2015). Surprisingly, this has no apparent impact on the ability of the worker to meet the energetic demands of their tasks (Soer et al 2012;Jebens et al 2015). However, higher work intensities will expose the older workers to greater relative strain, and therefore increased risk of injury because of overexertion and fatigue (McGill 1997).…”

Section: Functional Capacitymentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Age-related declines in functional capacity tend to accelerate after the age of 45 years (Kenny et al 2008;Soer et al 2012). Despite this, the absolute physical demands of occupational tasks remain unchanged irrespective of worker age and attributes (Louhevaara 1999) such that a given task will represent a progressively greater percentage of an aging worker's peak functional capacity (Ilmarinen 2001;Jebens et al 2015).…”

Section: Functional Capacitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Importantly, age-related impairments in physical performance should be considered in the context of meeting the minimum physical requirements to safely perform work duties. For example, Soer et al (2012) observed that younger (20-39 years) and older workers (50-59 years) have a similar required lifting capacity to meet occupational demands classified as medium or heavy. In contrast, substantial disparity was found in peak performance values (Strating et al 2010), albeit the individuals deemed incapable were not identified.…”

Section: Fit For Duty: Considerations Of Age?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Age, human performance, and physical employment standards

Kenny

Groeller

McGinn

et al. 2016

Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab.

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Abstract:The proportion of older workers has increased substantially in recent years, with over 25% of the Canadian labour force aged ≥55 years. Along with chronological age comes age-related declines in functional capacity associated with impairments to the cardiorespiratory and muscular systems. As a result, older workers are reported to exhibit reductions in work output and in the ability to perform and/or sustain the required effort when performing work tasks. However, research has presented some conflicting views on the consequences of aging in the workforce, as physically demanding occupations can be associated with improved or maintained physical function. Furthermore, the current methods for evaluating physical function in older workers often lack specificity and relevance to the actual work tasks, leading to an underestimation of physical capacity in the older worker. Nevertheless, industry often lacks the appropriate information and/or tools to accommodate the aging workforce, particularly in the context of physical employment standards. Ultimately, if appropriate workplace strategies and work performance standards are adopted to optimize the strengths and protect against the vulnerability of the aging workers, they can perform as effectively as their younger counterparts. Our aim in this review is to evaluate the impact of different individual (including physiological decline, chronic disease, lifestyle, and physical activity) and occupational (including shift work, sleep deprivation, and cold/heat exposure) factors on the physical decline of older workers, and therefore the risk of work-related injuries or illness.Key words: aging, worker, work ability, functional capacity, health, fitness, exercise.Résumé : La proportion de travailleurs âgés s'est accrue substantiellement au cours des dernières années; plus de 25 % de la main d'oeuvre au Canada est âgée de ≥55 ans. Avec l'avancement en âge vient le déclin de la capacité fonctionnelle associé à des troubles des systèmes cardiorespiratoire et musculaire. Ainsi, selon des études, il y a une diminution dans la production de travail des individus plus âgés et dans leur capacité à effectuer et maintenir un rythme de travail. Toutefois, la documentation scientifique rapporte des points de vue divergents à propos des conséquences du vieillissement de la main-d'oeuvre, car les tâches physiquement exigeantes peuvent être associées à une amélioration ou à un maintien des fonctions physiques. De plus, les méthodes actuelles d'évaluation des fonctions physiques des travailleurs plus âgés ne sont pas pertinentes ou ne sont pas suffisamment ajustées aux tâches courantes, ce qui entraîne une sous-estimation de la capacité physique des travailleurs plus âgés. Quoi qu'il en soit, cette industrie ne dispose pas souvent des informations ou des outils pertinents pour s'ajuster à la main-d'oeuvre vieillissante notamment dans le contexte des normes de travail physique. En fin de compte, si on adopte de bonnes stratégies et des normes de travail ajustées aux forces et à la...

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Strength and Motor Function in an Aging Population in Dependence to Work Position

Bures

Cadkova

2019

Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing

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Decline of Functional Capacity in Healthy Aging Workers

Cited by 41 publications

References 13 publications

Neurophysiological correlates of aging-related muscle weakness

Neurophysiological correlates of aging-related muscle weakness

Age, human performance, and physical employment standards

Strength and Motor Function in an Aging Population in Dependence to Work Position

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