When people gradually become older, the incidences of more pain being evident in their muscles and joints can increase. So many older people appear to virtually stiffen up, and such activities as bending over or reaching up can induce a short sharp period of discomfort. At times, the pain can be so fierce that there is a common misconception that the source of their problem lies within their bones.



What is not understood is that the actual cause of stiffness and soreness is not in the joints or bones. It may feel like that but to get to get to the real problem, the muscles and connective tissues that move the joints should be identified and a programme of light exercise taken to alleviate the worst of the symptoms. Over a period of time, these symptoms will reduce whilst the muscles will have gained in strength and greater flexibility, which shall further reduce the casue of the problem.

Flexibility is a term used to describe the range of a joint's full motion including movement in all directions. Simply put, when the range of movement is greater this implies a greater flexibility of the body joint. The act of bending forward at the hips and touching down towards your toes with your fingertips, you will have good flexibility, or range of motion of the hip joints. Yet that is only half the equation as the exertion required to undertake the above exercise is just as important as its range of possible motion.

It is only natural that if the muscles and joints are not moved on a regular basis through their full ranges of motion, they will lose some of their potential. This is the reason why when the act of moving a joint after a prolonged period of inactivity, pain in of varying levels of distress is felt, and unfortunatley for the body that will often discourage further use. The unwanted outcome of such inactivity is that the muscles become shortened and produce spasms and cramps that can be irritating and extremely painful.

There are a range of exercises that can be easily undertaken to ensure that the muscles and joint do not become so inflexible that discomfort is felt. One of the most popular and growing exercise programme to assist with this is Pilates which anyone of any age and fitness level can undertake. Pilates is a collection of many hundreds of different exercises with the common target being and improvement in the tone and flexibile capability of the muscles plus also an awareness of your body form. By undertaking these exercises you will be reprogramming your body into its correct posture which has the benefits if reducing the strain on muscles which can lead to such problems as back pain.