Why Mobility Declines with Age and How to Reverse It

In this article we are talking about mobility, why it declines with age, and how to stay active to maintain or improve mobility as we age as seen in the video Why Mobility Declines as We Age & How to Reverse It.

Mobility, or more simply put moving from one place to another is essential to maintaining independence as we age. This is because limited mobility can make it harder to complete everyday tasks like household tasks, working, or getting out and about. Limited mobility can also precede disability, is linked to higher mortality, and higher health care costs.

While none of these outcomes are great, what is good news is there are things we can do to reduce the risk of mobility decline as we age. Here we cover why mobility declines with age, based on research in older adults, and what we can do to reduce our risk of mobility decline as we age.

Remember this content is for general educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for individual physiotherapy assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified health professional for advice specific to your situation.

What Is mobility?

Mobility is defined in research as the ability to move from one place to another. Most commonly this includes activities like getting around the house, going up and down stairs, and walking outdoors. More broadly it can include activities like driving, catching transport, or using equipment like a wheelchair.

Why is it important?

Maintaining mobility as we age is important because it can determine whether or not we can meet our basic needs independently like obtaining food, clothing, and accessing health care, and also how we fulfil our higher order needs like social relationships and recreational activities.

Having optimal mobility is important for any number of daily activities. Some examples might be being able to complete the housecleaning without feeling fatigued, going out and about with the grandkids, or going for a hike with friends.

Why does mobility declines with age?

Research shows that mobility declines for many older adults for multiple reasons. A systematic review of mobility decline in older adults by Nicolson et al. 2021identified key risk factors associated with mobility decline. Some of the key modifiable risk factors associated with physical functioning included:

-       Pain

-       Fatigue or tiredness

-       Low physical activity

-       Not walking every day

-       Falls

What do changes in mobility look like?

Mobility changes might look like more obvious acute changes like I just had knee surgery and can’t get to the groceries this week or I injured my shoulder playing tennis and can’t reach overhead to hang out the washing.

More often than not though, mobility limitations that impact us as we age happen more gradually over time. Indications of mobility changes might be things like, I’m worried about playing with the grandkids at the park because my balance isn’t as good as it was, I don’t like driving in unfamiliar places anymore because I can’t turn my head as easily to check for blind spots, or I don’t walk as far as I used to because I get tired more quickly.

What can we do to maintain or improve our mobility over time?

If starting to notice changes in mobility or experiencing a health condition that is impacting mobility, it’s a great time to address the risk factors mentioned earlier.

For example,

• If we experience pain from conditions like osteoarthritis, we could incorporate pain management exercises into our exercise routine.

• If we are feeling more fatigued or tired, we can start building our endurance with regular exercise.

• If we are not currently meeting the exercise recommendations for strength and cardiovascular activity, we can set a goal and plan for increasing our amount of exercise over time.

• If our balance isn’t what it once was or we have had a slip or trip, we can work add in balance exercises.

Why physical activity matters & how much to do?

As we have touched on physical activity matters to address some of the modifiable risk factors for mobility decline, in addition to maintaining good health.

In Australia, among persons aged 65 years and older, only 43% met the physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week and 16% met the strength based activity guideline of strength exercise on at least 2 days per week (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2024; Department of Health Disability and Ageing 2021).

This means that if you are doing exercise for around 30 minutes a day, including different types of exercise you are likely meeting or close to meeting the physical activity guidelines, which is great news for maintaining mobility and health with age.

An example might be:

• 5 minute warm up of pain management, rehabilitation, or balance exercises

• 30 minutes of brisk walking, or cycling, or swimming.

  or

• 25 minutes of strength training like sit to stands or resistance band exercises.

How can a daily mobiliy routine help?

If you are not currently meeting the exercise guidelines, that is ok as well. Even starting with one simple daily exercise habit can develop the routine of exercise to help maintain or improve mobility over time, even when living with chronic pain, injury, or impairment. It is about progress over time, rather than perfection.

If you are not sure where to start, the most recent video NEW YEAR RESET Daily Mobility Routine to Start the Year Strong, included a simple daily mobility routine to help maintain or improve range of motion.

Additionally, if you would like to check if you are on the right track with your exercise plan including physical activity recommendations, the Age Fit with Tess Self-Assessment can be found on the website.   

In summary, this article touched on mobility, why it declines with age, and how to stay active to maintain or improve mobility as we age. . I hope this information has been helpful. To hear me talk on these tips, the accompanying video can be found on the Age Fit with Tess Youtube channel.

Tess Halbauer

Physiotherapist