![]() Aging hands and fingers are especially prone to osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.With aging, the hand bones (19 long bones and 8 short bones) and joints, especially the synovial joints, are accompanied by morphological and pathological changes common to aging skeletal tissues. This involves a reduction in water content accompanied by a loss of proteoglycans and also degradation of the collagen type I fiber. Biochemical changes in the aging tendons result in a stiffer, more irregular dense connective tissue.The tensile strength of tendons is a measure of elongation of the tendon during tensile testing, the ultimate tensile strength values for aged tendons decrease by 30–50%.This may also cause flexion contractures of the overlying joints. Changes due to aging cause reduced microcirculation of the synovial sheaths of the tendons and tendons unit, causing difficulties in the ability to adapt to environmental stress, decreased range of joint motion, and decreased flexion.The primary function of tendons is to attach muscles to bone and to transmit muscle force to the skeletal system with limited stretch or elongation.Tendons have a very poor blood supply and are virtually avascular in the regions of tendon insertion.Tendons are composed of dense connective tissue, primarily formed by densely packed, orderly arranged, collagen fibers. The contractile capacity of the Thenar muscle in elderly people has been assessed finding higher muscle fatigue resistance in elderly adults, attributed to differences in both the PNS and CNS.Three of the main thumb muscles play important roles in stabilizing the thumb during strong pinch grips of objects and these commonly show age-related dysfunction.The thumb intrinsic musculature constitutes approximately 40% of the total intrinsic musculature of the hand.After 60 years of age, there is a rapid decline in hand-grip strength, by as much as 20–25%, accompanied by a substantial loss of muscle fibers and decreased muscle-fiber length, particularly in the Thenar muscle group.Extrinsic and intrinsic hand muscles produce the force required for gripping objects (grip force).There is a significant reduction in both action potentials and in the number of viable motor units associated with the hand muscles in the elderly.The diminished muscle strength of the aging hand is attributed to decreasing muscle mass.The are 11 intrinsic muscles and 15 extrinsic muscles with direct functional roles in the hand. One of the most common changes in aging skeletal muscle in the body is the major reduction in muscle mass ranging from 25% to 45%, ie “ sarcopenia of old age”. hard tissues ( bone, hyaline cartilage, fingernails).soft tissues (muscles, tendons, blood vessels, nerves).Diseases ( osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis).Physical activities (work-related, recreational sports, and hobbies).Environmental factors (ultraviolet radiation, chemical irritants).įactors Affecting Function in Aging Hands Women and the very old appear especially vulnerable to the effect of hand problems on their daily activities.Most are painful and have a significant impact on everyday life.After age 75 years, age differences in performance is apparent.Hand function seems to remain stable until age 65 years, after which it gradually reduces.Musculoskeletal hand problems are common in the population aged over 50 yrs.Īge and grip strength are significant predictors of hand dexterity Aiming and tapping hand dexterity (involving rapid, coordinated, goal-directed actions) is moderated by the factor of grip strength more than age ie physical activity may improve particular types of hand dexterity. These age-related changes are often accompanied by underlying pathological conditions ( osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatic arthritis, and Parkinson's disease) that are common in the elderly population. Deterioration of hand function in elderly adults is a combination of local structural changes ( joints, muscle, tendon, bone, nerve and receptors, blood supply, skin, and fingernails) and more distant changes in neural control. Deterioration in hand function in the elderly population is, to a large degree, secondary to age-related degenerative changes in the musculoskeletal, vascular, and nervous systems. Hand function decreases with age in both men and women, especially after the age of 65 years. ![]()
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