Physical exercise for primary sarcopenia: an expert opinion
Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function. Recently, research has focused on defining diagnostic criteria for this condition, now recognized as a muscle disease with a specific identifying code (ICD-10: M62.84). The diagnostic process for sarcopenia involves several sta...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fresc.2025.1538336/full |
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| author | Antimo Moretti Federica Tomaino Marco Paoletta Sara Liguori Sara Liguori Silvia Migliaccio Mariangela Rondanelli Angelo Di Iorio Raffaello Pellegrino Davide Donnarumma Daniele Di Nunzio Giuseppe Toro Francesca Gimigliano Maria Luisa Brandi Giovanni Iolascon |
| author_facet | Antimo Moretti Federica Tomaino Marco Paoletta Sara Liguori Sara Liguori Silvia Migliaccio Mariangela Rondanelli Angelo Di Iorio Raffaello Pellegrino Davide Donnarumma Daniele Di Nunzio Giuseppe Toro Francesca Gimigliano Maria Luisa Brandi Giovanni Iolascon |
| author_sort | Antimo Moretti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function. Recently, research has focused on defining diagnostic criteria for this condition, now recognized as a muscle disease with a specific identifying code (ICD-10: M62.84). The diagnostic process for sarcopenia involves several stages, including the use of dedicated questionnaires and objective measurements of muscle strength and mass. According to international guidelines, therapeutic exercise is recommended to improve muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance. However, much of the supporting evidence comes from studies on non-sarcopenic elderly patients. Among types of therapeutic exercise, guidelines mainly emphasize muscle strengthening. The prescription of therapeutic exercise must consider the clinical and functional conditions of the patient (e.g., the presence of severe sarcopenia) and patient preferences. Muscle strengthening should target large muscle groups and include low-intensity resistance exercise for strength improvement, or high-intensity resistance exercise for additional benefits in muscle mass and function. Evidence suggests that an ideal therapeutic exercise program for sarcopenic patients should be multimodal, incorporating muscle strengthening, aerobic exercise, and balance control programs. This approach could enhance patient adherence by offering variety. Although multimodal therapeutic exercise improves muscle mass and function, these benefits can be lost during prolonged physical inactivity. Therefore, the exercise prescription must define intensity, volume (repetitions and sets), frequency, rest intervals, and duration, tailored to the type of exercise. Aerobic training programs improve endurance and optimize mitochondrial function. Balance training, important for reducing the risk of falls, should be done at least three times a week. Muscle strengthening should be done at least two days a week, starting at 50%–60% of 1 repetition maximum (RM) and progressing to 60%–80% of 1 RM, with approximately 10 exercises per session. Adopting comprehensive prescription protocols, such as those proposed in this paper, can significantly aid in the functional recovery and well-being of patients with sarcopenia. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7b12606faeba44698c0c6b09ff3ffacd |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2673-6861 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-7b12606faeba44698c0c6b09ff3ffacd2025-08-20T02:48:39ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences2673-68612025-03-01610.3389/fresc.2025.15383361538336Physical exercise for primary sarcopenia: an expert opinionAntimo Moretti0Federica Tomaino1Marco Paoletta2Sara Liguori3Sara Liguori4Silvia Migliaccio5Mariangela Rondanelli6Angelo Di Iorio7Raffaello Pellegrino8Davide Donnarumma9Daniele Di Nunzio10Giuseppe Toro11Francesca Gimigliano12Maria Luisa Brandi13Giovanni Iolascon14Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties and Dentistry, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Specialties and Dentistry, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Specialties and Dentistry, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Experimental Medicine, University Sapienza of Rome, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, ItalyLaboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine and Sciences of Aging, University G. D'Annunzio, Chieti, ItalyDepartment of Scientific Research, Campus Ludes, Off-Campus Semmelweis University, Lugano-Pazzallo, Switzerland.Rehabilitation Unit, University Hospital ‘Luigi Vanvitelli’, Naples, ItalyRehabilitation Unit, University Hospital ‘Luigi Vanvitelli’, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Specialties and Dentistry, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDepartment of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalyDonatello Bone Clinic, Villa Donatello Hospital, Sesto Fiorentino, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Specialties and Dentistry, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, ItalySarcopenia is the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function. Recently, research has focused on defining diagnostic criteria for this condition, now recognized as a muscle disease with a specific identifying code (ICD-10: M62.84). The diagnostic process for sarcopenia involves several stages, including the use of dedicated questionnaires and objective measurements of muscle strength and mass. According to international guidelines, therapeutic exercise is recommended to improve muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance. However, much of the supporting evidence comes from studies on non-sarcopenic elderly patients. Among types of therapeutic exercise, guidelines mainly emphasize muscle strengthening. The prescription of therapeutic exercise must consider the clinical and functional conditions of the patient (e.g., the presence of severe sarcopenia) and patient preferences. Muscle strengthening should target large muscle groups and include low-intensity resistance exercise for strength improvement, or high-intensity resistance exercise for additional benefits in muscle mass and function. Evidence suggests that an ideal therapeutic exercise program for sarcopenic patients should be multimodal, incorporating muscle strengthening, aerobic exercise, and balance control programs. This approach could enhance patient adherence by offering variety. Although multimodal therapeutic exercise improves muscle mass and function, these benefits can be lost during prolonged physical inactivity. Therefore, the exercise prescription must define intensity, volume (repetitions and sets), frequency, rest intervals, and duration, tailored to the type of exercise. Aerobic training programs improve endurance and optimize mitochondrial function. Balance training, important for reducing the risk of falls, should be done at least three times a week. Muscle strengthening should be done at least two days a week, starting at 50%–60% of 1 repetition maximum (RM) and progressing to 60%–80% of 1 RM, with approximately 10 exercises per session. Adopting comprehensive prescription protocols, such as those proposed in this paper, can significantly aid in the functional recovery and well-being of patients with sarcopenia.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fresc.2025.1538336/fullsarcopeniaexerciseresistance trainingaerobic trainingbalance trainingmultimodal exercise |
| spellingShingle | Antimo Moretti Federica Tomaino Marco Paoletta Sara Liguori Sara Liguori Silvia Migliaccio Mariangela Rondanelli Angelo Di Iorio Raffaello Pellegrino Davide Donnarumma Daniele Di Nunzio Giuseppe Toro Francesca Gimigliano Maria Luisa Brandi Giovanni Iolascon Physical exercise for primary sarcopenia: an expert opinion Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences sarcopenia exercise resistance training aerobic training balance training multimodal exercise |
| title | Physical exercise for primary sarcopenia: an expert opinion |
| title_full | Physical exercise for primary sarcopenia: an expert opinion |
| title_fullStr | Physical exercise for primary sarcopenia: an expert opinion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Physical exercise for primary sarcopenia: an expert opinion |
| title_short | Physical exercise for primary sarcopenia: an expert opinion |
| title_sort | physical exercise for primary sarcopenia an expert opinion |
| topic | sarcopenia exercise resistance training aerobic training balance training multimodal exercise |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fresc.2025.1538336/full |
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