After an accident that forces immobility or in the case of atrophy due to disease, the training exercise allows the regeneration of the muscle, its innervation and vascularization. The action of the training muscle contraction is also exerted on the osteoarticular system, therefore on theosso: «There is a relationship between muscle strength and bone mineral density» confirms Paoli. «The stimulus, made up of compressions and tractions, exerted by the muscle contraction on the bone shapes it. Physical activity is essential: it facilitates the accumulation of bone mass in youth and promotes its maintenance over the years. Analogous regenerative capacities are exercised on jointswhere the production of chondrocytes, the only cartilage cells, is promoted» and this is confirmed by numerous studies on physical activity in subjects with knee and hip osteoarthritis.
Heart. Unlike many other tissues, the non-heart is unable to regenerate and self-replenish heart muscle cells after a heart attack. However, studies have shown that myocardial cells respond to exercise by increasing in size and accelerating their proliferation. Sport is a nice protection against ischemic damage.
Central and peripheral nervous system. Exercise aids recovery after stroke or central nervous system damage by improving synaptic plasticity, promoting myelin regeneration and neuron survival, and facilitating brain angiogenesis. In patients with spinal cord injuries, exercise induces synaptic plasticity and restores sensory and motor function. The peripheral nervous system has a certain capacity for regeneration, which is enhanced by sport, proposed as a real therapy for those with peripheral neuropathy.
Other fabrics. The regenerative capacity of the liver is known, which is what allows us to donate a part of it without consequences for the donor’s health, but exercise promotes the production of hepatocytes, favoring recovery after transplantation. Numerous pieces of evidence also concern the skin, where it is even emerging that different physical activities favor the repair and regeneration of skin wounds of various kinds.
Finally, the production of new cells also affects the hematopoietic systemthat is, all those organs that deal with the production of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
Naturally save money
We were born to move now takes on a much more radical meaning. Sport is a powerful, fun, economic strategy available to all for the protection of health. «We are a machine that must necessarily move not only to train the muscles, but to work in every sense» concludes the sports scientist. “Unfortunately, we have to deal with ancient evolutionary mechanisms that predispose to excessive and harmful energy accumulation in our modern environments, and curb any effort not directly related to survival such as escape or foraging.”
Photo by Alessio Soggetti (Pian delle Betulle, top) and Alora Griffiths (weightlifting) on Unsplash