bone and muscle condition

Adhesions of the shoulder muscles is where the shoulder capsule thickens, swells, and tightens due to bands of scar tissue (adhesions) that have formed inside the capsule. As a result, there is less room in the joint for the humerus, making movement of the shoulder stiff and painful.

Disc protrusion is a disease like condition which can occur in some vertebrates including humans, in which, the outermost layers of the annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral discs of the spine are intact, but bulge when one or more of the discs are under pressure.

Degenerative disc disease is a condition of the discs between vertebrae with loss of cushioning, fragmentation and herniation related to aging. There may be no symptoms. In some cases, the spine loses flexibility and bone spurs may pinch a nerve root, causing pain or weakness.

Flexibility or limberness refers to the absolute range of movement in a joint or series of joints, and length in muscles that cross the joints to induce a bending movement or motion

Some of the physical changes attributed to aging are as follows:

• an increased amount of calcium deposits, adhesions, and cross-links in the body  • an increase in the level of fragmentation and dehydration  • changes in the chemical structures of the tissues  • loss of suppleness due to the replacement of muscle fibers with fatty, collagenous fibers

When connective tissue is overused the tissue becomes fatigued and may tear, which also limits flexibility. When connective tissue is unused or under used it provides significant resistance and limits flexibility. The elastin begins to fray and loses some of its elasticity, and the collagen increases in stiffness and in density. Aging has some of the same effects on connective tissues that lack of use has.

This does not mean that you should give up trying to achieve flexibility if you are old or inflexible. It just means that you need to work harder, and more carefully, for a longer period of time when attempting to increase flexibility. Increases in the ability of muscle tissues and connective tissues to elongate (stretch) can be achieved at any age.