Walking Around Is the Simplest Way to Shorten Hospital Stay, Study Finds

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110808104530.htm

ScienceDaily (Aug. 8, 2011) — Walking around the ward during hospitalization reduces the length of geriatric patients' stay in internal wards, according to a new study.

[.....]

The study found that all of the patients who walked around shortened their hospital stay by an average day and a half compared with those who did not exercise physical mobility. The study also found that those who walked around the ward on the first day of hospitalization shortened their stay more than the others. The researchers stated that they found this to be relevant regardless of the patients' health status.

According to the researchers, older patients might mistakenly believe that when they are hospitalized they must stay in bed. Studies of older adults have shown, however, that the opposite is true. "The muscle's reserve capacity' can decompose quite quickly in older people. If they shift from a mode of mobility -- even if it was minimal -- to a state of almost complete immobility, and even for just a few short days of hospitalization, they could very quickly lose their muscle 'reserves', resulting in more difficulties functioning and other complications. This study, along with other new studies in the area, shows that walking really does pay off," the researchers stated.

..