Preventing weakness and stiffness - A top priority for health and social care.

With growing evidence that sarcopenia, disability and frailty can be prevented with physical activity, people living with pain, stiffness and weakness due to a musculoskeletal condition should be offered physical activity as a preventive strategy. By changing beliefs and attitudes towards ageing and raising the value and importance of physical activity, disability can be avoided or delayed and the costly burden of social care lessened. The effects of ageing and the effects of muscle strength loss are often confused.