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Longevity in physiotherapy: strength, mobility and recovery with age

Reviewed by Dr. Daniel Wallerstorfer, molecular biologist and founder of Novogenia · Updated: 12 October 2026 · Reading time: 9 min

In short

Physiotherapy works on exactly what aging research considers especially important for healthy aging: muscle strength, walking ability and balance. Strength training works into old age, and in studies, exercise programs lowered the rate of falls in older people. As a premium add-on, your practice can offer genetic analyses on micronutrient utilization and – for athletes – on performance and recovery, plus personalized micronutrients under your own brand. Diagnoses and medical analyses remain the domain of physicians.

Strength training at 90

Ten frail nursing-home residents, on average 90 years old, completed eight weeks of high-intensity strength training. Among the nine who finished the program, strength rose by an average of 174%. Mid-thigh muscle area increased by 9.0%, and their speed walking heel to toe along a line improved by 48% (Fiatarone et al., JAMA, 1990).

The study was small, its message big – and later research has confirmed it: muscles are not an account that closes at retirement. You can keep paying in until old age. A meta-analysis of 47 studies with 1,079 people aged 50 and over found strength gains of 24 to 33%, depending on the exercise; higher intensity achieved more (Peterson et al., Ageing Research Reviews, 2010).

For longevity, this means: your practice has long been working on one of the most important levers for healthy aging. The only question is whether you make it visible as an offer of its own.

Why strength and walking speed reveal so much

The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People describes age-related muscle loss as a muscle disease that builds up over a whole lifetime. Its key characteristic is low muscle strength. Sarcopenia is common in older people but can also occur earlier in life (Cruz-Jentoft et al., Age and Ageing, 2019).

Two simple measurements from your daily practice come up again and again in large studies:

Grip strength: In the PURE study of 139,691 people from 17 countries, every 5 kg of lower grip strength was associated with a 16% higher risk of death. Grip strength predicted mortality better than systolic blood pressure (Leong et al., Lancet, 2015).
Walking speed: In a pooled analysis of 9 cohorts with 34,485 people aged 65 and over, walking speed was associated with survival in every study. For 75-year-old men, the predicted 10-year survival ranged from 19% to 87%, depending on walking speed (Studenski et al., JAMA, 2011).

These are observational data, and they are remarkable: two simple measurements say a lot about a person’s path into old age. The PURE authors therefore see grip strength as a simple, inexpensive way to assess risk. For your practice, the logical conclusion is: you measure and train exactly the abilities that aging research considers strong signals.

What works: strength, balance, protein

Building block	What research shows	For your practice
Strength training	improves strength from age 50 onward too, more so with higher intensity (Peterson et al., 2010)	train progressively, with individual dosing
Balance and everyday function	A Cochrane review of 108 randomized trials with 23,407 participants found that exercise programs lower the rate of falls in older people living in the community by 23%, and balance and functional exercises by 24% (Sherrington et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2019).	build balance and everyday exercises firmly into the program
Protein	The PROT-AGE group recommends at least 1.0 to 1.2 g of protein per kg of body weight per day for people over 65, and 1.2 g or more for active people; exception: severe kidney disease (Bauer et al., Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2013).	raise the topic of nutrition; have a physician clarify it where diseases are involved

For practice, this gives a clear rule of thumb: anyone who wants to build strength in later life needs training and enough protein. Protein quality and timing are still being researched; where diseases are involved, the protein question belongs in a physician’s hands.

Micronutrients: the building block beside the treatment table

Recovery and mobility also depend on individual nutrient supply. This is where the genetic analysis comes in: it shows how your patients utilize certain micronutrients. Think of it as the blueprint of the body’s nutrient logistics – it reveals where supply is more likely to stall.

A personalized micronutrient mix can be built from it. Novogenia calculates it from about 50 genes, a questionnaire and, where available, blood values, which take precedence. Every dose stays within fixed limits, at most up to EFSA’s tolerable upper intake level. In honest terms: the genetic traits are well documented; the recommendations derived from them are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven. More on the calculation in Personalized supplements as a gym offer, and on the offer for practices under Physiotherapists.

A topic that often comes up in practice: patients who want or need to lose weight. Anyone who loses muscle mass in a calorie deficit loses exactly what you want to build. The role genes play here is explained in the gene story Preserving muscle during weight loss.

A premium add-on for athletes: performance and recovery

If you treat athletes, you can add analyses on performance and training optimization as a premium service. They show tendencies toward power or endurance, VO2max potential, recovery and injury risk. Because genes do not change during a lifetime, the report remains a basis beyond rehab – for the next season as much as for training at 60.

One example of special interest in physiotherapy: in a study, a particular variant of the COL5A1 gene, the blueprint for a collagen building block of tendons, was clearly more common in people without Achilles tendon problems than in those affected (Mokone et al., Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2006). The logical conclusion: if this variant is missing, it pays to get tendons used to load especially carefully. Genetic results complement your functional tests before return to sport. How to use genetic results in training is shown in Genetics in training.

What a longevity offer in your practice can look like

Baseline check: grip strength, walking speed, balance and mobility – measurements you already master.
Agree on a goal: for example climbing stairs safely, hiking again, the next ski season.
Program: strength and balance training, individually dosed, with exercises for home.
Optional genetic analysis: micronutrient utilization; for athletes, performance and recovery as well.
Optional micronutrients: personalized and under your practice brand; one delivery lasts 90 days.
Re-check: the same measurements after a fixed period – make progress visible.

A purely fictitious, typical example: a practice with two therapists first offers the program to patients who want to keep training after their treatment has ended. For its own micronutrient line, it first has a small test batch produced and checks quality and look before starting on a larger scale.

How to approach your patients – without sales pressure

A longevity offer does not fit every treatment. Offer it when it matches the person’s goal – not because there is time left over. These phrases help you get started:

Starting from the goal: “You want to hike safely again. For that you need strength and balance – and we can train both specifically.”
Starting from the measurement: “Your grip strength and walking speed show us where you stand. We will measure again in a few weeks.”
The genetic analysis as an option: “If you would like to know how your body utilizes certain micronutrients, there is an analysis based on a saliva sample. It is optional and does not replace a medical examination.”

Every analysis starts with information: what it shows and what it does not, who sees the report and how the data are protected. Under the GDPR, genetic data belong to the specially protected categories of data; more in Genetic data and the GDPR. Your team can prepare professionally with the free NOVO Academy, which also includes a course on performance genetics.

Limits: what does not belong in the practice

No diagnoses from genes: lifestyle analyses show predispositions. Wherever national law requires it, medical analyses go through physicians – for example in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the USA.
No disease claims: sarcopenia is considered a muscle disease. So never advertise supplements as preventing or treating it.
No biological age: Novogenia does not offer any biological-age measurement; more in Measuring biological age.
Blood values via a physician: they improve the data basis but belong in a physician’s hands.

Switzerland has stricter rules – and you have a role in them. There, physiotherapists (FH) are among the professions allowed to order tests of physiological traits such as nutrition or sport. Your patient provides the saliva sample in your presence; self-test kits for home use are not allowed. Analyses of food intolerances and of sports-injury risk count as medical and belong in a physician’s hands; medical genetic tests may not be advertised publicly. Analysis in the lab in Austria requires your patient’s written consent. More in Who may offer genetic tests?.

What you may write in practice flyers and on your website is covered in Advertising longevity.

Checklist for your practice

Measurements defined: grip strength, walking speed, balance, mobility.
Program with strength and balance training defined, including a re-check.
Genetic analysis as an optional add-on, with information and written consent.
For athletes: performance genetics as a conversation starter and an aid to load management.
Micronutrients checked against existing products; cleared by a physician where diseases or medications are involved.
Advertising copy free of disease and cure claims.
Your own brand? Start with a small test batch.

How we do it at Novogenia

How we support physiotherapy practices at Novogenia:

Genetic analyses: how your patients utilize micronutrients – as a complement to physiotherapeutic care.
For athletes: performance and recovery genetics as a premium add-on: power or endurance, VO2max potential, recovery, injury risk.
Personalized micronutrients: calculated from about 50 genes, a questionnaire and, where available, blood values; every dose at most up to EFSA’s tolerable upper intake level.
Your own brand: white label from small batches; on request, a small test batch first so you can check quality and look.
Process: saliva sample in the practice or at home (in Switzerland only in your presence), analysis in 4 days in our own lab near Salzburg, Austria, digital report in up to 18 languages.
Training: the free NOVO Academy, including a course on performance genetics.

Frequently asked questions

May physiotherapists offer genetic analyses?

Lifestyle analyses, for example on micronutrient utilization or on sport and performance, yes. Medical analyses belong in a physician’s hands wherever national law requires it – for example in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the USA. In Switzerland, physiotherapists (FH) are among the professions allowed to order tests of physiological traits such as nutrition or sport; the saliva sample is taken in their presence.

Does a genetic analysis replace a blood test?

No. Genes show a predisposition; blood values show the current nutrient status. That is why blood values take precedence in Novogenia’s calculation of personalized micronutrients. Have them taken by a physician.

From what quantity can I offer products under my practice brand?

At Novogenia, white label is possible from small batches. On request, we first produce a small test batch so you can check quality and look in your practice.

What does performance genetics offer athletes in physiotherapy?

It shows tendencies toward power or endurance, recovery and injury risk. That provides material for conversation and helps you manage load carefully – as a complement to your functional tests before return to sport.

Can patients with existing conditions take personalized micronutrients?

A physician should decide. For diseases, medications, pregnancy or breastfeeding, the question belongs in a physician’s hands. Also always ask about other supplements, whose amounts come on top.

Want to add longevity to your offer?

Tell us about your gym, company or practice – we will show you what is possible today.

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Note: This guide is general information for businesses and professionals and does not replace medical or legal advice. Novogenia longevity products are food supplements and not a substitute for a balanced, varied diet and a healthy lifestyle; statements in this guide are not promises of cure and not statements on the prevention, treatment or healing of diseases. Recommendations derived from genetic analyses are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven. Regulations can change; errors and changes excepted.