Meet Dr. Vonda Wright By Dr. Cathy UtzschneiderDr. Vonda Wright, orthopedic surgeon, researcher, speaker, author, and runner, is an expert about aging and performance of masters runners. Just look at her credentials...Whoa...Where do we start? Here is a glance at highlights of her accomplishments followed by the results of her recent research on Senior Olympians and American World Record Holders. Dr. Vonya Wright Wright HighlightsShe’s an assistant professor in the orthopedic surgery department at the UPMC (University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Center for Sports Medicine), having received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Wheaton College, in Wheaton, Illinois; her master’s degree in oncology nursing from Rush University in Chicago, and her medical degree from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. She specializes in sports medicine and is the Director of P.R.I.M.A: the Performance and Research Initiative for Masters Athletes. She serves on the medical advisory board of the National Arthritis Foundation. She has authored numerous articles and her book, Fitness After Forty , will be in published in January 2011. She’s a masters runner who has completed three Chicago marathons and run all three with her father (“but not side by side,” she added). And she just had her first child in September of 2007. She has conducted major research studies on masters runners and most recently served as research coordinator for the 2005 Senior Olympics. Among her published studies was one of 2001 Senior Olympians and American Masters Record Holders, published in the March 2008 issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine. Major findings are summarized below. Research on Senior Olympians and American World Record Holders The study on 2,599 runners at the 2001 summer National Senior Olympic Games aimed to understand the demographics, injury characteristics, and effect of aging on physical performance. The average age of the runners was 68, the range being 50 to 85. Wright studied the top eight finishers in every track distance from the 100 meter to the 10K. Among the findings were the following:
She obtained records showing the 50 year period from age 35 to 85. Record holder performances also reflected a progressively larger increase in times, although women’s performance declined more rapidly than men’s (3.31% versus 1.9% for men). For both men and women, there was less than a 1% annual decline from 30 to 50. Between 50 and 75 the annual rate of performance decline increased three times - to 1.46% per year for men and 2.52% per year for women. That still isn’t that much”, said Dr. Wright. As with the 2001 Senior Olympians, the rate of decline among the American Masters record holders increased a great deal between 75 and 85 – to 10.29% for women and to 4.1% for men. For greater perspective on the effects of aging, Dr. Wright compared the performance trends of the 2001 Senior Olympians and those of the American record holders. She found differences between the comparisons of men and women. For example, the male American record holder performances declined at a more gradual rate (2.2% per year) than did the male 2001 Senior Games winners (3.46% per year) over the 35 year period from 50 to 85. On the other hand, the female American record holder performances declined faster (at a rate of 4.73%) over the 35 years than those of the 2001 Senior Olympians (3.36% per year). From age 75 to 85, female American record holders experienced a greater percentage annual decline than the 2001 Senior Olympians (10.29% versus 7.36%). The study’s conclusion was that even the healthiest examples of musculoskeletal aging experience significance performance declines around age 75. “I like to look at the data not as decline over the 35 years,” said Dr. Wright. “Although that’s interesting, what interests me most is that for the first 25 years (from 50 to 75) the decline is small and very gradual – at around 2% per year for the Senior Olympians. It is not until 75 that performance markedly changes – to more than 7% decline a year. That tipping point, as I like to call it, is not only a statistical difference but is recognized by the masters athletes in themselves.” Her data, she said, is supported by several other studies with aging athletes, including swimmers and body builders. Why does performance drop off so precipitously? “I think the cumulative factors of biology take over. We lose muscle mass every year after 30. We get tighter and unless we stretch every day we lose range of motion and our stride length gets shorter. Our cardiac and respiratory function declines with age. It sounds like all bad news but it’s not because we know that at any age our bodies adapt and will get stronger if we work at it. It’s not an inevitable decline from vitality to frailty,” she said. The seventies is a time for major prevention intervention, she said. “I don’t want people to hang up their spikes,” said Dr. Wright. “I want them to recognize that the changes of aging become more acute as they reach their seventh decade. At that point we have to be smarter than we’ve ever been.” Cathy's Dr. Vonda Wright story will continue next month. Dr. Vonda Wright will answer questions about P.R.I.M.A. and raise questions related to orthopedic issues of masters runners. She can be reached through her website. Cathy Utzschneider Ed.D. (human movement), M.B.A., professor of goal setting and competitive performance, Boston College; coach, Liberty Athletic Club, MOVE and Women-Running-Together.com. Like to comment on the Dr. Vonda Wright story? Post it here. Return from Vonda Wright to WomenRunningTogether This article was originally printed in National Masters News. Post Your CommentDo you have a comment on this story? Share it! New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave us a comment in the box below. |
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