Common Injuries for the Baby Boomer Set

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Common Injuries for the Baby Boomer Set

Many baby boomers are exercising more to keep their bodies’ active and limber, as they grow older gracefully. They are taking part in bicycling, running, skiing, and even inline skating. Using preventive measures could prevent many of these injuries. Warming up before exercising and wearing helmets and kneepads could reduce the injuries reported yearly. You wouldn’t let our children, grandchildren take part in bicycling, or inline skating without the proper equipment and neither should you.

Warming up the muscles before walking or running can prevent hamstring injuries and sprains. If you are walking, take a short time to walk slowly before you set your pace. If you are into inline skating or bicycling a helmet should be worn to prevent head injuries. Adults are twice as likely to die of a bike accident then children.

Taking preventive measures before you play could prevent other injuries from swimming, ice hockey, weight lifting, and football.

The most common injuries are with the knee or the shoulder. The stress of motion and weight bearing on joints that are not young anymore pose a big problem. In the past year, over 23 million visits were made to a doctor’s office for injuries to either the shoulder or the knee.

The most common knee problems include injury to major ligaments. Injuries to the ligaments, the tissues that keep the bones of the knee in place, and torn knee cartridges are both more likely in baby boomers. The cartilage acts as a cushiony shock absorber in the knee. When that is injured, there is no protection for that joint.

Orthopedic surgeons recommend you see a doctor if you are having any of the following symptoms.

Knee pain while climbing or going downstairs.
Pain that keeps you from going through your daily routine.
Knee swelling that doesn’t go away after two or three days.
Locking of the joint or feeling a “catch” when you use it.
Repeated collapse of the knee. This may signal a torn ligament.

Another joint that is often injured is the shoulder. Boomers who swim, golf, pitch, play tennis, and lift weights sometimes have trouble with the shoulder joint. Injuries occur while doing ordinary tasks such as hanging curtains, gardening, or washing walls. A person may also have a job that requires repetitive motion of lifting over the head, and pushing and pulling a large weight.

Tendonitis and tears in the rotator cuff is the most common. Other injuries can include bone spurs collecting above the rotator cuff or under the collarbone. These can build up and in time result in holes in the rotator cuff or tears. The rotator cuff is important for giving the shoulder stability. If the shoulder just pops out of place, or there is pain and loss of motion in the shoulder, and stiffness is present you should contact your doctor. It may feel like a strain, but if you continue to have problems, a doctor can tell you if it is something more serious.

If you have pain that wakes you in the middle of the night, limited range of motion, pain when you are doing everyday tasks such as combing your hair or dressing, you should talk to your doctor. Also, be aware that weakness in the shoulder and arm is something that should be checked out as well.

Common treatments for shoulder and knee joint injuries include rest, ice, and anti-inflammatory medication. If that doesn’t ease the pain, you can try ice or your doctor may send you to physical therapy.

In extreme cases, surgery may be needed to repair torn knee cartilage or with severe injury to the rotator cuff. Bone spurs that have formed in the shoulder can be taken out with two tiny cuts and recovery time is short. If there is more damage, or damage to the collarbone, a more extensive surgery may be needed and rehabilitation will be longer.

Injuries shouldn’t mar your leisure time, and they won’t if you take preventive measures and practice safety while taking part in any form of sport.