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 Senior
Citizen Athletes Find Joints Paying the Price
Older Americans are storming gyms, sports arenas like
people half their age
March 31, 2005 - Charles Witke is an avid walker,
dog trainer and gym member intent on staying in shape by being active
every day. And at age 73, hes doesnt let anything including
arthritis or a shoulder injury slow him down.
Witke is just one of an increasing number of senior
citizens who refuse to let age stand in the way of athletics and
physical fitness.
But while these senior athletes are taking gyms and
sports arenas across America by storm with the mentality and ambition of
athletes half their age, their aging shoulders, knees and muscles may be
paying the ultimate price.
Thats why it is so important for senior athletes
to find the appropriate level of activity to prevent injury, especially
if they have arthritis or are genetically predisposed to wear and tear
injuries involving their joints, says James Carpenter, M.D., chair of
the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Michigan
Health System.
Older athletes always need to keep their aging
joints in mind when they take on new activities or increase their
activity level to avoid injury, he advises. Its much better to remain
active at a healthy level than to work too hard and become injured or to
give up activities altogether.
Carpenter and his colleagues tend to see the first
signs of wear and tear injury in active adults between the ages of 50
and 60. Most often, these injuries involve the knee, a major
weight-bearing joint that tends to take the brunt of physical activity
over the years, and the shoulder.
With the knee, the most common wear and tear injury
is to the meniscus cartilage, a small structure between the two bones of
the knee. And by age 60, Carpenter says, about 60 percent of the
population will have experienced a tear or injury to the meniscus
cartilage. Fortunately, though, most injuries to this structure are not
painful or symptomatic.
Shoulders also are at risk for wear and tear injury, particularly the
rotator cuff, a series of tendons around the shoulder that can wear thin
and even tear with sudden movements or falls. For nearly half of seniors
with torn rotator cuffs, the injury can be painful or symptomatic
something Witke knows about all-too-well.
I had a lot of pain in my arm, especially at
night, he recalls of his torn rotator cuff. It was difficult to sleep
and I had range of motion problems I couldnt even get my wallet out
of my back pants pocket.
Surprisingly, though, in many cases like Witkes,
sports are not to blame for a rotator cuff injury. Typically, Carpenter
says, such injuries are simply the result of a seniors daily activity
putting on shoes or just extending the arm too far when reaching for
objects.
To alleviate some of his discomfort and pain, and
to regain his range of motion following his injury, Witke came to the
MedSport, the U-M Health Systems comprehensive Sports Medicine Program,
for therapy.
The rehab has been very good for me. Its allowed
me, through the exercises I do here and at home, to sleep through the
night without discomfort and regain a good deal of the motion that I
didnt have before, says Witke. I want to get back to as much activity
as I had with that arm before this happened, and I think Im on the way
to doing it.
While MedSport and the UMHS Department of
Orthopaedic Surgery are able to treat and repair these wear and tear
injuries involving knees and shoulders, Carpenter still says that the
best medicine is prevention.
The most important preventative measure to take, he
says, is to use caution when increasing activity levels or adding new
activities to your exercise routine.
The key is to take baby steps, Carpenter advises.
Its amazing what people can do if they increase their activity level
very slowly over a period of time, whether its walking, swimming or
jogging. Taking it slow allows the tissue in the body to gradually get
stronger, which protects the body from injury, especially with
weight-bearing activities.
A large portion of the risk for these injuries is
related to genetics, too, and arthritis also can factor into discomfort
and pain for active seniors.
The bottom line, Carpenter says: find a level of
activity thats best for your body and will keep you physically fit,
while minimizing your risk for injury.
Facts about the aging athlete:
The first signs of wear and tear injury in active adults between the
ages of 50 and 60.
The most common wear and tear injury to the knee involves the meniscus
cartilage, a small structure between the two bones of the knee.
Most shoulder injuries occur in the rotator cuff, a series of tendons
around the shoulder that can wear thin and even tear with sudden
movements or falls.
Rotator cuff injuries are typically not caused by sports; every-day
activities like putting on shoes or just extending the arm too far when
reaching for objects are most often to blame.
Many seniors are genetically predisposed to wear and tear injuries
involving their joints, and should use extra caution when choosing
activities to minimize their risk.
For more information, visit these web sites:
UMHS Health Topics A-Z: Muscle Strains
UMHS Health Topics A-Z: Ankle Sprain
UMHS Health Topics A-Z: Ice Therapy
UMHS Health Topics A-Z: Fluids and Hydration
UMHS Health Topics A-Z: Osteoarthritis
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Baby Boomer Sports Injuries
(pdf)
National Institutes of Health: Exercise for Older Adults
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