This Grandma did not exercise at all until her fifties. I think of myself as lucky. Those who played tennis and skied in their youth are now facing the result of those early injuries, with knee and hip replacements! Not to say that I have not suffered injuries. I have. I expect to. I know that the injuries will not stop me from exercising and being active. Ever. I will just be prepared.
Right now I am suffering a shoulder and neck injury from a pilates class that was all men and me, much too much upper body exercise for me, and I did too much. Although I am surely only twenty seven inside, I forget that my body is not. Of course, I am mostly a “weekend warrior.” After all, I am a working Boomer grandma.
I always knew that Floridians take care of themselves being outside all the time. What I did not know is that all of this taking care of oneself in Florida and being a weekend warrior means more injuries, and injury is common among us Boomers “who throw ourselves into vigorous exercise.”
In the December 24, 2013 Miami Herald, Nicole Brochu writes, “ ‘Weekend Warriors’ Risking Serious Injuries.” She says:
Take South Florida’s enticing climate, add an improving ecfonomy and throw in the booming popularity of high intensity workouts like Insanity, CrossFit, and Zumba, and what do you get? A whole lot of injuries, orthopedic surgeons say. . . . .
“Weekend warrior” injuries – named for, but not exclusive to fitness buffs who cram in their workouts between workweeks – are becoming increasingly common in people in their 50s and 60s, when exercise enthusiasts are beginning to come face to face with the realities of age. . . .The high intensity programs are “great workouts,” . . .but a lot of them require jumping, heavy lifting and fast, unconventional movements. The older population doesn’t handle that well”
The typical injuries doctors are seeing are the result of overuse – knee ligament tears, sprained ankles, torn rotator cuffs.
They left out plantar fasciitis, broken bones, pinched nerves, strained muscles, all of which this Grandma has had in the last year and a half. Should I go on?
Here is why:
As you get older, the collagen in your tissue changes, . . .it doesn’t have as much elasticity as when you were younger. We have a generation of people who are really into fitness, and they see no reason to go quietly into the night, so to speak. . . .so that’s parlaying itself into a situation where we’re seeing more of these injuries.
Should we Boomers “go quietly into the night” with regard to exercise? Of course, not. We are Boomers and we are not our parents. Boomer Weekend Warriors Prepare and Do Battle!
First, be selective as to the exercise and do not do too many high intensity activities. Pick one to do regularly. Okay, limit it to two. This Grandma picked power yoga and pilates on the reformer and tower. Why? Because with modifications, I can continue these activities my entire life. Now, I just have to remember that I should make modifications to that which other twenty, thirty and forty somethings in my classes do. Fitness instructors tell me no one loves cardio, so when you find a cardio activity you can tolerate, stick with it and don’t go around trying different ones.
Second, prepare to be injured. Remember, ice and heat. Use ice and heat for longer than you think. I still ice old injuries after heavy use of the area. So here is the skinny from a blog:
Ice is for injuries, and heat is for muscles.
Ice is for injuries – calming down damaged tissues that are inflamed, red, hot and swollen. The inflammatory process is a healthy, normal, natural process that also happens to be incredibly painful. Icing is mostly just a mild, drugless way of controlling the pain of inflammation.
Heat is for muscles – taking the edge off the pain of whole muscle spasms and trigger points (localized spasms, or muscle knots), and for easing psychological stress (which can be a major factor in many pain problems).
What ice and heat are not for?
Heat can make inflammation worse, and ice can make muscle spasms worse, so they have the potential to do some mild harm when mixed up. And both are either pointless or harmful when unwanted: icing when you already feel shivering, or heating when your already sweating. The brain may interpret an excess of either one as a threat – and when brains think there’s a threat, they may also amp up the pain.
But heat and inflammation are a particularly bad combination. If you add heat to a fresh injury, watch out: it’s going to get worse! A physician once told my father to heat a freshly injured knee, and wow – it swelled up like a balloon, three times bigger than it had been before. And three times more painful. (That is a rare example of a particularly severe negative reaction to heat. Most cases are not going to be that bad!)
The lesser known threat is from icing at the wrong time, or when it’s unwanted.
If you ice painful muscles, watch out: it’s probably going to get worse! Ice can aggravate muscle spasms and trigger points, which are often present in low back and neck pain – the very condition people often try to treat with ice. Severe spasm and trigger points can be spectacularly painful, like knife wounds, and are easily mistaken for “iceable” injury and inflammation. But if you ice these tissues, woe is you – the muscles are likely to contract even harder, and the trigger points burn and ache even more acutely. This mistake is made particularly often with low back pain and neck pain. If in doubt, please see below in the “More information” section.
What about injured muscle?
If you’re supposed to ice injuries, but not muscles, what do you with injured muscles (a muscle tear or muscle strain)?
That can be a tough call, but ice usually wins – but only for the first few days at most, and only if it really is a true muscle injury. A true muscle injury almost always involves severe, sudden pain. If the muscle is truly torn, then use ice to bring down the inflammation. Once the worst is over, switch to heat.
Which is better?
Ice packs and heating pads are not especially powerful medicine: experiments have shown that both have only mild benefits, and those benefits are roughly equal.
I have the best ice packs in the freezer ready and keep at least half a dozen. Buy at Amazon:
I have a great moist heating pad ready.
I keep aleve, advil, and tylenol in my medicine cabinet at all times. So, what is the difference?
“Tylenol, Advil, Aleve, Aspirin — What’s the Difference? When to Use Acetaminophen Vs. Ibuprofen Vs. Naproxen Vs. Aspirin,” the author, Maria Guerra says:
Searching for the right medication can be overwhelming because there are so many options for every possible health condition. Which one do you choose? Tylenol (acetaminophen), Advil (ibuprofen), Aleve (naproxen), and aspirin all relieve pain and have the ability to reduce a fever. However, that is about as far as the similarities go between these medications. There are many factors to consider when deciding which over-the-counter (OTC) medication would be best for you and your children. You must consider your symptoms, age, and health conditions.
For example, if you want to reduce inflammation or swelling, acetaminophen will not work. If you are older or have heart disease, it would be best to avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and naproxen. Ibuprofen and naproxen may increase the risk of heart attack or stroke, while aspirin is used to decrease that very same risk.
I love Advil for pain from injuries. I use Aleve during the work week as it lasts longer and I do not have to think about taking pain medication while working. She recommends speaking to your primary healthcare provider or pharmacist before using any of these medications regularly.
This Grandma’s best recommendation is to go to the orthopedist sooner rather than later. Get there fast. I got past the bad pain of plantar fasciitis in about three months when long (we never say old) friends are suffering for nine months to three years. I totally attribute this to quickly going to my orthopedist, who is getting to see me often as I age, and who immediately gave me a list of exercises, directions to only walk as necessary, etc. and a prescription for physical therapy. I followed his instructions and the physical therapist’s instructions religiously. If you are going to an orthopedist and physical therapist, follow instructions religiously.
Next, know a good masseuse who is an expert in injuries. Massage was recommended for many injuries by the orthopedist. It works. My masseuse recommended two secret weapons:
Move Free Advanced Dietary Supplement. Here is what Amazon says about it:
Move Free Advanced Plus MSM joint health supplements offer a powerful, fast-acting combination of glucosamine, chondroitin, hyaluronic acid and uniflex that help promote flexibility, joint comfort and lubrication, PLUS the added benefit of 1,500 mg of MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane), a natural source of sulfur found in the body which is important in the formation of collagen in joints. The amount of MSM found in Move Free Advanced Plus MSM is the tested amount shown to support joint comfort and soothe sore joints.
Buy at Amazon:
Biofreeze. I use the roll on which she recommended–should I be upset that Amazon advertises the roll on for the older patient? Here is what Amazon says about it:
Long Lasting Pain Relief From: Arthritis, Sore Muscles and Joints
Beneficial in stimulating trigger points
Most convenient for the older patient in applying product to hard to reach places
Can be used as often as necessary – up to 4 times per day.
Buy at Amazon.
This Grandma refuses to be considered older. I am “forever young.” I just have a few more tools in my bag of tricks when I overdo exercise. Since I overdo everything, would you expect anything else?
We have to be ready to run, dance and play with our grandchildren! Boomer weekend warriors prepare and do battle with
Joy,
Mema
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