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Dealing with the Aging Process

Last updated on August 17, 2021 By Dan Baumstark, MSPT, CHT Leave a Comment

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A common cause of orthopedic injury is over-training. Working out at the gym, playing your favorite sport, or even walking can be the root cause of a multitude of orthopedic injuries.

The key to managing these types of injuries may lie in adjusting your routine to fit your age.

highschool football players tackling

People in their teens and twenties tend to handle joint and muscle stress quite well. I routinely see young patients who have strained a muscle and are able to get back onto the playing field within a weeks time.

The younger crowd in general have efficient circulatory systems: tendons are well vascularized and muscles are able to purge themselves of the metabolic by-products of exercise quite quickly.

young adult athletes playing tennis

Those of us in our thirties know a different story. I for one notice a large difference in my body: Although I do not feel that my strength is perceptibly different than what it was in my twenties, I simply cannot recover from exercise as quickly.

I used to be able to exercise five times weekly. Now that I am nearing forty years of age, I can manage three to four exercise sessions per week. If I do not allow my body to rest and recover, I start to feel achy in my joints, and, at times, I will even feel the early signs of tendonitis in my elbows and knees.

man and woman jogging

In your forties there are discernible differences in muscle and joint tissue compared to earlier in life. Research has shown that our muscle mass begins to significantly decline.

When looking at an MRI of a typical forty-something, it is entirely normal to see “wear and tear” in the cartilage of the knee and degeneration of the discs in the lumbar spine.

adult man skiing

Nobody is immune to the effects of time. Adjust your exercise routines as needed. If you are exercising with the same frequency and intensity in your fifties as you were in your twenties, you are asking for trouble.

Find the “new normal” for you. Give yourself more time in between workouts. It is also a good idea to mix up your routine. I will frequently advise middle-aged runners to add a new type of cardio exercise to partially replace the pounding that running inflicts on the knees.

elderly man doing push up exercises

As a final note, if you are confronted with orthopedic injury as a result of training, make sure that you give yourself adequate time to heal in accordance with your age. Ask your physical therapist how much time you should take off. Your body will thank you for it.

daughter helping elderly mother


PhysioDC Podcast: Aging and Exercise: Dealing Responsibly

Dana Logan (physical therapist) and Dan Baumstark (physical therapist) discuss age related changes and exercise modification.

Visit our PhysioDC podcast page.


Filed Under: Featured, Orthopedic Injury



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About Dan Baumstark, MSPT, CHT

Dan is a licensed Physical Therapist in the District of Columbia, license #PT2916. He has a Masters of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Dan specializes in sports medicine & upper extremity rehabilitation. He is a Certified Hand Therapist, certified by the American Society of Hand Therapists (initial certification date 11/6/2004, certification #1041100023). Dan has extensive continuing education in manual therapy from the Michigan State University School of Osteopathic Medicine.
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DISCLAIMER: The information on this site is for Educational Purposes Only and is not designed to diagnose, treat, mitigate, prevent or cure any health conditions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated statements about these health topics or any suggested product compositions. Answers to questions submitted are merely the opinion of the physical therapist and should not be taken as a prescribed course of action. Any advice given by the therapist must be cleared with the treating physician involved in direct patient care. The person posing the question absolves the responder of any liability in regards to opinions given. PhysioDC insists that all patients receive approval from a prescribing physician prior to starting a structured exercise program involving any of the exercises included on this site. PhysioDC.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com; proceeds from product sales help cover the operational & maintenance costs for the site.