Many of us, somewhat jokingly, attribute our injuries to "old age". We can't always use this as an excuse for injuring ourselves, as most injuries can be avoided with proper training, but there are some age-related changes to be aware of.
Clinically, we can see a notable difference in injury extent, rehab and recovery time amongst athletes of varying ages. The 18-year olds may not always commit fully to their rehab, they may stay out too late and ingest the wrong things, but they still seem to bounce back quickly. This approach does not work so well for the athletes over 30.
Now before you groan and say "over 30?!?! ...that's it?", let me explain. Physiologically speaking, we can measure things such as bone density, which typically peaks in your early twenties. Skeletal muscle mass also peaks around this time (in the absence of any training). It follows that many other physiological processes, such as soft tissue healing, also begins to slow past this time. We see this reflected clinically as well. My oldest current patient is 92, and she tells me I'm silly for considering 30 plus as "older".
This doesn't mean hope is lost for the ancient "over 30" crew. But simply, that to stay healthy, there must be greater focus on proper training (both mentally and physically) and diet. Any older athlete who is competitive at the elite level of their sport must be commited to this. This is how we can counter some of the effects of aging. Truly 95% of injuries are preventable with the proper training, and we can't just chalk things up to old age and unavoidable accidents.
Aside: My son, 10 months old, had a hernia repair surgery last week, and was bouncing up and down the following day. Ah, youth.
Harry
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