Play Smarter, Not Harder

[Article originally published in a February 2007  edition of the Worcester County Times. Reported by Lesley Rogan.  Click Here to View the Printed Article]

OCEAN CITY – “Generation Ouch,” “Geezer Boom,” “Boomeritis.”  These are all terms being used to describe the baby boom generation as we age.  Experts have used all of those monikers to identify the divide that seems to occur when our minds are willing but our bodies are not quite as enthusiastic about the activities in which we are about to participate.

 

As a proud member of the baby boom generation, I find the notion that this is how “the experts” now see us cruel, untrue and downright mean.  As a physical therapist I have noticed as much as I would like to denounce them and yell “liar, liar pants on fire,” I can’t.  There are real physiological changes that occur with aging.

 

Perhaps an analogy might help us to better accept the pronouncement the experts and our bodies are telling (and showing) us.  Remember the little round red rubber ball of our youth, a pinky ball.  We used it for types of games, from stick ball to stoop ball to the bouncing ball game.  ”A, my name is Alice and I came from …”  When the ball was new, you thought it would last forever, but as it got older and you used it more and more, it began to age.

 

It may have developed small cracks which led to larger cracks and even split in half.  It was rarely from deliberate abuse, but generally the result of overuse, the natural aging process that occurred with rubber.  It became less flexible and less able to withstand the demands placed on it.  Sound familiar?

 

As boomers, our perception of our abilities and our enthusiasm for participating in activities we have enjoyed for the past 20 to 30 years has not wavered.  In our minds eye, we cannot possibly be in our 50s or 60-plus.  Those are serious numbers and they infer that our youth is becoming a more distant memory on a daily basis.

 

True or false – if we continue to participate in activities with the same level of intensity we always have, we can ignore our chronological ages and we are still the same us we have always been.  FALSE – as sad as it is, our bodies have experienced the passage of time too.  The same way our pinky ball developed cracks and scrapes as it aged, no longer tolerating being used with the same frequency or level of intensity, our bodies have also experienced the passage of time and the effects of us and abuse.  Our bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles are not as strong or as flexible as they were.

 

Playing a senior league softball team is an excellent activity if you do not delude yourself into thinking you can make the same plays you did when you played on the high school varsity team.

 

Tennis and golf are wonderful activities that can be enjoyed throughout a lifespan. However, even the professional athletes have realized that while they can still compete on a very high level, they cannot compete with players who are half their age.

 

It has nothing to do with their mental ability to compete, which may be sharper than ever.  Their repertoire of soft touch shots and ability to finesse shots could quite possibly be better than ever, but they no longer have the power and flexibility they used to possess.  The ground has gotten a lot lower than it used to be, and simply bending over to take your golf ball out of the cup could be the straw that breaks the proverbial “camel’s back.”

 

So, does that mean that we should give up and retire to our recliners? Not a chance.  It does mean that we should use all that experience and knowledge we have spent a considerable amount of time gathering and modify our approach to physical activity.  Whoever it was that said we should play smarter, not harder was right on target.

 

Overuse injuries are not a figment of your doctors’ imaginations; they are very real and can be very painful and problematic (think back to your pinky ball).  The best way to treat them is to try and avoid them, and if they have already occurred, don’t ignore them and assume they will go away.  They won’t; they’ll come back to haunt you at the most inopportune times.

 

The recipe for treating acute injuries has not changed since our youth, R.I.C.E. rest, ice, compression and elevation.  What may have changed is the fact that your problem may now be chronic.  That does not mean you have to give up the activity you enjoy.  Rather, you may need to modify what you do prior to, during, and after you participate in some physical activities.

 

You may also need to realize that lifting a grandchild may exceed the weight limit you were given by your physician.  A gallon of water or milk weighs approximately 8 pounds.  Perhaps carrying four grocery bags in at once is no longer the best plan.  While walking is probably one of the very best activities in which you can participate, jogging is one of the worst, as far as the strain it places on your joints and muscles.  I can almost guarantee that your dog will love you as much if not more if take him/her for a long walk rather than a jog.  They love your time, not your speed or power.

 

The same goes for competing with your children or grandchildren.  Teach them some of the smooth, smart moves you have learned, rather than try to out-drive them on the golf course, or beat them with your power serve in tennis.

 

So, the moral of this story is being a couch potato is bad, but so is pretending to be 25 years old.  We just need to apply our accumulated experience to yet another segment of our lives.

 

Before you begin a physical activity program of any type consult with your physician.

 

If you haven’t participated in a given activity before, get help not from your spouse or partner, but from a professional in the activity.

 

If you have a history of joint or back (or neck, or knee, or shoulder …etc. etc.) pain then you may also want to consult with a physical therapist prior to becoming more active.  There are ways to stretch and modifications we might suggest that may make your experience more enjoyable.  They may even make it pain free.

 

Lesly K. Rogan is the co-owen of Peninsula Rehab & Sports Medicine in West Ocean City and North Ocean City.  Her practice is located in Herring Creek Professional Center on Route 50 and on 123rd Street in Ocean City.  She can be reached at 41.213.7878 and at www.penrehab.com.