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Aging Athlete Care Understanding the Aging Athlete
We believe that everyone has the potential to be an athlete. Athleticism is an individual thing. Some of our patients run marathons; others enjoy their gardens. Being a New Yorker in itself can be athletic; we run to catch cabs, walk long blocks with groceries, and are constantly confronted with stairs.
Our goal at NY Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy is to understand our patients’ desired levels of athleticism. We know that no matter what a person’s age, they can benefit from being athletic and focus on helping our patients recover from injuries and maintain the level of activity that is right for them. Medicine has proven that staying active increases lifespan and quality of life. An athletic lifestyle staves off overall injury and conditions such as osteoporosis and heart disease. We educate our patients about the anatomic, physiologic, and psychosocial differences between older and younger bodies and help them maintain optimal function at every age.
We have a very specific medical focus at New York Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy. We treat the framework of the body, its muscles and skeleton, and treat injuries with a sports medicine approach. How we Care for the Athletic Body At New York Sports Medicine and Physical Therapy, we always start by listening; we want to hear our patients’ fitness goals and desires. Some of our patients are lifelong athletes while others have recently taken up a new exercise routine or sport. Although athletic people who are active into their later adult years tend to slow down the aging process, they still run an increased risk of injury due to bone, muscle, tendon and ligament changes that occur as their bodies grow older. This contributes to the fact that overuse injuries among 40-60 year-olds is notably more common compared to individuals in their twenties. Aging athletes are more likely to have chronic injuries resulting in decreased flexibility and endurance as well as musculoskeletal problems. We work to counteract these injuries with necessary preventative measures and approaches to improve flexibility, balance, posture, and body alignment. We help our patients tailor activity to their general health and functional requirements. We also focus on strengthening exercises to increase flexibility which is crucial in avoiding muscle tears and enables a person’s body to align properly, helping to prevent overuse injuries. Our team of expert therapists works with each patient to develop a customized treatment plan that is right for their individual needs. We also work with our patients to develop a simple exercise regimen that can be done at home to expedite the healing process and help them stay healthy. |
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