Jun 12, 2023

Stay Active and Injury-Free: Common Injuries Among Adults Over 50 in the USA and How to Prevent Them

It's no secret that aging brings a lot of changes to the body. But while we've all heard this, it can be difficult to understand what those changes look like in real life. After all, how do you know if something is normal or concerning? And how can you prevent injuries from occurring in the first place? This blog post will help clear things up by explaining common injuries among adults over 50 in the USA... including what they are, why they occur, and how you can prevent them.

Neck pain

Neck pain is one of the most common injuries among adults over 50. It can result from a number of causes, including:

Poor posture or muscle tension in your back and shoulders
Slouching at work or at home for long periods of time (including on the couch binge-watching Netflix)
Heavy lifting without proper technique or rest periods between lifts

Neck pain may also be a symptom of other health issues like arthritis, pinched nerves, or even heart problems. If you're experiencing neck pain that doesn't go away after a few days of rest, see your doctor right away...it might be something more serious!

old woman neck pain

Lower back pain

Lower back pain is the most common type of pain reported by adults over 50. It can be caused by various reasons, including muscle strain, arthritis, and injury. Your doctor may recommend very treatment plans or physical therapy to help ease your lower back pain. If these treatments do not work, then surgery may be an option for you to consider if all else fails

Knee pain

If you are over 50 and experience knee pain, it is not uncommon. However, the causes of knee pain and how to prevent it differ from person to person.

There are many reasons why a person may develop knee pain. Some common causes include:

Arthritis - The most common cause of arthritis in adults is osteoarthritis (OA), when the cartilage between joints breaks down due to aging or injury. OA can affect any joint but usually starts in the hands or feet before affecting other areas, such as the knees. Other types of arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis (RA), gouty arthritis and septic arthritis.

Hip and groin pain

Hip and groin pain is a common injury among adults over 50. It can affect your ability to walk, sit, stand, and sleep.

Hip and groin pain usually results from an injury or sudden strain on your muscles, tendons, and joints. The most common causes of hip and groin pain include:

Aging - As you get older, your body may not recover as quickly from these types of injuries because it's less flexible than when you were younger.
Sitting all day - If you spend most of your day sitting at work or in front of the TV with little activity between those periods (such as going for walks), then this can cause muscle stiffness that leads to hip and groin pain when standing up again later in the day.

older woman on computer

Foot and ankle pain

If you're over 50, it's likely that you have or will experience foot and ankle pain. A survey by the American Podiatric Medical Association revealed that nearly 80 percent of people experience foot discomfort within their lifetime.

Foot and ankle pain can be caused by poor alignment (flat feet), poor shoe fit, or walking habits such as wearing high heels too often. If left untreated, these issues can lead to more severe problems like osteoarthritis or stress fractures in bones such as the tibia (shinbone).

Some common symptoms include:

pain around the heel bone when walking uphill;
swelling after exercising; stiffness after sitting for long periods of time;
burning sensation in the lower legs when rising from bed at night

These are all signs that something isn't right!

Hand and wrist pain

Hand and wrist pain is a common complaint among adults over 50. There are many causes of wrist pain, but the most common are arthritis, tendonitis, and bursitis.

Arthritis occurs when the cartilage that cushions your joints breaks down due to inflammation or injury.
This can cause stiffness in your hands and fingers and joint deformity (like knuckles).

For example: You may notice that one side of your hand feels stiffer than the other when you hold it out straight for an extended period of time; this means there's more pressure on one side than another because there's less space between bones in that area due to arthritis damage!

Tendonitis is characterized by inflammation around tendons--the tough cords that connect muscles to the bone. This results from repetitive strain injuries such as typing at work all day without taking breaks every hour or so (like doctors recommend doing before getting severe carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms later down the road)

older woman nurse scrubs

Common injuries among adults over 50 in the USA

Some of the most common injuries among adults over 50 in the USA are:

o Flat feet (fallen arches)

o Plantar fasciitis (heel or foot pain)

o Arthritis of the knees and hips, which can lead to a loss of mobility. This can also be an indication of osteoporosis or bone density issues.

people doing exercise

Great exercise ideas for those over 50 to keep your body healthy and strong

Many of us over 50 think of exercise as something we did in our 20s and 30s. However, it's important that you keep up with your exercise routine. This will not only help you feel better about yourself but also help keep your body strong and healthy as well. Here are some great exercises for those over the 50s:

Walking

✔️Walking is a great way to exercise. It's low impact, so you don't have to worry much about hurting your joints or bones. And it's also easy to do anywhere and anytime - no equipment required! Plus, walking can help improve your mood by releasing endorphins in the brain, which makes you feel happier (and who doesn't want that?).

✔️If you're looking for an inexpensive exercise that doesn't require a gym membership or special equipment, walking might be just what the doctor ordered!

older woman walking doing exercise yoga mats

Swimming

✔️Swimming is a low-impact exercise, and it's great for your heart and lungs. It can also help to strengthen joints, muscles, and bones. Swimming is also suitable for relaxation as it helps to clear the mind and release stress.

✔️As we age, our bodies tend to get stiffer, so swimming can be a good way of keeping flexible and strengthening muscles in the arms and legs, which may have become weak through lack of use.

✔️Swimming helps us lose weight because when we swim, our body burns more calories than when we walk or run on land because water weighs more than air, so it takes more effort from us when we move through it!

old man swimming

Cycling

✔️Cycling is one of the best exercises for those over 50s, as it's a great way to work your body and keep yourself healthy. You can do it alone or with friends or family on any terrain (including off-road).

✔️The best part is that you don't need expensive equipment - just a bike! And if you have trouble getting around quickly, some bikes are designed specifically for seniors with mobility issues.

✔️Cycling also gets you out into nature, which has been shown to reduce stress levels while improving moods overall.

Low-impact aerobics

✔️Low-impact aerobics is a great way to get cardio benefits without putting too much stress on your joints. They can be done in a group or alone, at home or in the gym. Examples include:

Walking on a treadmill at 3 miles per hour with an incline of 1%
Using an elliptical machine set at six mph and varying resistance levels for 10 minutes straight (or until you feel comfortable)

old people in gym and running machine doing low impact exercise

Yoga

✔️Yoga is a great way to keep your body flexible. It helps with balance and flexibility, as well as increasing strength and stamina. Yoga can also help improve posture, making you look taller and slimmer.

✔️If you suffer from back pain, yoga may be suitable for you as it helps relieve tension in the muscles around your spine. Yoga also helps keep joints mobile so they don't stiffen over time, a natural consequence of aging!

✔️Yoga will help improve balance by strengthening muscles throughout the body while stretching tendons and ligaments (the connective tissue). This improves coordination between muscles that control the movement of different parts of our bodies. This makes us feel more confident when walking around on uneven surfaces like cobblestones or gravel paths outdoors at night

Tai Chi

✔️Tai Chi is a martial art and a form of exercise. It's slow, meditative, and combines physical movements with breathing and mindfulness. People of all ages can do Tai Chi.

✔️Tai Chi has been shown to reduce stress levels, improve balance and posture, help increase bone strength (especially in the lower limbs), and reduce falls risk in older people who have had a fall or are at risk of falling due to poor balance or coordination. All important factors when it comes to keeping fit!

older people doing tai chi

Exercise is important for everyone, even when you are older.

While it's true that your body changes as you age and becomes more vulnerable to injury, exercise is still essential. Exercise can help with weight loss, mental health, and sleep problems. It also improves mood and energy levels.

For example:

Regular exercise is good for your heart - studies show that people who exercise regularly have a lower blood pressure than those who don't. Exercising every day could help prevent strokes or heart attacks later in life.
If you want to lose weight and keep it off, then regular exercise is essential because it helps burn calories which in turn helps reduce fat stores around the waistline (a known risk factor for certain illnesses).

I hope these ideas will help you stay active and healthy in your 50s. Remember that there are many different types of exercise, so try some new things and see what works best for you. If you want more information about how to get started on an exercise program, have a look online, ask friends or family and always check in with your doctor or physical therapist!

If you're looking to stay active and injury-free, then you must know what types of injuries are. MendMeShop has some great solutions for pain relief that can help you live your best life! Chat with us on our store through instant chat, call, or text. The MendMeShop customer service team is great, and we love hearing from you! Whether you are interested in hearing about the blood-circulation-boosting benefits of our flagship product, the Tshellz Wrap, or have heard about our best-selling Arnica Infusion, we have so many options for you to try. We have some fantastic compression products, too, including the MendMeShop Back Compression Brace. And with a 60-day money-back guarantee, you can’t lose! Contact us today :)

mendmeshops back compression brace being used by an older man on a tractor

Benefits of compression products for over 50 year olds

Have you heard of compression garments? These are all the rage for older people who are looking for ways to improve their health. But what exactly do they do? Let’s break down why compression garments are beneficial and how they can help those over 50.

Increased blood flow

✔️Compression socks and stockings help to increase blood flow, which in turn can reduce swelling, fatigue and muscle soreness.

✔️Compression garments also help your body to perform better by increasing oxygen supply to muscles. This allows you to exercise harder for longer periods of time without fatigue setting in.

Decreased swelling

✔️Swollen legs are a common problem for older people. Swelling is caused by fluid retention, which can be the result of many things, including poor circulation or certain illnesses. Compression garments can help reduce swelling by compressing the leg muscles and reducing the amount of space they take up to encourage blood flow back toward the heart.

T✔️o choose the right compression garment, you'll want to look at its level of compression (measured in millimeters), and how it's constructed (e.g., whether it has seams) to ensure maximum effectiveness.

man wearing mendmeshop's knee compression sleeve close up and looking at the box, sitting by a campfire

Delayed onset of fatigue

✔️If you're looking for a way to stay active and maintain your independence, compression garments can help. Compression garments can help you extend the time between your workouts by reducing muscle fatigue.

✔️This means that if you wear compression clothing after a workout, it will be easier for you to remain active throughout the day rather than sitting down or resting as soon as possible after completing your routine.

Decreased muscle soreness after exercising

✔️Compression garments can help reduce muscle soreness after exercising by increasing blood flow. This is because compression garments compress your muscles and veins, forcing more blood into the legs. The increased pressure helps to push fluid out of the tissues, which reduces swelling and improves circulation.

✔️The benefits of wearing compression clothing while exercising are especially important for older people because they're more likely to suffer from swelling caused by decreased mobility or injuries than younger athletes. Swelling can also cause joint pain, such as in the ankles or knees, making it difficult for you to exercise without feeling discomfort afterwards!

man wearing mendmeshop's shoulder compression sleeve playing baseball

Compression garments are a good idea for older people

Compression garments are a good idea for older people.

Older people can benefit from compression garments in many ways, including:

Lowering swelling in the legs after exercise or injury. Compression garments help to reduce swelling by stimulating blood flow and increasing oxygenation of tissues, which encourages healing.
Helping with recovery after exercise or injury. Compression products increase circulation to help remove waste products from muscles. This can reduce muscle fatigue during activity and helps speed up muscle recovery time after an intense workout or strenuous activity such as hiking or playing tennis

man wearing mendmeshop's back compression sleeve on a tractor

We hope this blog post has helped you to understand the benefits of staying active. Contact MendMeShop anytime to get further info on any of our products.

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References

We pride ourselves on being thoroughly researched before we post blog posts, articles or webpages. Here is a list of references used to create this content:

👉Ref 1: Public Opinion Research on Foot Health and Care Findings from a Survey of 1000 US Adults March 2014 American Podiatric Medical Association APMA

👉Ref 2:Fitness Tips for 50-Plus John Hopkins Medicine

👉Ref 3: 14 workouts for over 50s and seniors: Including Joe Wicks' workouts for seniors

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