Injured: body and spirit.

This really bugs me...

Why is that some people, especially those who are self-proclaimed 'old' folks, pass off every injury or ailment to age? Irks the hell out of me. It's as though once you pass a certain age you can no longer get a normal injury. It's credited to age now.

For instance, I had a bad riding accident when I was in my early 20's. Back then my injuries were just that, INJURIES! Now, when my knee has the same old pain it has always had there are those who pass it off with their cute little 'feelin' the age' crap. When did it stop being an injury and become a curse of old age? Huh?

Or how about a couple weeks ago I popped my elbow from over exertion while doing some major pruning on trees and shrubs at my work. Well by golly, it's 'old age'! Not an injury. :mad:

My 18 year old daughter pops her hip out of place. Guess what? Everyone wants to know what happened! She doesn't even know!

Anyway, needed to say all this because right now I'm a bit ticked off.

Part of the aging process is that the human body becomes more injury prone and has less ability to heal. An injury at 20 will heal faster than an injury at 50. An injury at 50 will heal faster than an injury at 70. This is why as you get older you should be more careful. People in their 80s can have very fragile bones.

Myself if I over exert I get terrible arthritic pain where I am almost crippled over. Nothing to get peeved about it is just nature. Because of modern nutrition and medicine we are now living longer than nature intended and past where we are necessary for the survival of the species. Most cave men or even those who lived in the middle ages did not develop a lot of diseases such as cancer because they simply did not live long enough.

Dale

Lynn, this is your lucky day - I have the perfect story for you!

An 83 year young lady went to her doctor. He came in the room and asked her what the problem was. She replied, "My right knee hurts, Doctor. It aches when I'm sitting, throbs when I walk, and I have sharp pains going up or down the stairs."

"Well, dear," the doctor said condescendingly, "You have to expect things like that at your age. After all, that's an 83 year old knee!!!"

"So's the other one," she snapped, "And it's fine."

---------------------------------

There are some doctors that dismiss complaints for any number of reasons. I suggest finding another doctor, if not, you have to be prepared to fight for yourself.

STOP AGEISM!!!

funny story

I HAD to write in here. I have had Arthritis for years. Thankfully on meds, it doesn't usually effect me except I had to learn to go easier on my joints and, sadly, had to give up a few things. ANYWAY......arthritis did not seem to have a negative ring to it UNTIL I turned 40! Before that, people where politely interested and that was it. Now....the look all sympathetic and ask if I use a cane! :mad: I also have hardware in one leg from a bad accident. Before, people would ask what was wrong....now I have people ask if I need help during those few times it bothers me enough to limp a little. I mean WTH! I am only 40!!! :confused:

I totally understand! I know that, as we get older, there ARE health issues. But I so share your frustrations!

J.

And it only gets worse.

I was the caretaker for my 80 year old mother-in-law and it was a nightmare trying to find doctors that would TREAT her instead of just looking at her as if she was a walking corpse. I could tell you stories that would make your hair stand up, several of which are so unbelievable people don't believe me.

I am now the caretaker for my 91 year old Mom. We were lucky to find a General Practitioner who cared for his grandmother into her 90s, so he's, at least, sympathetic, but when she has to go into the hospital for something, it's a NIGHTMARE trying to get people to treat her like the virbrant person she was prior to the current problem and will be again if they'll TREAT her. Again, stories that would scare you.

Lucky for her, she has a very determined daughter who has absolutely no problem pulling a Shirley McClaine from "Terms of Endearment" or whatever it takes.

I agree with all that everyone has said, but the truth of the matter is, is like what Dale had written. As we age our bodies are more apt to become diseased and hurt; it is a fact of life. I read that we baby boomers are becoming almost INDIGNANT when we discover that we can no longer do the same physical things we did 30 years ago; and when we TRY to prove ourselves wrong, we tend to bruise more knees and break more bones than the younger set! The ER is seeing more people that age than ever before~!

But Catlover, I hate to say this, but MANY people do use their age for this type of thing! Even most of my friends who I have grown up with have a "passel" full of medicine and this "medicine and ailment talk" comes up in every conversation. But when it does, I feel totally left out as I have absolutely nothing wrong with me...and I sometimes wonder if they are just MAKING themselves this way due to their age? :rolleyes: And that is one reason too, why I find myself befriending younger people all the time as this is another area that I have more in common...no ailments! (But this is NOT to slight you Bluemoon, as one of my friend who is in her 30's discovered she has arthritis as well. Some diseases are no JUST for the elderly as we are finding out).

Just my two cents!

Chatterbox

Having worked in a nursing home,I agree with you totally. If you have an elderly loved one you have to be proactive to see that they get good treatment. Too many elderly are warehoused in nursing homes, abandoned and do not receive proper therapy and treatment. The fastest way to a premature death is inactivity. Even people in wheelchairs can remain active with proper therapy. Excellent post.

Dale

Heh, Lynn, are you like me? In healthy (no pun intended) yet utter denial of aging?

Hey, I agree completely. Not all injuries are related to getting older but as some others have written, it's sad but true, our bodies do generally become more prone to injury, disease, etc. as we get older. And, old injuries tend to make themselves known again for some reason.

This year, for the first time every, I finally had to acknowledge that I'm just not as strong as I used to be. It sucked to have to admit that to myself. A little scary, too.

But when I was 33, I experienced a heavy dose of Instant Karma. I had been barreling down the ski slopes with my date who was 42 and he was just sort of cruisin' on his snowboard. We were on the lift and he cracked some joke about me having to slow down someday soon, yada-yada-yada. I basically responded with a What-EVER...and it's mind over matter...and I'm never slowing down. Well, the very next run, I came up over a small ridge and hit a huge patch of ice. Both skis stuck in the snow and my legs bent in all sort of unnatural, pretzel-like directions. One knee is going to need the cartilage cleaned out some day, and I had ACL replacement on the other one. Moral of the story is that Mother Nature/Father Time made me slow down just a little, and much earlier than I had planned. Total...Instant Karma.

Live in denial but be realistic about it!

Yep, I had to face reality the day I decided to show my 5 and 4 year olds how to properly use the Slip and Slide. All I can say is ouch and I ain't as young as I used to be. :o

Yep, I had to face reality the day I decided to show my 5 and 4 year olds how to properly use the Slip and Slide. All I can say is ouch and I ain't as young as I used to be. :o


Ouch! :( I feel your pain, grrl.

LOL, Sdoah, that was the subject of a comic called "Baby Blues" today!!! :D

LOL, Sdoah, that was the subject of a comic called "Baby Blues" today!!! :D


No way! I swear my right boob hurt for a week! I also had a knee injury on a trampoline. I just keep thinking I'm still 12 and I continue to hurt myself.

LOL . . . I'm right in there with ya ladies!

Two months ago I went to visit my grandchildren for their birthday. I bought them a new swingset for their new back yard. The set has one of those trapeze bars. I was sitting on the patio telling them (they are 5 and 2) how we used to hang by the back of our knees. And I went so far to say I bet I could still do it and would show them! :eek:

Well, I managed to get up there okay and got the bar under my knees and was hanging halfway down and was completely stuck. Son-in-law had to get me off! :mad:

Needless to say, this last weekend when I was there I did NOT get up off the patio to show them how to do a cartwheel! Even tho I am convinced I could have dont that! :D


.

however, speaking from experience,
if we stretch consistently and on a regular basis, we can keep our joints and spine youthful. i would venture to guess that a significant part of "aging" is from neglect.
stretching is the most important part of my routine. if i had to pick any exercise, that would be it. after all, what is the stereotypical first sign of age? stiffness, inability to bend. so we can fight aging, as i believe we should, by learning to love stretching for what it can do for us.
there are gymnasts i know in their 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's. there's even a gal in her 80's that comes to perform her flexibility and basic stunts for the senior (18+) competition each year. there is a gentleman i know who is about 70, that still does the high bar...he is amazing!! he still performs all his tricks, lands them, everything.
i also know young kids in their 20's and 30's that have arthritis from gymnastics, cheer, breaking...you name it.
sure, we can take it easy, that's wise, but that's wise at any age as overtraining is easy to do and i've done it.
keeping our diets good, lots of protein, fat, veggies, whole grains help to recuperate and of course water.
i am thinking of taking a supplement too for joint recovery as i am always stressing (ouch!!) my shoulders in my basic gymnastics.
lastly, i knew a man who learned to do a back handspring in his 60's with very little gymnastic experience. he did, i believe have a martial arts background. he literally kept a record of how many tries it took him to get it...it was something like 1000 + tries, but anyway he got it!! and was doing back handsprings across the floor!! practice, consistency, love of the sport, that spirit of never giving up...all contributed to his success.
sadly, he passed on last year. but it makes me happy to know that he got to experience such beauty and victory before he went. (God rest his soul!)
and there's me! i started practicing yoga in my late 20's, became a gymnast (just the basics) at 36 and really made most of my progress after 40, i'm now 43.
again, i do think there is something to not overtraining...that is key. do less, but be consistent!!
we can develop and maintain body mastery, i believe that.
i have had to learn that i am not super human, i must respect my natural limits...and as my first teacher used to say "challenge your limitations while remaining sensitive to them."

Yes, thats a good point you've raised Lynn.

For a little while I used to subscribe to the email list of the `life extension foundation' (LEF.org) ....the ppl's who subscribe to the use of raw good diets and vitamin supplements to prevent disease and stave off death for as long as humanly possible.

My guess is that most the members were 60+, with a good portion in their 70's and eighties.

Call me indocrintated, but soo many of them mentioned how much better and fitter they felt as `elderly' people compared to their forties, based on what they put in the bodies and doing moderate activity each day. Some of those people were doing cycling marathons at 69!

So yeah....I think we should ourselves some leeway as we age, but not so much that it becomes an excuse to stop trying :)

Hey Dale, I understand what you're saying and I agree. But what my gripe was and still IS is that I'm talking about an injury that occurred in my 20's. My knee has had the pain .... and makes a funny noise :o when I bend it.... ever since. But somewhere along the way it became an age thing! I think too many injuries are written off to age and sometimes they are things that can be fixed! Not that my knee can after all this time. But still.....

Chatter, always the upbeat note, thank you for that cute story. And I agree with her. :D

BlueMoonGypsy I have a friend who has had arthritis since her teens! But in her case she is the one who lets it make her old now. It's almost like now she has an excuse for the disease.

SG, yep that's me, in total denial! I refuse to get old, lol! Although I don't let myself get too foolish. For instance I no longer jump off the back of the truck (my knee, remember?:D )

LOL . . . I'm right in there with ya ladies!

Two months ago I went to visit my grandchildren for their birthday. I bought them a new swingset for their new back yard. The set has one of those trapeze bars. I was sitting on the patio telling them (they are 5 and 2) how we used to hang by the back of our knees. And I went so far to say I bet I could still do it and would show them! :eek:

Well, I managed to get up there okay and got the bar under my knees and was hanging halfway down and was completely stuck. Son-in-law had to get me off! :mad:




Thank you, Doll. That story provoked a true belly laugh out of me.

Hey Dale, I understand what you're saying and I agree. But what my gripe was and still IS is that I'm talking about an injury that occurred in my 20's. My knee has had the pain .... and makes a funny noise :o when I bend it.... ever since. But somewhere along the way it became an age thing! I think too many injuries are written off to age and sometimes they are things that can be fixed! Not that my knee can after all this time. But still.....

...

SG, yep that's me, in total denial! I refuse to get old, lol! Although I don't let myself get too foolish. For instance I no longer jump off the back of the truck (my knee, remember?:D )


Lynn, I don't completely disagree but I think that rather than repair, people need to focus on prevention. At 40, and being in generally good health, I don't imagine that I'm at huge risk for complications IF I need repairs. However, I think that one reason that 'older' people (meaning maybe people in their 60s and up??) don't get repairs is because there are more risks involved as we get older. And our bodies don't heal as quickly or always as well.

That said, back to prevention. If we're taking care of ourselves between now and then, then our bodies would be stronger and perhaps we could endure surgery and heal more successfully.

Now, if you're talking about people our age writing off injuries and accepting living with them from our age, forward, well...that's just a mentality thing.

I do somewhat disagree about your knee. Or, at least, if you wanted to do something about it, you could at least check with a skilled orthopedist.

Lastly, I hear you (heh, no pun intended) about the knee. I jumped a fence the other day while mtn biking, and my knee totally buckled, out of the blue! I HATE the fact that I've been permanently injured. Even with surgery, working out, supplements, etc., my knees will never be the same. :mad:

LOL . . . I'm right in there with ya ladies!

Two months ago I went to visit my grandchildren for their birthday. I bought them a new swingset for their new back yard. The set has one of those trapeze bars. I was sitting on the patio telling them (they are 5 and 2) how we used to hang by the back of our knees. And I went so far to say I bet I could still do it and would show them! :eek:

Well, I managed to get up there okay and got the bar under my knees and was hanging halfway down and was completely stuck. Son-in-law had to get me off! :mad:

Needless to say, this last weekend when I was there I did NOT get up off the patio to show them how to do a cartwheel! Even tho I am convinced I could have dont that! :D


.

Hehe, I did something similar when I was showing the girls the exercises I used to do for the splits... oh man, I pulled an inner thigh something or other big time. They had to help me up. Some teacher I turned out to be.

Yay Skatergirl!! I agree with you! I used to do stretches all the time and then stopped. For years. But early this year I started it up again. I just need to make my diet healthier since I tend to eat a lot of charcoal grilled foods during the summer.
Has anybody ever used an Inversion table? My neighbor has one and I've been tempted to give it a try.

BellaD, you know I think a part of me thinks about how my mom behaves. She is only in her 60's yet acts as though she can no longer do much of anything beyond puttering around in her flowers. She's thin, but doesn't exercise at all. And to walk down a hill is a real trial for her now. I keep trying to encourage her to take walks with my dad who is older than her and can hike several miles a day with no problem. But she won't do it. Kind of gave up on herself and it saddens me.

keep up the stretching that's awesome!!!!!
you can invert yourself on an incline decline weight bench, just set it so it's sloping down, ya know!! or you can buy a slant board
it's supposed to lift organs, your colon, skin, put blood in your face, relieve pressure to the legs...
i need to work it back into my routine, it's a real youth keeper.
i just use my weight bench or one of my mats that's shaped like a wedge...
do a search 4 slant boards and go for the one that Bernard Jensen recommended...
http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/1048/sbd1us7.gif

wanted to add that i respect you girls so much for continuing to try even with your past injuries!!!

keep up the stretching that's awesome!!!!!
you can invert yourself on an incline decline weight bench, just set it so it's sloping down, ya know!! or you can buy a slant board
it's supposed to lift organs, your colon, skin, put blood in your face, relieve pressure to the legs...
i need to work it back into my routine, it's a real youth keeper.
i just use my weight bench or one of my mats that's shaped like a wedge...
do a search 4 slant boards and go for the one that Bernard Jensen recommended...
http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/1048/sbd1us7.gif

I just looked for a slant board on craigslist but they didn't have one. But I did find this.
http://d.im.craigslist.org/A1/Ok/4GcokKJQSsz8LQeRkXgVQFJYOqss.jpg

It seems to me that if I tip my lounge chair onto its back that I might actually make my own slant board. Hey how about my ironing board? It's well padded.

I just looked for a slant board on craigslist but they didn't have one. But I did find this.
http://d.im.craigslist.org/A1/Ok/4GcokKJQSsz8LQeRkXgVQFJYOqss.jpg

It seems to me that if I tip my lounge chair onto its back that I might actually make my own slant board. Hey how about my ironing board? It's well padded.

go for it! (maybe not the ironing board i'd be afraid that you'd fall!!:eek: )
the lounge chair might work tho...just get yourself upside down safely and comfortably!! :D

Sympathies to everyone for their injuries and kudos for stretching - if you need reinforcement as to the importance of stretching, just look at your dog or cat - they stretch almost everytime they get up.

Another thing we can learn from pets, 10-20 minutes of direct sunlight everyday - naked if possible! ;) (No, really!)

Peachy, I can't tell you the number of times I have recalled your story and laughed and shook my head: NOT because you couldn't get down, but because you were able to GET UP into a knee hang!!!!!! LOL You go girl!!!

You all inspire me to stretch and get on my mini-trampoline and have fun bouncing! [Forgive me if I posted this before, but women with heavy breasts can get the benefits of a trampoline by pushing down and allowing the trampoline to push back instead of trying to hop up and down. If anybody knows of a bra/sportsbra that REALLY keeps heavy breasts in place -please post it in Products!]

go for it! (maybe not the ironing board i'd be afraid that you'd fall!!:eek: )
the lounge chair might work tho...just get yourself upside down safely and comfortably!! :D:D

I have one of these inversion racks....but I have ankle boots with mine. This is the best device around for relieving sciatic pain I've ever found. It works so well, if I get even a twinge, I have for 10 minutes, and then again later in the day, and WOW, no more pain!

It doesn't work very well for neck problems, as your head weight is insufficient to do much stretching there.

Wonderful device!

Peachy, I can't tell you the number of times I have recalled your story and laughed and shook my head: NOT because you couldn't get down, but because you were able to GET UP into a knee hang!!!!!! LOL You go girl!!!


LOL, Chatter . . . actually I probably could have gone ahead and finished it and hung by my knees, but I was afraid I would fall on my head and I had to drive home the next day! :D You know the problem ??? The mind is willing, but the body may not be able. :(

LOL, Chatter . . . actually I probably could have gone ahead and finished it and hung by my knees, but I was afraid I would fall on my head and I had to drive home the next day! :D You know the problem ??? The mind is willing, but the body may not be able. :(


Oh, sad face. How about "The body wants to go for it, but the mind KNOWS BETTER!!!" :D

Okay, you keep talkin' and the next time I go over there, I'm gonna try it again. :D

Okay, you keep talkin' and the next time I go over there, I'm gonna try it again. :D


BE SURE TO STRETCH FIRST!!!!!! :D

Seriously, if you are determined to do it - prepare for it, develop a work-out routine! I'm sure Joe could you give some ideas. It sounds like you'd really get a kick out of doing it, Peachy, so do it - but do it smart!

I

But Catlover, I hate to say this, but MANY people do use their age for this type of thing! Even most of my friends who I have grown up with have a "passel" full of medicine and this "medicine and ailment talk" comes up in every conversation. But when it does, I feel totally left out as I have absolutely nothing wrong with me...and I sometimes wonder if they are just MAKING themselves this way due to their age? :rolleyes: And that is one reason too, why I find myself befriending younger people all the time as this is another area that I have more in common...no ailments! (But this is NOT to slight you Bluemoon, as one of my friend who is in her 30's discovered she has arthritis as well. Some diseases are no JUST for the elderly as we are finding out).

Just my two cents!

Or maybe SB, if you have ailments (and most of us DO), we just don't talk about them :)

I get so sick of people my age saying, "I'm so old". Or, "I'm too old for that" whatever it is. They can go ahead and be too old. I remember when I had my knee surgery (laprascope) 2 years ago. Every body ASSSUMED it was a knee transplant. What a bunch of lunatics! I had a 50,000 mile check up, as my doctor pointed out to me.

As far as energy is concerned, well I can beat Phil out on that count ANY day of the week. Just ask him :)