Over 40? Make Sure To Avoid These 5 Common Exercise Injuries

May 22, 2018 by apost team

Keep reading to learn how to avoid these 5 painful exercise induced injuries. They may be common, but they are not unavoidable.

Are you a familiar face at your gym, or did you recently renew your commitment to get in shape and lose weight? Exercise after age 40 reduces your risk factors for heart disease, cancer, and chronic diseases like diabetes. It has the additional benefit of keeping age-related weight gain under control. Just remember that a 40-year-old body takes longer to recover than a 20-year-old body, and you may have more aches and pains after a work out than when you were younger.

If you have been active for many years, you may have cumulative negative effects of repetitive activity or prior injuries to consider. However, beginning exercisers have their own set of risks, including pushing too hard too fast or not learning proper form.

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Liam Champion is a physical therapist at Physiwiz. He says:

“The fact is that exercise-related injuries are more common after age 40, so it’s important to moderate your physical activity—and build up to your optimum workout intensity—if you’re in this demo.”

You should learn about exercise induced injuries to help you avoid them. Here is a run down of the most common injuries physical therapists, personal trainers, and doctors see in clients and patients who are over the age of 40.

It is estimated that a staggering 31 million Americans suffer from back pain according to the American Chiropractic Association. Once you are over 40, it is not surprising that this area may begin to cause problems for you. Age increases the chances of low back pain, according to Rachel Straub, an exercise physiologist who co-authored Weight Training Without Injury.

“Unfortunately, far too many people hurt their low back during exercise by overextending or arching their low backs, which is common during push-ups, kettle bell swings, and even certain yoga poses,” says Straub. “One solution is to boost core strength, which helps keep your spine in a neutral position as you move through these and all of your exercises.” (This 9-minute yoga routine promises to help ease your lower back pain)

The director of Stride Strong Physical Therapy in Portland, Oregon, Alice Holland, agrees. However, she cautions against totally avoiding exercise, as remaining sedentary can also contribute to back pain. “Over time, too much sitting deconditions the abdominal and gluteal muscles, which will cause extra pressure on the spinal column—ultimately leading to pain,” says Holland.

If you live an active life, you are likely to be familiar with achy knees. “This is especially true for people who’ve had a long stint of inactivity and then try to lose weight by doing high-intensity workouts,” says Holland. “To prevent knee pain over 40, my recommendation is to focus on conditioning and strengthening workouts that progress slowly.”

A board-certified orthopedic surgeon in Austin,TX, Barbara Bergin, MD, says to be especially careful to avoid tearing the meniscus in the knee. As we get older, our knees weaken and are more susceptible to injury. “Squats, deep knee bends, and lunges have the potential to cause a painful condition in the knee cap because they put increased pressure on that area,” says Bergin. “And women are more susceptible to this than men because of the physiology of our knees and hips.” (Make sure you are doing this lunge variation if you have knee pain)

Follow this video to insure you are doing the perfect lunge:

According to Dr. Bergin, the shoulder is at risk for repetitive injuries, causing bursitis, tendonitis, rotator cuff strains, and tears. “Any exercise program that involves heavy lifting, repetitive lifting, burpees, and push-ups puts older people at risk,” she says. “In fact, orthopedic surgeons often joke that these programs keep us in business.”

“The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the entire body—no other joint can match it in the degree of freedom it has,” says Champion. “But this mobility reduces the shoulder joint’s stability,” putting it at more risk for strain and injury.

Bryan Lang is a doctor of physical therapy and certified strength and conditioning specialist in Portland, Oregon. He says that "people over 40 often like to participate in team sports, but many times they’re not stretching and strength training the muscles they push to the limit when participating in those sports". If you only have time to participate in strenuous activity once a week, such as playing in a softball game, then you may be at particular risk for hamstring injuries.

Avoid activities that involve quick sprinting, as these are most likely to lead to injuries of the hamstring, including tears. To avoid hamstring strain, be sure to stretch regularly. To strengthen the hamstrings, Dr. Lang recommends the Nordic Hamstring Curl. To perform this exercise correctly, start in a kneeling position. Have a partner hold your feet, or tuck them under a bar. Tighten your core, and slowly lower your upper body to a push up position. Return to kneeling with your body upright. Do 12-15 repetitions. (Click here for 3 more hamstring exercises.)

Pain in your heel and the bottom of your foot can be caused by standing for long periods, or workouts that involve a lot of jumping. This can be due to plantar fasciitis, which is inflammation in the muscle connecting the bone in your heel to your toes. “Plantar fasciitis can also result from tightness in your calf muscles and heel,” says Lang.

Be sure to stretch your calf muscles before exercise to avoid this painful issue. Lang also suggests using a lacrosse or golf ball to massage the muscles in the bottom of your feet, both before and after you work out. (To ease your plantar faciitis pain, try these 5 products.)

If you are over 40, how do you avoid injury when exercising? Tell us and your friends your recommendations for safe ways to keep fit at any age.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!