
Over the years, I’ve heard many, many issues attributed to the aging process. While it’s completely true that our bodies aren’t the same from age 20 to age 75, this way of thinking can have a negative impact on a person’s quality of life! When people default to blaming their problems or symptoms on age, they often don’t seek out care for things that may be a big deal, or can get better with treatment. After all, they’re “just getting old.”
Today, I’m going to talk about some of the common issues and symptoms that people are often quick to blame on age.
1) Aches and Pains Ohhh man. If I had a dollar for every time someone told me that they were hurting because they were getting old, I’d have…a lot of dollars. Yes, as previously mentioned, our bodies do undergo changes as we age. Arthritis, for example, is a condition that can definitely cause pain, and naturally happens as our bones and joints age. However, getting older doesn’t exempt us from experiencing pain from ‘normal’ causes that have nothing to do with age! If you’re hurting somewhere, get the issue looked at. In many cases, people are surprised to find that their issues can and do get better with the help of a thorough examination and targeted treatment plan!
I should also take a moment to mention that even arthritis does benefit from physical activity, though highly vigorous or aggressive activity isn’t typically advised. Arthritis is actually one of the most common problems that I’ve helped people with.
2) Passing Out (Don’t schedule a physical therapy appointment on this one, guys!)
There are many, many things that can cause an individual to pass out. Regular old aging is absolutely not one of them, and it terrifies me that many people ignore this issue because they think that age is the culprit.
If you start to experience episodes of passing out, your body is telling you that something is wrong. Don’t ignore it. Get it checked out by a doctor. I actually have a relative who would feel unwell and pass out once every few months with no obvious cause. They blamed old age and refused to have it looked at. This went on for a few years! Somebody (who was totally, 100%, not me) finally had enough of it, and dragged their rebellious behind to the hospital the next time they passed out. The culprit? Their heart was periodically stopping for extended periods of time. The doctor told them that they were lucky that they hadn’t died from one of their episodes, and with surgical intervention, the fainting episodes finally stopped.
There are other causes of fainting out there that are much less life threatening, but unless you get the issue checked out by a doctor, you’ll never know what you’re dealing with and how serious it may or may not be.
3) Falling and Stumbling
I’ll first defer to the CDC on this one: “Falls among adults aged 65 and older are common, costly, and preventable. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among older adults.”
The key word here is that falls are considered preventable. Common factors that can contribute to falling include various musculoskeletal issues, tripping, poor reaction times, neurological conditions, muscle weakness, and having limited endurance. The list goes on and on.
Many of the above mentioned factors can be improved with the help of progressive balance challenges, thorough education, and a tailored exercise program. Though nobody loves them, assistive devices do also have their time and place when someone’s balance and safety are an immediate and pressing concern. That said, the goal is always to enable people to do their day to day activities as naturally as possible, while maximizing both independence and safety.
There are many issues out there that people are quick to pin on age, but these are three of the main ones that immediately spring to mind. Know that in the end, getting these types of problems looked at and addressed through the help of a professional will typically lead to a better and more fulfilling quality of life.
Have you experienced issues with aches and pains, declining balance, and/or weakness over the years? We would love to see how we can help! Get in touch with us by calling (239) 232-8155, or email us at Contact@SerendipityPTW.com.
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