The Age of Permanent Injuries: We're Animals Now!

[harley]

I tend to get hurt getting out of kayaks more than getting in. Trying to get back up in a shaky environment after being stuck in one position for 3-4 hours is tough. I get stiff and don't unfold easily. Last year just about this time I hurt my knee getting out and it took a good 6-8 months to heal.

I read somewhere (I'll try to find the cite) that many old people don't fall and break their hip, they break their hip and fall. Many have such soft and brittle bones that at some point they just break from normal stress. But I've seen numerous people go in for broken hips and never come back out. Luckily, I got fat eating lots of ice cream, so my calcium levels are high enough and my bones are strong from hauling my fat butt around.

As far as balance, it really does need practice. I like the microwave idea. My balance isn't bad, but when I stand on one leg and close my eyes I tend to fall right over. I've been working on that, and it has improved a little. When I get back up north this summer I'm going to continue to try my SUP. It's good balance practice, and if I fall the water is softer than the land.


Regarding the title of the OP, I don't think we're animals. When my dogs are hurt (arthritis, pulled muscle, etc.) they just suck it up and continue on their happy way. People, on the other hand, sit around and piss and moan about each little pain and injury. Don't insult the animals.

 

[audreyh1]

For a sense of balance, how long do you stand on one leg every day?

Because of my ankle surgery, I have had to learn how to do that again. So now whenever I am using the microwave, I stand and balance on one foot. Once I am good with my bad foot/ankle, I will alternate left and right. I intend to do this every day for the rest of my life.

This is reminding me to get back to my yoga!

 

[Amethyst]

I practice one-footed eyes-closed standing exercises every day. Progress is sl-o-o-w (one added second at a time) but it does occur. You learn to sense your position from what your feet are telling you, and activate small muscles that don't ordinarily get much use. This has saved me, several times, from a slip turning into a fall.

 

[athena53]

Wow- I just tried the eyes-closed version. I'm not good at that at ALL! Microwave is over a counter so I've got a place to grab if I need to regain balance.

I can't begin to list all the valuable things I've learned since joining this site in 2014 but this is definitely one of them.

Since DH died I'm even more aware of the need to be very careful in the house- avoiding high-ladder work, keeping things out of the path between the bed and the bathroom at night, etc. If anything goes terribly wrong I'm the only one who can call 911.

 

[Ronstar]

As for balance - I had an exercise at therapy when I broke my ankle that helped a lot. Stand one legged on a mini trampoline facing a wall a few feet away, throwing a tennis ball against the wall and catching it all while on one leg. Maintaining balance on the mini tramp while shifting to catch the ball was tough.

 

[MRG]

Wow- I just tried the eyes-closed version. I'm not good at that at ALL! Microwave is over a counter so I've got a place to grab if I need to regain balance.

I can't begin to list all the valuable things I've learned since joining this site in 2014 but this is definitely one of them.

Since DH died I'm even more aware of the need to be very careful in the house- avoiding high-ladder work, keeping things out of the path between the bed and the bathroom at night, etc. If anything goes terribly wrong I'm the only one who can call 911.

From my days in balance therapy. Balance is accomplished by three things. Your vestibular system, inner ears. Your vision, and any part of you that touches something solid. Deprive any of them and you will notice. One thing that amazed me was the balance therapist demonstrated the power of one finger on a solid object. I was instantly balanced or not all because of one finger.

One of the more useful apparatus was a balance board. It's just a piece of plywood to stand on and an inch tall strip down the middle. You rock back and forth on it, with eyes open then closed. Let's you get slightly off kilter, then balance yourself.

 

[W2R]

I think I saw you on youtube!

Here he is!

Notice he never drops his backpack.

 

[Amethyst]

The first time I tried it, I fell over. But I read somewhere - can't find it again - that a person in their 50's should be able to stand on one foot with eyes closed for 14 seconds. So I was determined to get there. Took a looong time!

Wow- I just tried the eyes-closed version. I'm not good at that at ALL! Microwave is over a counter so I've got a place to grab if I need to regain balance.

I can't begin to list all the valuable things I've learned since joining this site in 2014 but this is definitely one of them.

Since DH died I'm even more aware of the need to be very careful in the house- avoiding high-ladder work, keeping things out of the path between the bed and the bathroom at night, etc. If anything goes terribly wrong I'm the only one who can call 911.

 

[Walt34]

At 67 I have definitely noticed that even little bruises take a lot longer to heal. Add to that that I'm taking "baby aspirin" (81mg) every day because of the two stents in my heart.

As several people mentioned I don't get high up on ladders anymore either. And frankly we're at the point where we can afford to hire out stuff like that anyway, although the "LBYM" in me cringes sometimes. But I'm worth a lot more to DW alive and uninjured than any amount I'd save on a DIY project. Not to mention the pain involved if I fall.

In the spring and summer I sure miss my motorcycle, but I suspect an impact that would have left only bruises 35 years ago may well be catastrophic now and it just isn't worth the risk anymore. Plus all the idiots on their cell phones weren't a factor then.

 

[Dreamer]

I try to be more careful, the older I get. I have fallen 3 times in the last year. My granddaughter walked right in front of me on a sidewalk in Pittsburgh and I went down. I spilled a couple of drops of water and kept going since my food was hot and thought that I would clean it up in a few minutes, but then forgot. Walked back through with my leather bottom slippers and down I went. I can't remember the third time. I remembered that was one of the questions that my DH was asked, how many falls, when he went for his Medicare intro exam. I go for mine in March. I used to have a very good sense of balance and was a speed skater (roller skating), but that was many moons ago.

 

[PawPrint53]

Five minutes later, I had flashes in my vision, and it turned out I had PVD. One doc thought it was coincidence, another, no.

Although not serious, I will probably have annoying floaters in my vision for the rest of my life.

I just had this happen while I was watching TV the other day. When the eye doctor said it's "age-related," I thought, really, I'm not that old. But I guess I am. I guess it happens more to nearsighted people. He then proceeded to tell me the symptoms to look for if the retina detaches, and you have 24 hours to get to the doctor. The floaters are very annoying when I'm reading, and sometimes I think it's a bug that's flying in front of me. The light flashes are just weird and disturbing.

 

[splitwdw]

This is reminding me to get back to my yoga!

+1
My parents and grand parents do yoga. Friends that kayak and have sports cars do yoga too.

 

[W2R]

I try to be more careful, the older I get. I have fallen 3 times in the last year. My granddaughter walked right in front of me on a sidewalk in Pittsburgh and I went down. I spilled a couple of drops of water and kept going since my food was hot and thought that I would clean it up in a few minutes, but then forgot. Walked back through with my leather bottom slippers and down I went. I can't remember the third time.

I can relate to that! I have been falling a lot in the past three years or so, too. For me (age 69+1/2) it has been 2-3 falls/year but I am working on reducing that number. Two months ago I bought some non-slip socks to wear in the house (these), and while I am still a little skeptical about them, I must admit that I haven't ever slipped with them on. Also they are warm, soft, and comfie so I wear them a lot.

Also I have marked the edge of the one step at my side door with bright yellow duct tape so that it is easier for me to notice, I have tacked all the corners of carpets and throw rugs down with this so I can't trip on them, I have cleared away any obvious tripping hazards, and I have put motion activated battery powered nightlights wherever they might be helpful.

I have always been careless and clumsy, which is probably the cause of these falls, along with aging (that makes me notice the falls more because I get hurt more). I am trying to "un-learn" that clumsiness and carelessness. Inspired by this thread, I think it would be great for me to start doing balance exercises at the microwave too.

 

[PawPrint53]

Luckily, I got fat eating lots of ice cream, so my calcium levels are high enough and my bones are strong from hauling my fat butt around.

After dragging around 100 extra pounds and eating plenty of dairy, I thought that my bones would be strong, too. I do not fit the stereotype of someone who gets osteoporosis, but my first DEXA scan revealed otherwise. If you've had a DEXA that revealed healthy bones, I say great, but if you haven't had that DEXA scan, you really can't know for sure.

 

[braumeister]

Wow- I just tried the eyes-closed version. I'm not good at that at ALL!

Don't let it worry you; very few have good balance with eyes closed without loads of practice.

 

[MichaelB]

Remember what Philip Roth said

Old age isn't a battle: old age is a massacre

 

[GravitySucks]

Slipped on the ice last month and it took ten days to stop hurting then another five for the aches to stop. I fell even harder ten years ago and only took two days to recover.
Pulled two posts up myself last summer. Concrete is much heavier than it used to be.
Hope you get better Al

 

[gerntz]

No doubt that "minor" injuries I get now seem much worse than when I was younger. Some seem to drag on for a very long time.

It's called life.

 

[aaronc879]

It may sound odd, but my doctor (a number of years ago) told me that the % of people that die shortly after a broken hip is quite large. It is a huge shock to the system, and some older folks just don't have enough reserve to recover from it.

I bought some land from a woman that was 90 years old. We talked and negotiated for a few months. She finally called me and wanted to close the deal. She was having a knee replacement (or maybe it was a hip replacement) and said that the doctor had told her that there were risks at her age. Several months after the surgery, she died. I don't know if it was directly related, but she had the premonition that she might not make it.

I broke my hip last year at the age of 37. It was brutal at my age even with help from a rehab clinic and from my parents when I returned to my home. I can't imagine a 80+ year old surviving the ordeal without significant assistance.

 

[stepford]

I wonder if our active generation is doing this aging thing worse than our parents did. The peak of activity for my Mom and Dad was taking a sunset stroll around the park. AFAIK they never climbed a mountain, rode a bike after the age of 10 or did anything much more strenuous than arguing politics around the dinner table.

Yet they enjoyed the theater, ballet, live classical music and took classes at the local university well into their 80's. Both lived into their 90's and Mom is still kicking around at 95. Their lack of physical activity never seemed to bother them, and indeed they never seemed to get injured as a result. They're knees, hips and other joints never got used much and never needed any repair.

Like many of my generation, that sort of lifestyle would drive me insane in short order. So I've spent my life doing all sorts of outdoor activities whenever I could. Running... until my feet gave out. Backpacking, climbing, hang gliding and, most recently, mountain biking. I have chronic (though manageable and usually low level) pain in my knees, feet and wrists. So does my dear wife (knees, hips, shoulder). So do most of my active friends of a certain age. Several are on their 2nd knees, hips, ankles, etc. All of us are basically hobbling our way into our 60s and 70s. I wouldn't have given up my active life for the world, but I have to wonder:

Did our parents get it right, after all?

 

[athena53]

I wonder if our active generation is doing this aging thing worse than our parents did. The peak of activity for my Mom and Dad was taking a sunset stroll around the park. <snip>

Did our parents get it right, after all?

I think there's a middle ground. I was not an athletic kid but I was very active- mostly swimming and bicycling, but not bound to a rigorous practice schedule or relentless coaches. I think that's one of the reasons I don't have many aches and pains now- I never did anything to extreme. Even now I might do a 35-mile bike ride 3 or 4 times a year, but no RAGBRAI (the ride across Iowa which covers about 80 miles per day), no marathons, etc.

I know some day my body is going to tell me to stay off my bike. I'm 65 and it hasn't happened yet. I dread that day.

 

[harley]

Here he is!

Notice he never drops his backpack.

Back when we were dating I used to go to DW's house (her parent's home) after work every evening. She lived in a house with a driveway just like that. And since this was the late 70s and I was working in retail (nicely dressed in those days) I tended to have those big, slick soled, platform shoes on. After the first time doing what that video shows I learned to park my car in across the opening of the driveway so I'd have something to fetch up against at the bottom of the hill. Crazy, probably dangerous, but that's what you do when you're in love.

And before anyone asks, there was no way I could drive up the driveway at night after the ice formed. The worst part was the house was on a steep road too, so if I had missed the car I'd have been sliding on down the street. I don't think they sold yak Trax back then. I could have used them.

 

[socaldonnan]

For a sense of balance, how long do you stand on one leg every day?

Because of my ankle surgery, I have had to learn how to do that again. So now whenever I am using the microwave, I stand and balance on one foot. Once I am good with my bad foot/ankle, I will alternate left and right. I intend to do this every day for the rest of my life.

As I do yoga a couple of times a week, my balance is pretty good; another suggestion for balancing on one foot at a time, is to do it while brushing your teeth. The trick is to tighten your core muscles while standing on one leg. By tightening your core (abdominal muscles) that's what helps with maintaining your balance when standing on one foot. Those muscles are the easiest to engage without using an equipment because it's just a matter of pulling in your stomach and holding the position.

 

[Nemo2]

I practice one-footed eyes-closed standing exercises every day.

When I read that, my first thought was "How hard can that be?"

I can't do it!

 

[jjflyman]

I am recovering from a nasty sinus infection and have developed tinnitus, which may very well be permanent. Getting older is not for the faint of heart.

It many not be permanent. I went to an outdoor concert 16 months ago, and developed Tinnitus from it. It was miserable for the first 6 months, but it has slowly faded. I am about 80% recovered, and have read several articles that say the recover can easily take 1-2 years. I actually had extremely bad Tinnitus 12 yeas ago from acoustic trauma, and it took 2 years to go away. So hang in there, it is likely to fade