Information provided by Dr. Diana Bitner, true. Women's Health:
Takeaway tip: Injury prevention is about working with your changing body, not against it. Rewrite the story of aging.
As summer heats up and in advance of the Fourth of July activities, it's important you don't get sidelined by a preventable injury.
The top injury risks for women over 40 include:
- ACL tears (especially with pickleball, tennis, or soccer)
- Shoulder Impingement (Yoga, strength training with poor form)
- Lower back strain (poor core strength)
- Stress fractures (loss of bone density, overtraining)
- Tendon injuries (achilles, rotator cuff, patellar)
Over 40 matters becasue of several factors: loss of muscle mass, hormonal shifts related to perimenopause, beginning of bone loss, and loss of tissue mobility.
Women can remain active longer if they are educated and take the extra steps necessary. They might seem common sense, but they actually require plannign and foresight. Add these rituals to your habits to help avoid injury:
- Active warm up
- Walking lunges, foam rolling, rolling pin to back of calves, easy aerobic walk/jog/bike to warm up tissues
- Strength-training
- Focus on hamstrings, quads, core, and shoulders. Make sure you have proper form and can fire up your muscles to support your activities of choice.
- Stretching
- Post-activity and before bed or long travel to release tension, and foam-rolling to release fascia, yoga without overextending
- Bone health
- Adequate vitamin D and calcium, adequate protein (around 1.5 gm per kg of body weight), weight-bearing and impact, Menopausal Hormone Therapy (MHT) as appropriate
- Perimenopause and menopause
- Loss of estrogen leaves tendons and fascia tighter, requiring good hydration, stretching, and considering MHT when appropriate
- Recovery
- Sleep is not a luxury! It is an improtant part of healthy aging and being able tod o what you want, as long as you want. Recovery is your secret weapon!
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