How can an adult keep playing sports as they age without suffering more and more injuries? Here’s the rub: you probably won’t! We all age and with aging comes injuries. We deny our actual age and abilities and strive to do what we did as younger men and women. But is there a way to age gracefully and still play sports? Absolutely! Natural Health Sports Therapy has over 30 years of experience in Costa Mesa and we have seen everything under the sun.
We See People Who Never Get Injured
How can someone still be active after age 50 and not suffer injury after injury? Simple: they invest in their recovery as much as their sport! Young athletes can often get by without any serious injuries if they stretch and hydrate well and are using proper form. But as we age we lose flexibility. Our form begins to change without notice. Our confidence grows higher than our abilities and we can develop or suffer an injury. Our best clients at Natural Health Sports Therapy are those who we see on a regular basis: they know their limitations and they allow us to help them overcome them. Even the best athletes in the NBA, NFL, and Olympics know that physical therapy can help them avoid injuries at the highest level of the sport. For the average athlete or weekend warrior it is even more important. Don’t wait until you are injured as then it may be too late to return to sports. Come see us today for an evaluation.
We ALSO See People Who Are Seriously In Pain
Many people come to us in pain. We also often hear that the injury occurred “doing what I always do” or similar answers. How does this happen? Simple: a person who is over 50 simply cannot do what they did when they were 25 and sooner or later their body will fail and an injury will occur. The below are common injuries we see in highly active adults:
- Overuse injuries: carpal tunnel pain, pulled muscles, dislocated ribs, bulging discs.
- Poor form injuries: sprained joints, hyperextended knees, and pulled hamstrings.
Half of the treatment for someone with an injury is healing it. But the other half is education on why it happened and how to make sure it doesn’t happen again. We use all of our experience in helping active people stay active, and those that follow our advice stay active longer.
Do You Need Physical Therapy If You Are Not Injured?
Yes. But that is not a fair question as it creates two classes of people (e.g., injured and non-injured). A better question would be to ask “How can physical therapy help me avoid an injury?” Regular physical therapy helps to keep you active and (more importantly) helps to identify pre-injuries before they happen. This identification process may be by physical examination by our PT’s or chiropractic staff, or by evaluation of your sports and exercise form. Don’t wait until you throw you back out by lifting too much weight improperly. An injury like that can be serious and can potentially stop you from all activity for a long, long time. Call us today at (949) 645-4086 and ask about our functional and gait training to keep you exercising strong and safely.