Health for Seniors | Aging is a Pain…What Should I Expect?

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By Jan Shapan :

Personally, I am facing 60 years of age and feeling some new aches and pains. Do we just close our eyes and tolerate the emerging physical and mental symptoms of aging or is there something we can do?

First in doing a little personal searching, I discovered, to no real surprise that some of my aches are not really abnormal but I should take active pain as something wrong and pay attention.

Everything I read confirms that ignoring pain is not healthy. As a senior, if you experience sudden pain then take immediate action to determine the reason and possible ways to respond. The last thing you want is a sudden pain that is ignored to become a chronic pain problem that extends for months.

Be sure you are taking enough of the key vitamins. According to Sam Moon, MD, MPH, associate professor in the division of occupational and environmental medicine at Duke University Medical Center, vitamin D can be helpful by improving bone strength and reducing or eliminating pain from minute fractures connected with osteoporosis.

Unfortunately aging and weight gains often go hand in hand. Excess weight causes incredible stress and strain on your body and substantially increases the possibility of consistent and long term join and lower back pain. So eat right and stay active to maintain a healthy weight.

You would assume that getting older means sleeping more. This is not the case for many seniors. Lack of adequate rest makes pain worse and adds to tightness in the muscles. Add poor sleep to low levels of activity and you have another potential chronic pain problem.

Be aware that chronic pain frequently arises with depression. Not only does the depression make it harder to contend with the pain but it actually enhances it so be sure to describe your emotional sense to your doctor as well.

Studies suggest that natural treatments including acupuncture, mind/body practices, yoga, and various relaxation methods can be very helpful managing chronic pain.

As you enter the official senior stage of 50 some classic age problems begin to manifest such as degenerative disk problems and osteoarthritis according to Dr. Moon. Spinal disks that formerly acted to absorb all kinds of shocks begin to become brittle and dry causing pain and motion constraints. Pain in the neck, back, hands, knees and hips are frequent as well.

For seniors that have suffered injuries during their youth and those who pay little attention to the condition of their bodies are prime candidates for these types of disease.

The response often is over the counter anti-inflammatory meds such as aspirin or ibuprofen but Dr. Moon suggests that real relief may take 10 days to 2 weeks for the benefits to occur so don’t stop too early. Also, due to side effects of stronger prescription meds, people stop taking them before they achieve any positive results as well.

And with little relief, too many people assume the only alternative is surgery which often doesn’t resolve the original problem and often causes worse problems. If you are in your 50s, doctors encourage persistent effort with various treatments to find the best outcome.

For a more natural and long term effective approach to avoiding back pain, doctors encourage exercises that strengthen core muscles. Yoga is a great solution for strengthening core muscles in seniors.

Couple your core work with leg strengthening and exercises that promote balance to help minimize the risk of falls that hurt and disable so many elderly people. Yoga and martial arts practices such as Tai Chi are powerful methods for balance and body control.

Don’t dismiss pain. Be attentive to its message. When chronic pain haunts your life day and night and hurts your relationships, take positive action before it dominates every aspect of your life.

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About The Author:

Janet Shapan, has been a publisher, writer and media designer in the special interest magazine and TV production business for over 25 years. A Boomer, her passion is identifying and sharing current innovations in health, wellness and other lifestyle categories of interest to Seniors. For more information on Senior Living, visit: http://For-Seniors.org or http://LivingSenior.org