"Boomeritis" hits aging athletes

By Anne Harding

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Fifty may be the new thirty, but baby boomers' bodies haven't heard the news.

Orthopedic surgeons are seeing a "tidal wave" of 45- to 64-year-olds suffering from exercise-related injuries they've dubbed "boomeritis," Dr. Ray Monto, a spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), told Reuters Health.

Exercise- and exercise equipment-related injuries sent more than 166,000 people in this age group to the emergency room, clinic or doctor's office in 2008, according to the US Consumer Products Safety Commission.

These injuries are largely due to people not giving themselves enough time to rest up after tough workouts, according to Monto, an orthopedic surgeon practicing in Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. "You can't beat yourself up the way you did when you were 20 because it takes longer to recover," he said.

Middle-aged people today are a lot more active than their parents were, he added, which is a good thing. "We're basically fitter and more athletic now longer into our lives than we ever were."

But, he added, older athletes need to take a few precautions to protect themselves from injuries like rotator cuff tears, tendonitis and stress fractures. Monto and AAOS offer the following tips:

Get a doctor's OK. Check with your physician before starting any type of exercise program. This is especially important if you've sustained athletic injuries in the past. Your doctor can make sure your heart is healthy, and offer advice on sports and activities that fit your fitness level.

Mix it up. Don't do the same workout day after day. "The problem is not running or biking, it's doing everything every day," Monto said. For example, instead of running 5 miles every day, an older athlete could try logging 8 miles every other day, and doing something completely different on the days in between.