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Getting older means that you are at a greater risk of getting injured and should be more aware of things that can lead to different injuries. Below are the five most common injuries that older people face, signs that you may be injured and what you can do to prevent it.  

Meniscus Tear 

Meniscus tears are the most common knee injuries for people who are 50 years of age and older. However, with a few lifestyle changes, this injury can be prevented. Some symptoms of a meniscus tear can include swelling of the knee, stiffness and limited range of motion. In order to prevent tearing your meniscus and avoiding surgery, there are a few stretches and exercises you can do such as strengthening your hamstrings and glutes.  

A simple exercise you can do to prevent tearing your meniscus is doing glute bridges as they directly target both the hamstrings and glutes. It is important to keep your knees aligned and stable while doing this exercise. If you find it difficult to keep your knees where they need to be, you can try putting a small ball between them.  

Hip Fracture 

Studies show that over 300,000 individuals 65 years of age and older are hospitalized each year due to hip fractures which are typically caused by falls. It is unfortunate that complications from hip fractures are becoming more frequent as you age, so it is important to protect yourself from this trauma. To protect yourself, you can use mobility aids such as walkers, rollators, canes or even wheelchairs. By using these aids, it will decrease your chances of falling and therefore having complications from a hip fracture that could have come from it.  

Lower Back Pain 

This one is not too hard to detect as it is just pain that shows up in your lower back and may also be evident in your muscles, bones, hips and legs. Signs of severe lower back pain should not be ignored. If you are experiencing fever, loss of bowel or bladder control, pain in the groin or weakness in your legs, you should see your doctor immediately. Treatments for back pain can include anti-inflammatory drugs or even just a heating pad depending on how much pain you are in.  

Shoulder Bursitis 

As you get older, your shoulder will start to degenerate and maybe even deteriorate. This will leave you more vulnerable and susceptible to shoulder injuries. The most common shoulder pain, shoulder bursitis, is the inflammation of the rotator cuff tendons as well as the bursa cushioning in the shoulder.  Symptoms for shoulder bursitis can include pain with certain movements, discomfort in the evening that can contribute to poor sleep, as well as shooting pain in the outer edge of the arm.  

The best thing you can do to prevent this from happening is to take care of your shoulders before it becomes a big issue. The simplest option is to improve your posture but going to physical therapy helps as well. If your shoulder pain becomes unbearable, visit your doctor.  

Tennis Elbow 

If you are not aware of what tennis elbow is, it is an irritation of the tissue that connects the forearm to the elbow and occurs when tendons in your elbow become a source of pain. The main cause of this is the repetitive motion of the tendons which are put under stress during activity. If tennis elbow is not treated properly, surgical intervention may have to be taken. There are exercises you can do to strengthen the area such as wrist adductions and abductions, up and down wrist rolls, forearm fist grips and hammer curls.  

Along with these 5 injuries, there are more out there that can still happen such as ankle injuries, wrist injuries and more back and knee injuries. To help with this, you can always wear braces to give you more support or use mobility aids such as a walker or cane to make sure you do not fall. Getting older does not mean you must stop doing what you love to do, you just have to be a little more cautious. To learn more about how we can help, contact CarePro Home Medical today!