Baby Boomers have always found time to live hard and play hard. Now, many of them are paying the price in chronic joint pain.
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lyman Smith has many patients suffering Boomeritis. Smith said the problem is the sports they love take a toll on the joints. He recommends switching to sports that are easier on the knees like swimming or biking. Smith also recommends strength training for the leg joints to help prevent injuries. He said running may be good aerobic activity, but it does not strengthen the knee joint.
Trend-watchers say the generation that once believed "never trust anyone over 30" is now well over 50 but still determined not to grow old.
"I think we could roll up the whole reasoning into just one phrase — quality of life — because the feedback we get is that people simply want to be active in their later years, and they now realize that being fit is one of the only ways to do that," says Dean Witherspoon, president of Health Enhancement Systems, which creates health programs for corporations and other organizations.
More and more fitness centers are doing everything they can to attract the Baby Boom Generation — and it's working, with folks over 50 making up the fastest-growing segment of the fitness population.
Sources: www.WRAL.com, June 15, 2006 and Colette Bouchez, WebMD, www.FoxNews.com November 28, 2005