Osteoarthritis

None of us are Benjamin Button.

We are all getting older, day by day.

Far too often do I hear patients focusing on the downside. “I guess my body is just packing it in” or

“if I were the family pet I’d be put down!” It’s not all negative, there are some blessings that you

acquire as your life progresses.

With age comes wisdom, financial stability, and most importantly time. Time to pursue the dreams

that always seemed a little too time demanding. It’s the trip to Europe or picking up a hobby like

painting or even writing a novel. Life changes such as retirement and empty nesting can decrease

time demanding responsibilities to bring these dreams within reach. It also provides extra time to

look after our body, mind and soul.

I will not argue that our body is not in its greatest shape as we become older, but that doesn’t mean

that it can’t improve. The better shape our body is in the more we can enjoy some of this new found

spare time.

Just like anything in this world, over time our body wears. The natural process of the body slowly

degenerating is more commonly known as osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is not a terrible thing. Our bodies are a lot smarter than what we give them credit for.

It is the body’s subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) way of letting us know that we can’t do the

things we used to do in our twenties, and that we may need to modify some activities. It can limit

some joint movements, which if you look at in some ways, has a protective function. These

restrictions can help limit further damage.

There are ways you can work with our body’s natural aging functions to continue to get the most out

of life. I believe the number one priority is to keep active.

Keep moving.

Stay active.

Do not stop.

The benefits of maintaining an active lifestyle include:

o Keeping muscles, bones and joints strong

o Healthier heart and lungs

o Great for stress relief

o Reduces the risks of falls

o Can help keep a healthy waistline

Staying active is very important, but we must keep in mind that our bodies will let us know that the

activity should be appropriate. Signing up with the local football team the week before your

seventieth birthday isn’t ideal. We need to accommodate our more mature body with more mature

activities.

If you want to keep the competitive flame alive there are still sports such as tennis, golf, lawn bowls

and swimming in which you can put your best up against others. For those who prefer to go at their

own pace there are many other activities such as bushwalking (and why not in a beautiful setting

such as ours), aqua aerobics, Pilates and yoga classes or something as simple as being out in the

garden.

Now, in no way am I saying that keeping active will keep the aches and pains away. They are

unfortunately a part of life and nobody is an exception. Nobody.

Staying active will keep you in far better condition to deal with the aches and pains and you will be

better off in the grand scheme of things. However, in the short term you may even find keeping

active will flare up some niggles and twinges.

The good news is there are also things we can do to manage flare ups!

Heat is tremendous. You and your body are intuitive so you probably find that you love a hot bath or

shower when you aren’t feeling up to scratch. Heat will increase blood flow into the area as well as

help surrounding muscles to relax.

Hot water bottles, wheat bags and in our modern day applicable heat patches are ideal ways of

keeping sore areas warm. You can purchase heat patches that will stick to the underside of your

clothing and last considerable amounts of time (twelve hours plus). You can find these at most

supermarkets and chemists.

The patches are preferable as they allow the area to stay warm and allow you to keep moving.

Combining heat with gentle movement is the perfect way of managing our pains.

There are a few exceptions to the rule. Icing is still important if there is any bruising or swelling at an

injury, a rolled ankle for example. Back and neck injuries will mostly respond best to heat.

Getting older isn’t the end of the world. It’s a marvellous opportunity to put some time into yourself

so that you can enjoy the years ahead. I see some very impressive octogenarians in private practice

and the common trend amongst them is that they have maintained active lifestyles.

After all, it’s use it or lose it.