Do sports injuries increase as we age? Maybe, but that’s still not a reason to skip your favorite activities. It’s important to keep moving and focus on smart strategies for injury-prevention to stay active through your middle age and beyond.

Endeavor Health orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine expert Bradley Dunlap, MD, highlights the most common injuries for active adults in their 40s and beyond. And he offers best practice strategies to stay healthy and injury-free.

Common orthopaedic injuries in midlife

  • Shoulder and rotator cuff injuries. These are very common in adults involved with overhead sports like tennis, paddle ball, racquetball, volleyball and of course everybody’s favorite new activity — pickleball.
  • Knee injuries. Knees are another familiar trouble spot for older athletes, with everything from meniscus tears and patellar tendonitis to increasing arthritis, challenging runners and group exercise participants.
  • Arthritis and cartilage wear. Normal aging typically includes gradual loss of muscle mass, decreased flexibility and elasticity in tendons, and increased wear of cartilage and joints — all of which can increase the risk for widespread orthopaedic injuries.
  • Overuse injuries. Generally speaking, most of the usual injuries from rotator cuff tendonitis to runner’s knee stem from overuse, develop over time, and get worse with continued activity, explained Dr. Dunlap.

3 tips to train and play smart to prevent injuries

Dr. Dunlap shares important guidelines he encourages older adults to follow:

  1. Start slow. 
    The best defense against overuse injuries is to start slow with any sports or new exercise programs and gradually increase activity in terms of both time and intensity, stressed Dr. Dunlap. 
    “If you want to start running, don’t start by training for a marathon,” he added. Group exercise classes and clubs can be a great motivator to stay active, but there can be an inherent pressure for people to keep up, forcing some to go harder or do more than their body is ready for, said Dr. Dunlap.
  2. Add strength and flexibility training. 
    Strength training and flexibility work are vitally important and become more important as you age in terms of helping to prevent injuries, said Dr. Dunlap. 
    “Maintaining core strength is especially important as a strong core supports your back and helps with stability in movement,” he added. Resistance training helps to maintain muscle mass and targeted exercises can help strengthen and balance muscles important for running, jumping, throwing and other sports activities.
  3. Recover before returning to play. 
    Injuries are frustrating at any age, but it’s vital to take enough time off after an injury before returning to your sport. 
    “Take enough time off and don’t go back to the activity until you are pain-free,” said Dr. Dunlap. But taking time off from your sport doesn’t mean doing nothing. Cross training with other activities and taking time for targeted strength work are part of successful recovery strategies and can help with the mental aspect of rehabbing too. 
    “I’ll tell patients to focus on the little steps along the way — taking a day off today might mean getting closer to returning to your sport at full strength down the road. As we age, we have to be more thoughtful about exercising and listen to our bodies,” he said.

By listening to your body, starting slow, and prioritizing recovery, you can continue enjoying your favorite sports and staying active for years to come.

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