The most common injuries in midlife & 5 Ways to prevent them

Did you know that taking vitamin D with calcium improves the absorption and aids bone health?

Just when you think you've heard all about odd symptoms, you start realizing that any injury you sustain from working out, feeling more clumsy or every day repetitive motions, lingers or is more extreme than before. 

It might also be, that you always knew that you hurt your back several years ago or never quite healed the effects from childbirth and the postpartum transition. 

Here is a list of the most common injuries we hear about  and some of them  have now been linked to peri/menopause and might sound familiar to you: 

1. runners knee

2. shin splints

3. ankle sprains

4. plantar fasciitis

5. lower back pain

6. frozen shoulder

7. nerve pain in foot

8. stress fracture or reaction

9. wrist pain

10. neck / trapeze muscle pain

11. pelvic or groin pain. 

Some of the injuries or "niggles" don't seem to require a visit to the doctor, although they could powerfully benefit from a physical therapist or trainer who knows how to adjust movement patterns to avoid repetitive strains or improving range of motion to keep the body moving supply and optimally.  

Most injuries that happen in the ankle, knee or hip area, are connected through the "kinetic chain", which means that how one joint moves, affects all joints along the chain up and down the body. Leaving the injuries in one area unattended can result in worse issues down the track, or the back... pun intended. 

More serious injuries like stress fractures, will sideline women from their daily life and sports that they enjoy for longer and require a boot, as they very often happen in the metatarsals, the small bones in the feet that connect the toes. 

Rather than treating stress fractures or hairline fractures in any bones, one should aim  to avoid them by ensuring proper footwear, adequate bone mineral density, potentially using supplements like collagen for joint health and paying attention to not under-eating, maintaining muscle to support the bone structure and moving in a way that is pain free. 

A very high number of people adjust to a low threshold of pain, surrendering to it as an inevitable and just live with it, day in and day out.  

Or worse, people take anti-inflammatory medication to treat the symptom, putting a strain on their liver and kidneys without addressing the root cause of the injury.  

We will be launching a video series on prehab and rehab of these injuries, ways to stay fit and healthy while moving without using the affected areas and building and maintaining strength that improves our bone mineral density and overall mobility to prevent worse conditions. 

In the meantime, here are 5 tips and observations on how to stay injury-free:

1. Adjust your footwear. If you were a Hawaiianas and  ballet flats kinda person, adding shoes with better support into your rotation, is crucial. Many women's feet expand, especially if they have been pregnant and sizing up in shoes - while annoying and aesthetically unpleasing - is necessary to avoid conditions like plantar fasciitis, knee pain, etc. 

2. Adhere to the rule where you get up and move a little bit every 45 minutes. Even if you take meetings on zoom all day long, it should be ok, to move your computer to a counter that is elevated or briefly stand up, do a few hip circles, shoulder circles or even cat and cow on the floor.

3. Add foam rolling to your regimen. You don't have to choose the hardest foam roller and torture yourself, but even just lying on the foam roller and moving your head side to side to massage your neck, or lying on your side with a foam roller between the shins and knee to relieve strain on the lower back, is a powerful way to avoid back and neck pain. 

4. Ensure that your iron, Vitamin D and calcium are not depleted. Low iron and vitamin D have been linked to each other and to stress fractures and calcium keeps our bones happy. More recently collagen as a specific protein supplement for women has shown to support women's joint health. 

5. Build and maintain strength. As we age, we lose up to 0.5 lb of muscle mass per year until we are in post-menopause. That transitional period can last up to 10 years so that’s 5 lbs of muscle mass less to burn calories for you. Not only do you need the muscles to function well in your daily life, testosterone is  linked to muscle mass and is an important component of hormonal health during peri/menopause. Strength and tone are wonderful attributes to have to combat body negativity, feel good  about ourselves physically and a powerful release for stress in life. 

Make sure to check out our new rewards  feature in the app next week. For each completed  recommendation, you  will receive a vitality point with the goal  being to collect at least 14 each week! The basic pillars of everyday life (nutrition, movement, and mindfulness) can play a vital role in adapting to this physiological change. However, it is also important to remember that no one size fits all, so personalizing your daily routine is essential.