Laura San Giacomo - The Christ Hospital

Standstraight!You’ll look and feel better for itAs a child, you were probably told to standup straight. That’s still great advice:Standing erect and sitting properly canhelp reduce stress on joints, ward offmuscle pain and improve balance to prevent falls.You’ll feel the price of poor posture. Painful,achy joints steal your sleep and lead to irritabilityand fatigue. Hunching or tilting to one side makesyou vulnerable to falls. Unbalanced pressure onspinal disks can cause neck, back and shoulder pain.Improper alignment can contribute to musculoskeletaldiseases such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoidarthritis, osteoporosis, herniated disks and degenerativedisk disease.The aging bodyPhysical changes that occur with age and lifestylehabits can lead to slouching. With passingbirthdays, people typically experience the following:• Muscles shrink and lose mass. Strength diminishesand reflexes slow.• Bone loss outpaces bone building. Bones lose densityand strength and break more easily.• Ligaments, which connect bones at joints, lose elasticity.Overall flexibility diminishes.• Activity decreases. People tend to move less andin more repetitive ways. Some muscles stay strongwhile others weaken.The result? Your body loses correct alignment, puttingyou at risk for musculoskeletal disorders and pain.Checking your positionThe way you hold your body—standing andsitting—is key to proper posture. Michael T.Rohmiller, MD, orthopedic surgeon at The ChristHospital in Cincinnati, suggests addressing youralignment with these assessments and guidelines:• Stand tall. Stand in front of a mirror. BreatheBeware boomeritisToday’s older adults are far moreactive than previous generations—and they have the aches and painsto prove it. In fact, sports injurieslike tendinitis and bursitis havebecome so common among theover-50 set, there’s a name for thecondition—boomeritis.Some injuries result fromyears of overuse or repetitivemovements. Others happen whenout-of-shape weekend warriors tryto get back in the game like theydid when they were younger. Youcan stay active and pain free andavoid getting sidelined by boomeritisby following these tips fromDr. Rohmiller:• Gear your workouts to your ownfitness level and goals.• Know your weak link, such as apreviously injured joint, and avoidactivities that may strain it.• Mix up your exercise routinefor balanced fitness. Includecardiovascular activities (walking orjogging), strength training(lifting weights) andflexibility exercises(stretching or yoga).• Choose low-impact aerobicactivities like biking, swimming ordancing.• Warm up before exercising.• Check with your physician to besure you’re getting enough calciumand vitamin D to maintain bonestrength. Add dietary supplementsif necessary.Women’s Health Today