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It's called boomeritis. It's the product of years and years of wear and tear on joints and tendons. And while the syndrome may not be much fun, it's a sign that a lot of people are doing a lot of the right things to stay healthy.
Whatever your sport of choice, staying active is an important part of staying healthy. But it also has it's downside.
Dr. Nick DiNubile/ Orthopedic Surgeon: "AS THE BABY BOOMER GENERATION TURNS 40, AND 50 WE'VE SEEN AN EXPLOSION OF BONE AND JOINT ACHES, PAINS AND INJURIES."
Boomeritis is the product of too many years doing too many of the same kinds of activities, making muscles and bones vulnerable through overuse.
DR. DINUBILE: "THEY'RE RELATED TO REPETITIVE MOVEMENT, SOMEBODY WHO'S MOVING, SOMEBODY WHO'S BIKING, HITTING NUMEROUS TENNIS BALLS OVER AND OVER, REPETITIVE MOVEMENT THAT GRADUALLY OVER TIME CREATES MICRO DAMAGE OR MICROTRAUMA TO THE TISSUES."
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons says around 300-thousand babyboomers go to hospital emergency rooms every year with sports related injuries.
DR. DINUBILE: "THAT'S JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG. WHEN YOU LOOK AT MOST OF THESE AILMENTS, THESE AREN'T THINGS THAT USUALLY GET YOU TO EMERGENCY ROOMS. SO IF EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS ARE WAY UP, YOU KNOW THAT OFFICE VISITS ARE WAY, WAY UP."
The most common injuries are to feet and ankles, muscle tendon tears and rotator cuff problems.
So how do you avoid them? It's quite simple-- warm up before you exercise and mix up your routines. Don't do the same things over and over again.
DR.DINUBILE: "WE'RE NOT TELLING PEOPLE TO STOP EXERCISING. BEING SEDENTARY IS NOT AN ALTERNATIVE. SEDENTARY BEHAVIOR IS AS DANGEROUS AS SMOKING A PACK OF CIGARETTES A DAY. SO THE BOOMERS ARE WISE TO STAY ACTIVE AND STAY FIT, BUT THEY JUST HAVE TO DO IT DIFFERENTLY."
So if variety is the spice of life, variety in your exercise routine could mean a long healthy life.
