For Older Athletes, the Big Challenge is Often Balance

The Wall Street Journal offers a few factoids that illustrate what it calls The Graying of Sports Medicine. One is the recent opening of a wellness center called the Performance and Research Initiative for Masters Athletes at the University of Pittsburgh. The new center will offer competitors over 40 years old a package of medical care,
nutrition counseling, mental training and physical therapy previously
aimed only at younger athletes. Then there is the fact that in May, the editor of the American Journal of Sports Medicine called
for more research on how older athletes recover from injury and how
quickly they can get back to recreation or competition, and then in August, the
American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association
issued new recommendations for physical activity that for the first
time include guidelines specifically intended for older adults.
Most useful, perhaps, is the observation that balance is emerging as an important
element for older people, because older muscles are smaller and slower and respond less
efficiently. What to do? The Journal recommends tai chi, the use of balance boards and balls, and challenging your body while doing activities, such as by running up
and down a curb rather than sticking to flat ground.
Read more in the Wall Street Journal.