Experts describe how senior athletes can reduce their risk of injury

HOW TO CUT THE RISK OF SPORTS INJURIES

Every senior athlete faces the possibility of injury. But there are ways to mitigate the risk, lessen the damage and speed the recovery. Here are a few tips from physicians, physical therapists and athletic trainers:

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Do strength training

Instead of just jogging on the treadmill, do bicep curls with dumbbells, crunches to toughen abdomimal muscles and lunges to build up quad and glute muscles. Strength training “is the only type of exercise that can substantially slow, even reverse, the declines in muscle mass, bone density and strength that were once considered inevitable consequences of aging,” says exercise physiologist Elizabeth Quinn.

Train differently than when you were younger

“Anyone who tries to train at 40 like they did at 20 will be injured,” says Marje Albohm, president of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. Don’t do weight workouts more than three times a week, and don’t do strength training on the same muscles more often than every other day.

Condition, then compete

Especially as you get older, you need to do fitness training to maintain strength, flexibility and aerobic activity. “You have to prepare to perform,” says Terry Black, a Germantown physical therapist and athletic trainer. “People who try to stay in shape only on the weekends and then play tournaments are a recipe for disaster.” This is especially true with highly skilled athletes. Orthopedic surgeon George Branche notes that “the higher your skill level, the greater your risk of injury if you only play sporadically.”

Give yourself time to recover from injuries and hard workouts

“The older you are, the longer recovery will take,” says Albohm. “For people in their 60s and 70s, it’s even more important to give the body time to rest between workouts.” Experts urge senior athletes to recognize the difference between discomforting soreness and real pain and not to return to playing until all symptoms are gone.

Be aware of your weak links

Albohm notes that “it’s pretty hard to be a senior athlete and not have a musculoskeletal problem of some kind by the time you’re 60.” A body part that has been injured is more likely to be re-injured than a non-injured part is to suffer initial damage.

Vary cardiovascular exercise . . .

. . . so you don’t stress the same body parts over and over again.

Keep exercising while you’re recovering

“Being inactive is like poison for an athlete, because you lose conditioning fast if you stop,” says Sardar Pashaei, a certified trainer in Falls Church. “Change your training program, but don’t abandon it.” He urges continuing dynamic exercise, such as lifting weights, for parts of the body that are not injured while conditioning injured parts through isometric exercise, such as pushing against a wall.

Build back up after a layoff

Black notes that the body starts to de-condition within 24 hours of disuse and by six weeks has totally lost its conditioning level. If something like an injury or winter layoff takes an athlete away from regular training, she says, “it’s best not to begin where they left off but start slowly and gradually work up to the same level. Your previous conditioning level and the length of time you have been away from exercise will determine how long it takes to get back into shape safely to avoid injury and overuse.”

Don’t play on autopilot

Mike Tomic, a former competitive tennis player who owns the Tennis Factory in Arlington, has a special caution for longtime athletes who are highly skilled in their sport. Most of the movements made by such players are controlled largely by muscle memory rather than conscious thought. At a certain point, Tomic warns, “you can’t play based on muscle memory because your body can’t do what your memory says to do. You need to learn simply to say, ‘Good shot’ and let the ball go by.”

— Rebecca Leet