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Does being over 50 matter?
Age comes with many advantages. But having fewer pains isn’t one of them. Our bodies age. And as they do so, various aches and pains become more common.
One of the effects of ageing is that it takes longer for your tissues to heal. Partly because your metabolic rate drops. But there are many other mechanisms involved too. Inflammation creeps up as we age. You build up more wear and tear too, and worn joints are more prone to inflammation than young fresh joints. People often move less as they age (don’t do that) which slows down healing too. Although ageing is associated with more wear and tear, there’s good news…
Lots of people with “degenerative joints” don’t have any pain. It’s really important not to treat the X-Ray or the MRI. We treat people, not test results. While we’re interested in test results, they are not the most important thing. It’s how you respond to your pains that matters the most. What you do to help yourself. (And great quality treatment helps!)
About osteopathy for the over 50s
Osteopaths are probably best known for helping people with back pain and sciatica. These are quite common over 50. But so are many other aches and pains. Spinal arthritis is often referred to as spondylitis, or spondylosis. We can help with those.
Whether it be hip, knee, shoulder, or any other body part. Many of our clients come with “dodgy” hips or knees. We have good working relations with Edinburgh orthopaedic surgeons so, if you’d like a surgical opinion, we can make appropriate referrals.
We work in much the same way as with someone under 50. The difference is that your body takes longer to change. And – particularly in those significantly over 50, we have to modify our techniques. And avoid some techniques entirely. The last thing you or we want is to aggravate your pain.
Unfortunately, we don’t really think this way. Our job is to show you how to have less pain and be more active. There are numerous things we can do to you to aid in this process. But we don’t have a magic wand. What we do have is a lot of experience in working with older people. And many of our greatest advocates are well-passed the 50 mark!
As you age, back pain becomes more common. And so does sciatica. Headaches vary throughout life, depending on the type of headache. Migraines are most common in the 30-39 age group. And they’re more common in women than men. Osteopathy is known to help headache sufferers.
Osteoarthritic hips are more common with advancing age, because age is a big factor in degenerative conditions. And the same goes for knees. Osteopaths frequently help older people with OA knees and hips.
Just because you’re over 50 doesn’t mean you can’t participate in sport. At Active X, we treat lots of veteran sports people – from competitive athletes to the weekend warrior.
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Ready to book?
If you’re ready to book or you have any questions then get in touch! You can reach us using the contact details below. If you’re a new client, don’t forget to take advantage of our new client special offer!
