Our focus for this month is all about Getting fit after 50 – and what it takes to get you there.
When I ask people about what’s currently stopping them – one of the most common answers I hear is PAIN.
Back pain, knee pain, neck and shoulder pain, hip pain… I hear it all.
But when I start digging further… the conversation takes an interesting turn…
What I learn is that the REAL reason these folks aren’t exercising or doing what they want to be doing – is less about the actual pain – but more about the uncertainty they have about their pain.
Let me explain.
I’ll use a Recent Case Study as an Example…
One of my clients (we’ll call her “Mary”) is 55 years old and very motivated to exercise and be more active – the only problem is – she’s got a knee that hurts and doesn’t straighten all the way.
Her daughter recently lost over 100 lbs after being overweight most of teen years due to a “bad knee”. Her daughter wanted to exercise and stay fit all her life – but she literally couldn’t because of the pain. It wasn’t until she finally got her knee problem fixed with surgery that she was able to turn her life around and lose the weight she’d always wanted to.
Seeing her daughter overweight and unable to exercise – especially at a young age – caused Mary to really prioritize her own health and not take anything for granted
Yes Mary’s knee hurts. But her bigger concern is not making it WORSE.
She doesn’t want to end up where her daughter was – with knee pain so bad she couldn’t exercise or do what she wanted to do to be fit.
Right now… Mary is OK exercising even with some pain.
But if one day it gets worse and she can’t? What if what she’s doing now is causing more damage and she just doesn’t know it?
Besides the pain and immobility – these thoughts in her head are what’s really been holding her back.
In an attempt to get in front of this and find a solution to her knee problem… she went to see her doctor.
But all he offered her was: “You need a knee replacement.”
What? She doesn’t want a knee replacement – but was he right? Was surgery really her only option – just like her daughter?
Yes she’s over 50 and yes her knee has arthritis – but she’s in good shape otherwise and highly motivated to do what it takes to get and stay fit.
Surgery is not in that plan!
Plus – she’s not as young as her daughter is. She doesn’t want the set-backs she knows she’ll have recovering from such a major surgery – and knows she won’t recover as quickly as her adolescent daughter did.
This prompted her to explore alternative options on her own which led her to calling us 🙂
Now… for the really exciting part of Mary’s story so far…
She’s come in twice already and guess what – her knee pain is a lot better!
It’s also starting to get straighter.
How? Wasn’t knee replacement surgery her only option??
Apparently not!
What we like to do in our office is explore what we call corrective movement strategies.
What we know from research – and from years of helping people – is that most joint pain is mechanical. Mechanical joint pain will respond quickly to precisely prescribed movements.
You movement becomes your medicine!
When you do it as prescribed – it takes away your pain – will restore your mobility – and the best part – you can used it anytime you want in the future if your joint pain starts acting up again.
THIS is How You Get and Stay Fit After 50!
Now that Mary has her customized movement strategy that works to help her knee – we can start to push her with exercise and get her stronger.
And most importantly – Mary feels more CONFIDENT about exercising.
Because she has control over her pain and knows she isn’t causing more damage.
PS – If Mary’s story resonated with you – and you want help NOW – Click here to Request a Free Discovery Session with a specialist at my clinic. We will let you know if you’re a good fit for what we do and if we can get you the same help we got Mary!
Trupti graduated with a Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from UNC- Chapel Hill in 2001. She has furthered her studies with numerous post-graduate courses focusing on the Neck, shoulder, knee, and back, with a strong emphasis in manual therapy. Recently completed courses in Maitland-Australian Physiotherapy Seminars (Levels 1- 5), has afforded her an excellent way to relieve pain and help people get moving, active and healthy quickly and effectively.
With 20+ years of experience in Physical Therapy, Trupti has practiced in various orthopedic and sports focused clinical settings, in both the Raleigh-Durham, NC and DC regions. She has been Director of multiple Physical therapy Clinics in DC and also worked with some renowned specialists at Georgetown University Hospital in DC. During her years of service, Trupti has had the privilege of caring for a wide variety of clients: from school-aged children to retirees; from homemakers to business professionals; from weekend warriors to professional athletes.
Trupti is an avid fan of the outdoors, art, traveling and of course the Tar Heels. She enjoys spending time with her niece and nephew.
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