"Physical inactivity is a great precursor to early mortality due to cardiovascular disease than smoking, diabetes and obesity combined".(1)
Maintaining your Physical Freedom is our primary objective. Getting old is not enough reason to be held back from physically doing what you would like to do. Most musculoskeletal aches and pains can be conservatively treated, rehabilitated and managed.
Over 65's have increased needs for musculoskeletal aches and pains as they are at greater risk of suffering muscle injury, tendon strains and fractures. Coupled with the known increase in the flattening of feet as we age (2), emphasis should be placed on being proactive rather than reactive to maintain Physical Freedom.
Postural/biomechanical assessment, along with gait and functional analysis, can assist in recognising the underlying reasons for painful muscle, joint and nerve conditions such as arthritis and sciatica.
When treating leg and foot aches and pains, recognising an individual's lifestyle and goals is essential to creating a program for musculoskeletal rehabilitation.
Trips and falls have recently gained increasing awareness from the medical community due to the complex consequences of traumatic hip fractures. At the Foot & Leg Pain Centre, we implement the British Journal of Sports Medicine program to reduce falls by up to 36% in those over 65years.(3)
In later years patients can benefit from simple assistance with maintaining their toenails and other skin lesions such as corns and callus. Manual therapies can be incorporated into these visits for fresh light new feeling feet on every visit
References
- Blair SN. Physical inactivity: the biggest public health problem of the 21st century. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2009;43(1):1-2.
- Redmond A, Crane Y, Menz H. Normative values for the Foot Posture Index. Journal of Foot and Ankle Research. 2008;1(1):6.
- Spink MJ, Menz HB, Fotoohabadi MR, Wee E, Landorf KB, Hill KD, et al. Effectiveness of a multifaceted podiatry intervention to prevent falls in community dwelling older people with disabling foot pain: randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2011;342:d3411.
