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Staying Active As You Age

By Jonathan P. Keeve, MD

In 1987, I had the opportunity to work in Switzerland and Germany as a fellow in trauma and reconstructive surgery. Having already completed a fellowship in traumatology at Harborview, this was a chance to live and work in an entirely different environment. The surroundings, food, hospital systems, language, and even the patients were quite different than those I had treated in residency and in Seattle.

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Some of my time was spent in Davos, Switzerland which is a beautiful mountain village surrounded by ski hills and countless hiking trails. When I had free time, I would explore the mountains on foot and did my best to communicate with the native hikers in my rudimentary German. It was apparent to me that many people on the trails were in their 60s or older. These vigorous hikers were found high up in the mountains or enjoying a glass of wine at a small restaurant nestled by a beautiful alpine lake. I also treated many patients who seemed to enjoy a similar active lifestyle.

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So what made them different? The answer to this was shared with me by one of my professors who said "You do not stop moving when you get arthritis, you get arthritis when you stop moving." This has resonated with me long enough that now I am one of those aging hikers. Although I have some arthritis in my knees, I remain as active as possible with cycling and similar activities which I do believe helps prevent the progression of arthritic changes.

 

"You do not stop moving when you get arthritis. You get arthritis when you stop moving."

 

We see a wide variety of patients in our offices. The biggest difference I notice is how quickly some people age, while others seem to maintain their youthful vigor. Those who seem to do the best with surgical treatment and get the best results are those that remain active. They do not have to do triathlons or participate in extreme sports to get the benefits of activity. More active patients tend to have less arthritis, less pain, and fewer visits with me. Their general health is better and not only do they live longer than their less active peers but the quality of their lives seems to be better. This has been shown in many studies of longevity in general health. Life is motion. Motion is life.

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We are in the business of promoting health. Our goal at NWOS is to keep people as active and healthy as possible and sometimes that requires orthopedic care. Preventative care is by far more important. We would encourage all of you to stay as active as possible even if it is only a walk around the block.

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Tags: Staying Active, Dr. Keeve, Injury Prevention, Arthritis.