Take it easy at the gym, boomers
Who would have ever thought that staying fit could be bad for us. A new study has shown baby boomers’ bones and joints are taking a pounding at the gym, spawning a boom in knee and hip surgery.
Who would have ever thought that staying fit could be bad for us. A new study has shown baby boomers’ bones and joints are taking a pounding at the gym, spawning a boom in knee and hip surgery.
Knee replacement surgeries have doubled over the last decade and more than tripled in the 45 to 64 age group, but it is not all due to obesity.
Ironically, trying to stay fit and avoid extra kilograms is taking a toll on the baby boomer generation.
Health professionals have said the boomers are the first generation trying to stay active, and are less willing to use a cane or put up with pain as their grandparents did.
Besides the usual risks of surgery, such as infection, blood clots, and anaesthesia problems, replacing joints in younger people increases the odds that they will need future operations when these wear out.
The study found there are “too many wannabes” who overdo it by impersonating elite athletes; believing if they have a sore knee, they are entitled to have it replaced.
