Wellness
How seniors can safely stay behind the wheel
f your knees can tell you
when a winter storm is
coming, you are not alone.
Many people who experience
arthritis or inflammation in
the joints find that the cold
temperature may exacerbate
the discomfort. So how can
you keep up your exercise routine
when your joints want to
keep you on the couch?
“The colder, winter months
add stress to the bones, joints,
ligaments and tendons,” said
Matthew Wert, MD, chief of
sports medicine at NewYork
Presbyterian Brooklyn
Methodist Hospital. “Care
must be taken to ensure that
enough time is dedicated to
warming up before outdoor
exercise. If people go from
0 to 60 without warming up
in the wintertime, they run
the risk of strained muscles,
sprained ligaments and sore
joints. Dedicate about 10 to
15 minutes before you begin
your exercise in earnest to
get your heart pumping, and
your blood flowing through
your muscles. A good warm
up also activates the fluids
that lubricate the joints to
flow. Stiffness and risk of injury
will decrease and mobility
will increase.”
Winter might also be a
good time to try indoor exercise
options. Many gyms have
programs that can get the
heart rate up and joint stress
down. “Equipment such as
the elliptical machine or an
upright or recumbent bicycle
COURIER L 44 IFE, JAN. 18–24, 2019 DT
offers great, low-impact exercise
options for people with
joint pain,” said Dr. Wert. “If
the gym facility has a pool,
swimming is a perfect lowimpact
sport.” He adds that
if a person insists on exercising
outside or doesn’t have
access to a gym, he or she
should keep it simple. “Winter
sports call on muscles
that are rarely used during
the summer months—and
unless those muscles are already
developed and in great
condition, taking them out of
retirement for a downhill skiing
weekend can be a recipe
for disaster.” Consider crosscountry
skiing, or snowshoeing
instead. Or even a just a
nice walk, he adds.
If you injure yourself
while exercising outdoors
in low temperatures, move
indoors as soon as possible.
Your core temperature can
quickly drop, especially as
any sweat cools and freezes.
Assess the injury—if it is
muscular in nature, rest and
taking ibuprofen, or another
over the counter anti-inflammatory
drug (aspirin or
naproxen), should start the
healing process. However, if
a broken bone or a more severe
injury is suspected, get
help right away. And listen
to your body—even if you
don’t injure yourself but your
joints are painful, talk to an
orthopedist or a specialist in
sports medicine about additional
exercise options. Joint
pain and winter exercise do
not need to be mutually exclusive.
To schedule an appointment
with a physician affiliated
with NYP Brooklyn
Methodist Hospital, please
call 718-499-2273 or visit www.
nyp.org/brooklyn.
—New York-Presbyterian
Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
A greater sense of independence
is often cited as the reason so
many young people anxiously
await the day they earn their drivers’
licenses. But the connection between
driving and independence is not lost
on seniors, either.
Aging can take its toll on drivers,
prompting such drivers’ families
to feel as if their loved ones’ ability
to safely operate motor vehicles has
been compromised. However, many
seniors can still safely operate motor
vehicles, and those who do can take
steps to ensure they’re as safe as possible
behind the wheel:
Avoid driving on days when
aches and pains are strong. Aches
and pains are common side effects of
aging, and seniors know that some
days are better than others. Seniors’
ability to control their vehicles may
be compromised on days when stiffness,
aches, or pains seem particularly
strong, so it’s best to avoid driving
during these times. Fatigue may
set in on days when aches and pains
require extra effort to perform relatively
simple tasks, and drivers of
all ages should avoid driving while
tired.
Don’t skip medical checkups.
Few seniors may look forward to their
medical checkups, but visits to the
doctor can reveal issues that can help
seniors be safer on the road. Schedule
routine vision exams so eyeglass
prescriptions are always up-to-date.
In addition, seniors should discuss
hearing screenings with their physicians
so they can ensure they can
always hear sirens and other motorists
while on the road. Great strides
have been made in regard to helping
people with fading hearing hear better,
and seniors would be wise to take
advantage of such advancements,
which include hearing aids that can
be connected to smartphones.
Familiarize yourself with side
effects of medication. Whether
they do so temporarily or permanently,
many seniors take medications,
and every medication comes
with side effects. When fi lling a new
prescription, carefully read the dosage
and description label to ensure
that it’s safe to drive while taking
the medicine. Make note of how you
feel when taking a new prescription,
avoiding driving if the medication
makes you feel fatigued or drowsy or
affects your motor functions. If the
side effects of a new prescription are
making it diffi cult to safely operate
a vehicle, discuss potential alternatives
with your physician.
Avoid driving in certain conditions.
Driving in inclement weather,
during rush hour, and at night makes
many drivers uncomfortable, regardless
of their age. But such conditions
can be especially dangerous
for aging drivers whose vision and
reaction times might be fading. Seniors
who avoid driving in harsh
conditions and heavy traffi c may be
more comfortable behind the wheel,
thereby reducing their risk of accident
or injury.
Seniors need not give up their
drivers’ licenses at the fi rst signs of
aging. But adjusting certain behaviors
and exercising extra caution can
help these men and women stay safe
behind the wheel.
Many seniors can still safely operate motor vehicles, and those who do can take steps to
ensure they’re as safe as possible behind the wheel.
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