Our bodies are similar to our cars. When new, everything is beautiful and works as it should. As they age, it takes regular maintenance to keep things running correctly. Initially, we may have to fix little things, like bumps and bruises. As we get older, the problems are more complex. Things start to show wear, and parts may need significant repair or replacement. Keeping everything looking good becomes an effort since the beast is being used and abused daily.
Every part of our body ages as we age. The joints that allow us to move smoothly all eventually show some degeneration. The muscles, tendons and ligaments that control motion get strained and sprained. The body fatigues and moves less well at 40 then at 20 years, and as we get past 50, most of us can readily feel the changes. Despite the wear and degeneration, the trick is to keep moving and do the daily maintenance to keep the body going. If one does not do the work to keep the body maintained, just like an old car, it will definitely stop working.
Pain and Aging
Everyone has pain in their life at some point in their life. When you are young, it is due to injury, it is acute, and it is short term. As we get older, it may become chronic, and it usually becomes more persistent. Acute injuries are usually related to trauma, and are isolated, small and heal quickly. Chronic injuries stem form repeated wear and tear, degeneration and aging. Chronic damage can be permanent and tends to cause ongoing stimulation of the sensory nervous system. The older we get, the more likely we are to have degeneration. The expectation that one would have no pain as we age is unrealistic.
The goal in life is to stay healthy and minimize the trauma to body. Unfortunately, many of the things that we have done to stay healthy may cause extra wear to the body. The sports we play often stress the joints of our bodies like the shoulders when we throw, or our hips, knees and feet when we run. We do heavy lifting regularly, and have accidents that cause whiplash and injury to the low back and neck areas. Being healthy means being active, moving and using the body.
The Human Body
The human body is amazing in its design and ability. We have tried to make robots as sophisticated as we are, but at best they are currently crude approximations. Historically, the human body has been designed to last between 40 and 50 years. In the 1700 and 1800’s, the average lifespan was about 45 years. Trauma, injuries, infection, and heart disease and many other problems would kill us. The design of our bodies was to maximize our abilities for that life span. As the world became more industrialized, science and medicine discovered ways to fight disease and prolong our lives. However, the sophistication and design of our bodies is the same. We have not evolved into any different species or body design. The life expectancy has gone from 40 to 75-80 years. Our bodies are the same, they are just getting older.
Life is tough on our bodies. We are out living the design of the parts, and they are degenerating slowly. With degeneration, the body sends us signals that everything is not working smoothly. Those sensory signals are perceived as pain. However, most of the time it is ok to acknowledge the signals and keep moving to stay healthy. Staying active, maintaining strength and aerobic conditioning helps the body and prevents further deterioration. Age and pain signals often go together. The goal is to understand the signals and keep moving forward. Life without pain is unlikely, just keep up the regular maintenance and keep going. Don’t become a couch potato.