Stretching and Massage Relieve Active Aging Joints and Muscles

No doubt about it, getting into any physical labor, sports activity, or even sitting too long at a desk, can give boomers a pain in the neck -- or back, or joints, or typing fingers -- you name it.

As we age our bodies stiffen up and are more reluctant to get moving. But exercise itself is often the best of all therapies. Don't leave your sore knees in charge, gardeners, a massage therapist and basketball players advise -- move through it. And if it hurts more later, try an herbal remedy.

Stretching is a way to get movement started, persuading stiff knees or hips to take another jump at the net. Members of the Maine Senior Women's Basketball Team, coached by Deb Smith, operations manager of the South Portland Community Center, all said they spend a lot more time stretching than they did when they were younger.

Lana Merchant, 50, of Windham is a member of the team who makes sure to stretch.

"I also have new sneakers with ankle support, because I broke both ankles and had surgery," she said about her younger basketball years. Back in high school she had a doctor who told her, basketball is a crippler of young adults.

Still, she hasn't been deterred from playing the game, and made a change in the renovation plans at her home to accommodate it. "We're putting in a tub with water jets -- that was a must."

Kathy Sanborn of Greenland, N.H., 50, played professionally in the Women's Basketball League in 1979, for the New York Stars. When she feels soreness, she said, "I end up playing through it." But she always makes sure to stretch 15 to 20 minutes before and after games. She also makes sure to keep physically active year-round, taking up indoor soccer in the winter, to stay in shape.

Mary Whited, 51, originally from Aroostook County and now living in Falmouth, said she twisted an ankle while playing on the team.

"I ignored it for five weeks," she said -- which meant she required physical therapy, massage and exercises, because it seized up on her. "Now I've learned my lesson - immediately get help."

But without an injury to deal with, activity is a must, said Deb Smith, 53, of Portland, coach of the team for 11 years and now a member herself. "Inactivity would make me more stiff and sore." Smith takes Advil and Tylenol after a practice or a game, and goes for massage in addition to stretching.

Deb Soule, herbalist and writer, presides over an aromatic one-acre garden in Rockport that she harvests as part of her business, Avena Botanicals. Anyone visiting would find therapeutic benefits in a walk through the garden (hours and location are at avenabotanicals.com).

But for more specific therapies, Soule provides oils and tinctures she concocts based on methods she learned more than 20 years ago from a traditional herbalist. It takes two weeks of 100-degree heat to infuse oils with the essence of herbs.

Hypericum oil is blood-red in color and made from the red flowers of St. John's Wort.

"It's very helpful for any inflammation," Soule said. She advises Solomon Seal Root oil for tendonitis, and a tincture made with the same root for internal use, when someone is suffering from aches and pains.

Another alternative topical oil is Fire Fly Balm, made with arnica oil and meadowsweet oil, intensified with cinnamon, peppermint and cayenne and mixed with a beeswax.

"When I start gardening in the spring, I use that," Soule said.

At True North Health Center in Falmouth, licensed massage therapist Melissa Williamson said her work can bring immediate relief.

"Everyone feels better after a massage," she said.

But she also tries to learn about her clients' habits in order to offer insight into how better to stand and to move, for example, changes that can bring long-lasting improvement.

"I have a lot of clients who have tendonitis from gardening, tennis and golf," she said about boomers. "I work a lot with people in that age bracket who are starting to feel aches and pains that they have been able to ignore before now."

The tension people hold in their bodies can be self-perpetuating, she said. It weakens muscles by holding them still, not allowing them to expand and contract. But someone sitting at a desk in an office holding their shoulders up high can learn to release the tension in their neck and shoulders and relieve a stiff neck. Another person hunched over in a garden, reaching farther and farther to weed, can learn to move every few minutes to stay on top of the area, and remember to use both hands to work the trowel and not just one.

"Low back pain is most prevalent, and it can be from injuries, or the way people hold themselves - high heels exacerbate it," Williamson said. "Massage can loosen up the back muscles and loosen hamstrings to help the body position itself best."

Since aging brings inevitable changes -- "muscles shrink and dry up," Williamson said - paying attention and examining habits, along with stretching and doing strengthening exercises, could mean our outlook on future retirement and staying active could be just as improved as our posture.

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