July 7, 2023
The healing process looks different for everyone. A child may have more new cells that can work overtime, but their immune system is not trained to deal with the same things that an adult can. Additionally, certain parts of their body are not as strong as someone who is fully grown. However, not all adult bodies are the same. There are ways in which adults and seniors differ as well. As you get older, it’s important to know how your body can and will change.
But what differences should you expect? What injuries are you more at risk of compared to your younger and elder loved ones? Gladiator Therapeutics can break down some of what people can expect, along with healing devices that can help.
What Injuries Are Children More Susceptible to?
Children are more susceptible to certain injuries than adults and seniors, such as fractures, sprains, and strains. Fractures occur when bones experience a crack or a hard break. A sprain is an injury to a ligament caused by stretching or tearing the tissue beyond its normal range of movement. Strains are when muscles are pulled beyond their normal limits, leading to the muscles tearing.
According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), children and adolescents, ranging from 1 to 17 years old on average, are more likely than adults to suffer from fractures or breaks in their bones. Newborns have different developing structures, which are even more vulnerable. Most young adults reach physical maturity around 17 or 18 years of age.
Children suffer fractures at higher rates due to their thinner and softer bones and their more active routine. Adults are far less likely to irritate an injury than a child, who has far more energy to expel each day, with far less self-control. Sprains are also more common among younger people due to their increased flexibility and tendency for risk-taking activities. Strains often occur in children while they’re growing rapidly because their muscles may not be able to stretch fast enough.
What Injuries Are Adults More Susceptible to?
Adult injuries can often involve more complex medical conditions than those that are common in children and seniors. The diversity among injuries is also far greater, considering the greater body diversity among adults. Children’s bodies often do not have the diversity that comes with life experience. As time goes on, the human body tends to break down, and it can only break down so many ways before they reach similar points, which is why adults have more injury variety than seniors as well.
Some examples of common adult injuries that you very rarely see among many children and seniors include:
- Rotator cuff tears: Rotator cuff tears are most likely to occur in adults aged 40 or older due to a gradual weakening of the muscle over time caused by age-related wear and tear.
- Meniscus tears: Meniscus tears can occur at any age but are most common in adults because their cartilage is more brittle. If they are going to occur, they commonly happen before one reaches seniority at age 62.
- ACL tears: ACL tears are also more common in adults due to increased physical activity as compared to younger people. This has been admittedly trending away from being true, though, with the growing impact of sports injuries in children and adolescents.
- Shoulder labrum tears: Shoulder labrum tears occur when the ring of cartilage which lines the shoulder socket is torn or dislocated. It’s hard to use the muscles and bones that lead to this tear when you’re younger or older.
- Back/spine injuries: Back/spine injuries can range from minor strains and sprains to herniated discs or spinal fractures, which are much more common in adults due to age-related degeneration, and the physical circumstances that come when you’re working.
- Achilles tendon tears: Achilles tendon ruptures typically happen between the ages of 30 and 40 years old. This is because the tendon becomes less flexible over time, and certain activities, such as running, may put a strain on it.
What Injuries Are Seniors More Susceptible to?
Seniors are more prone to injuries due to age-related degenerative joint and bone disease than any other age group. There is a litany of injuries they suffer more than any other age group because their bodies have had the chance to break down over time.
Common injuries in seniors include:
- Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis affecting senior adults over the age of 60. Its symptoms include joint inflammation and pain caused by the breakdown of cartilage in the joints, leading to bone grinding on bone.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder affecting the joints, which leads to swelling, stiffness, pain, and decreased range of motion.
- Hip fractures: Hip fractures can result from falls or direct trauma. They often require medical attention due to severe pain and difficulty in walking. If left untreated, they can lead to permanent pain and limps.
- Shoulder fractures: Shoulder fractures typically occur when a person falls onto their outstretched arm, causing a break in the collarbone or shoulder blade. While this certainly happens in adults and children, the bones are weaker in seniors.
- Wrist fractures: Wrist fractures are most commonly caused by falls onto an outstretched hand, similar to shoulder fractures. Signs of a fracture include swelling, bruising, tenderness at the site of injury, and pain upon movement. They’re more common in seniors for the same reason shoulder fractures are.
- Ankle sprains and strains: Weaker lower leg muscles make ankle sprains more common among seniors. If not treated properly, this can lead to chronic ankle instability.
Heal Faster With Devices From Gladiator Therapeutics
You’ll notice that most of the injuries we touched on have a long recovery process that includes avoiding the use of the afflicted areas and resting. Other injuries are signs of conditions that come with the passage of time. Sometimes healing under your body’s time constraints isn’t possible, so you need extra help.
Our restorative devices encourage cell growth and faster healing in your body. This will encourage your body to heal faster and without any intrusive procedures. If you’re interested in devices like this to heal your injuries, contact us today.