Editorial: Aging not-so-gracefully

Friday, April 21, 2006 | 7:19 a.m.

A growing number of older Americans are suffering from "Boomeritis," and it's not because they are gleeful about growing old.

Rather, they are growing old gleefully - maybe a bit too gleefully. According to a story in Thursday's Las Vegas Sun, athletically inclined Baby Boomers, who are people born between 1946 and 1964, are suffering an increasing number of injuries from the games they play.

Mark Rosen, a University Medical Center orthopedist, said broken bones, torn ligaments, strains, sprains and bruises are becoming common in the older adults he sees. And it's not because they've fallen and can't get up. These active seniors are falling, getting up and going back out to play.

While staying active - or learning to be that way - may require some caution as our bodies age, the benefits still outweigh the risks of injury. Staying physically active fends off obesity that can burden aging bones and helps keep a person's heart, lungs and mind going strong.

As one doctor told the Sun, "This is a lot better for them than being in a casino all day or sitting around the house."

And $60 that isn't plunked into a slot machine can buy a decent pair of walking shoes.