As we draw closer to the kickoff—no pun intended—of the NFL season, I’ve been thinking about the importance of staying healthy throughout the year. Injuries have shortened many promising careers, and we’ve all seen athletes who never quite return to form after a setback. Then there are the nagging injuries that don’t sideline players completely but must be managed week after week. Many past and current NFL players will tell you that, by midseason, everyone is carrying some kind of injury.
That got me thinking about the parallels between professional athletes and active adults in their mid-fifties to seventies. By that point, most people have been diagnosed with something—tendonitis, arthritis, or maybe a minor tear—and they’re trying to keep up their workouts despite the pain. For them, staying active is their Super Bowl, and every small training victory is another step toward living the life they want.
Early in my career as a trainer, when someone told me they had an achy back, knee, or shoulder, my immediate response was: take some time off. My logic was simple—I didn’t want to make it worse. I also knew I wasn’t a doctor, and I wasn’t going to play one by trying to diagnose their issue. (I still remind my doctor friends: I won’t diagnose injuries if you don’t assign workouts!)
What I observed over time was surprising. Many people didn’t get better with rest alone. In fact, especially for those over 55, some got worse, simply becoming stiffer. That’s when I shifted my mindset. Instead of telling them to quit training, I helped them modify. Respect the injury, never ignore it, but don’t stop moving. Today, this “train but adjust” approach is widely adopted across the fitness industry.
Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is one of the most common issues I see. It can come from a single incident or from overuse. The biggest mistake? Obsessing over what caused it, a bad night’s sleep, poor office posture, dehydration, or that last workout. More often than not, it’s an accumulation of all these factors.
I take a “reset approach.” Focus first on exercises that restore posture and encourage a neutral spine. (If you want a deeper dive into what “neutral spine” means, I wrote about that here: What is Neutral).
I avoid heavy spinal compression, like overhead pressing, and instead turn to bodyweight drills and TRX work, since the load is always adjustable. In more severe cases, I bring in floor-based movements. Pain often distorts posture, such as shoulders hunching forward, the upper back rounds. Training in a supported floor position lets gravity help restore proper alignment.
Knee Pain
As someone who lives with severe knee arthritis, I know firsthand the frustration of constant knee pain. Whether it’s from too much activity or too little, the outcome feels the same—it hurts. Over the years, I’ve trained plenty of clients with meniscus tears, ACL reconstructions, and knee replacements.
The first rule? Eliminate unnecessary load. Focus instead on mobility, since inflammation often limits range of motion. Movement itself can act as a pump, flushing out swelling and improving function.