Greg McMillan's body bears the brunt of decades of physical activity.
Throughout the years, there has been a dislocated shoulder, a couple of broken ankles, a herniated disc, a muscle graft operation and five surgeries, including a hip replacement.
But at 59, the board-sports enthusiast has no plans of slowing down. When he needed to replace his right hip four years ago, he told his surgeon: "If I'm a mile offshore and I get hit by a wave, I don't want it to pop out."
The new hip is so he can keep up with his lifestyle, he said, which includes hockey twice a week, a new-found enthusiasm for cycling and board sports such as surfing, windsurfing, snowboarding, waterskiing and standup paddle boarding.
"I still haven't grown up," said McMillan. "But I don't feel old. I feel great."
OK, admittedly, he's feeling twinges in his other hip and fears he'll require another replacement. But McMillan expects that after surgery, he'll still be able to indulge in his passions.
McMillan represents many of today's boomers — those who were born between 1946 and 1964 — who are approaching retirement more fit, and more physically active, than ever before.
But some experts say boomers may be putting themselves at risk of injury - and sometimes death — due to a disconnect between what they think they can do, and what their aging bodies are actually capable of doing.
"As people reach the baby-boomer age, they aren't as physically fit or resilient as they were, yet they reference their skill and ability to where they were," said Barbara Byers, public education director for the Lifesaving Association of Canada.
The agency sounded an alarm this summer after statistics showed a 34-per-cent spike in boomer drownings from 2006 to 2010.
Boomers could also be doing more thrill-seeking activities such as wilderness canoe trips and river-rafting trips, compared with their parents at the same age, said Byers.
There have been a few incidents of middle-aged hikers going into cardiac arrest on the Grouse Grind. Most recently, a man in his 50s died of a heart attack while climbing the popular but strenuous trail.
Doctors say they're seeing more patients in that demographic needing treatment for exercise or sportsrelated injuries, typically from repetitive stress.
This medical trend of injuries sustained by boomers has been dubbed "boomeritis," a term coined by a U.S. orthopedic surgeon association in 1999.
"Hips, knees, foot, ankle complaints," reeled off Dr. Kevin Wing, president of the B.C. Orthopedic Association, when asked about common cases among boomers. He said the increase is partly because of the sheer number of people in the demographic experiencing the aches and pains of aging, but added there is no doubt boomers today might be pushing their bodies to the limit.
"Most boomers expect to be able to continue their active lifestyle and refuse to accept their bodies might not let them do that any more," said Wing. "They're still golfing, playing tennis, hiking, skiing ... and not accepting that in their 60s they may have to stop."
Most boomers have the expectation that they'll get timely access to care when they need it, said Wing. And that may be a challenge with wait lists for consultations with orthopedic surgeons as long as a year in B.C. According to data kept by the B.C. Injury Research and Prevention Unit, which tracks injury trends and patterns in the province, certain injuries are spiking among 50-to 64-year-old British Columbians.
The most drastic increase is for motorcycle-related injuries, which have climbed steadily during the last 10 years, from 11 per 100,000 of population in 2001-02 to 24 in 2010-11.
Bike-related injury rates have doubled while injuries from off-road vehicles, such as ATVs and snowmobiles, are also on an upward trend. Unit director Ian Pike, a physician, said one factor for these increases are advertising targeted at baby boomers and their disposal income.
"Much of the marketing is aimed at baby boomers with nostalgia in mind," said Pike, citing ads for the PT Cruiser and Dodge Charger as examples.
The advertiser's message — and boomers are buying it — is: "You can own your youth again," said Pike.
Experts widely agree that exercise is a good thing, and boomers should not let injuries or the fear of injury discourage them from pursuing an active lifestyle. The best advice, doctors say, is common sense.
"Listen to your body," said Wing. Pike recommended that people know what the risks are for every activity, and do what they can to mitigate those risks, such as getting approved training, wearing appropriate gear and playing within the rules.
To stay fit, McMillan, who lives in Furry Creek on the Sea-to-Sky corridor, has also changed his diet and incorporated more stretching into his daily activities. Some of the guys on his recreational hockey team have even gone gluten-free.
"It seems to add energy and stops the aches and pains and chronic soreness," said Rob Klovance, 53, who plays hockey, tennis, runs and mountain-bikes.
Klovance has noticed he's slowed down on the ice, but said it doesn't matter because no one else on his team is as quick as they used to be.
"It's all relative," he said. "I'm not going to compete against 20-year-olds any more."
But Klovance has no plans of throwing in the towel just because of his age, and hopes to be playing hockey into his 70s.
"I'm sure it'll be very slow," he says, with a laugh.
It isn't even rare to see septuagenarian players on the ice any more, he said. "And it'll be less rare as people stay fitter. People are living longer and healthier now."
Throughout the years, there has been a dislocated shoulder, a couple of broken ankles, a herniated disc, a muscle graft operation and five surgeries, including a hip replacement.
But at 59, the board-sports enthusiast has no plans of slowing down. When he needed to replace his right hip four years ago, he told his surgeon: "If I'm a mile offshore and I get hit by a wave, I don't want it to pop out."
The new hip is so he can keep up with his lifestyle, he said, which includes hockey twice a week, a new-found enthusiasm for cycling and board sports such as surfing, windsurfing, snowboarding, waterskiing and standup paddle boarding.
"I still haven't grown up," said McMillan. "But I don't feel old. I feel great."
OK, admittedly, he's feeling twinges in his other hip and fears he'll require another replacement. But McMillan expects that after surgery, he'll still be able to indulge in his passions.
McMillan represents many of today's boomers — those who were born between 1946 and 1964 — who are approaching retirement more fit, and more physically active, than ever before.
But some experts say boomers may be putting themselves at risk of injury - and sometimes death — due to a disconnect between what they think they can do, and what their aging bodies are actually capable of doing.
"As people reach the baby-boomer age, they aren't as physically fit or resilient as they were, yet they reference their skill and ability to where they were," said Barbara Byers, public education director for the Lifesaving Association of Canada.
The agency sounded an alarm this summer after statistics showed a 34-per-cent spike in boomer drownings from 2006 to 2010.
Boomers could also be doing more thrill-seeking activities such as wilderness canoe trips and river-rafting trips, compared with their parents at the same age, said Byers.
There have been a few incidents of middle-aged hikers going into cardiac arrest on the Grouse Grind. Most recently, a man in his 50s died of a heart attack while climbing the popular but strenuous trail.
Doctors say they're seeing more patients in that demographic needing treatment for exercise or sportsrelated injuries, typically from repetitive stress.
This medical trend of injuries sustained by boomers has been dubbed "boomeritis," a term coined by a U.S. orthopedic surgeon association in 1999.
"Hips, knees, foot, ankle complaints," reeled off Dr. Kevin Wing, president of the B.C. Orthopedic Association, when asked about common cases among boomers. He said the increase is partly because of the sheer number of people in the demographic experiencing the aches and pains of aging, but added there is no doubt boomers today might be pushing their bodies to the limit.
"Most boomers expect to be able to continue their active lifestyle and refuse to accept their bodies might not let them do that any more," said Wing. "They're still golfing, playing tennis, hiking, skiing ... and not accepting that in their 60s they may have to stop."
Most boomers have the expectation that they'll get timely access to care when they need it, said Wing. And that may be a challenge with wait lists for consultations with orthopedic surgeons as long as a year in B.C. According to data kept by the B.C. Injury Research and Prevention Unit, which tracks injury trends and patterns in the province, certain injuries are spiking among 50-to 64-year-old British Columbians.
The most drastic increase is for motorcycle-related injuries, which have climbed steadily during the last 10 years, from 11 per 100,000 of population in 2001-02 to 24 in 2010-11.
Bike-related injury rates have doubled while injuries from off-road vehicles, such as ATVs and snowmobiles, are also on an upward trend. Unit director Ian Pike, a physician, said one factor for these increases are advertising targeted at baby boomers and their disposal income.
"Much of the marketing is aimed at baby boomers with nostalgia in mind," said Pike, citing ads for the PT Cruiser and Dodge Charger as examples.
The advertiser's message — and boomers are buying it — is: "You can own your youth again," said Pike.
Experts widely agree that exercise is a good thing, and boomers should not let injuries or the fear of injury discourage them from pursuing an active lifestyle. The best advice, doctors say, is common sense.
"Listen to your body," said Wing. Pike recommended that people know what the risks are for every activity, and do what they can to mitigate those risks, such as getting approved training, wearing appropriate gear and playing within the rules.
To stay fit, McMillan, who lives in Furry Creek on the Sea-to-Sky corridor, has also changed his diet and incorporated more stretching into his daily activities. Some of the guys on his recreational hockey team have even gone gluten-free.
"It seems to add energy and stops the aches and pains and chronic soreness," said Rob Klovance, 53, who plays hockey, tennis, runs and mountain-bikes.
Klovance has noticed he's slowed down on the ice, but said it doesn't matter because no one else on his team is as quick as they used to be.
"It's all relative," he said. "I'm not going to compete against 20-year-olds any more."
But Klovance has no plans of throwing in the towel just because of his age, and hopes to be playing hockey into his 70s.
"I'm sure it'll be very slow," he says, with a laugh.
It isn't even rare to see septuagenarian players on the ice any more, he said. "And it'll be less rare as people stay fitter. People are living longer and healthier now."
