One of my late mentors used to say that the human body has a warranty period until 30 and a usable period until 40. Everything after that, in his opinion, is a bonus.
This statement, which he often shared with patients and students to raise awareness about preventing degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system, often hits right at the heart of the problem.
Evolutionarily speaking, this claim is entirely accurate. It’s only through advancements in medicine (particularly vaccines and antibiotics), hygiene, and food availability that human life expectancy has stretched to the current (expected) eight decades. What hasn’t changed is our genetic inheritance and the capacity of our metabolism to deal with the accumulation of minor damage to the musculoskeletal system, and then the consequences of such damage. Osteoarthritis, spondylosis, and other similar conditions, along with their impact on our daily lives through pain or limited function, are simply the final result of this damage.
For some patients seeking help for an acute condition based on degenerative changes (most commonly back and neck pain, but also knee, hip, ankle, and shoulder issues), the real question isn’t why the pain has appeared now, but why it didn’t appear until now. This shift in perspective allows us as professionals to see just how much the body can compensate for physical stress accumulated over the years, and it also gives patients an opportunity to reflect on how they treat their bodies, how much they invest in them (time, not money), whether they control their diet, and if they are regularly physically active. These are the key factors in preventing discomfort from degenerative changes, which we are all prone to—some luckier ones less so, the rest of us a bit more.
In this sense, the need for regular physical activity, adapted to age, physical condition, and personal preferences, only increases with age, rather than decreases. This is not only to reduce current symptoms but also to preserve flexibility, endurance, strength, and peripheral circulation. Mobility levels are directly correlated with the quality of life across all age groups.