Prevention Only Gets More Valuable

It’s hard to tell a 15-year-old not to jump down a whole flight of stairs in one go because it’ll hurt his knees for the long run. I used to do this in high school. People were always impressed how far I could leap. I don’t think there’s a universe where I wouldn’t have done it back then. But today?

Two years ago, I went on a hiking trip with a friend and my girlfriend. When we made our descent, I walked backwards a third of the time or so. It’s easier on the knees, and my patellas are misplaced, leading to a massive increase in strain on the legs while walking downhill.

In my teens, this whole problem could have been fixed with a few simple cuts near the knee caps, but my doctor missed it, and, at 18, it was too late. So now, instead of prevention, all I have left is damage control.

At 35, I’m a young, healthy man. But I can also feel I’m no longer 25. There is a difference.

My left big toe goes numb when I wear tight shoes for an extended period of time. That’s new. My wedding was the third time this happened. I’m still waiting for it to fully recover weeks later. The doctor sent me to the neurologist, but when the nerves were fine, he had only blunt words of inspiration: “I suggest you get married only once”—aka “just don’t wear tight shoes if you can help it.”

Prevention, especially with regards to health, only gets more valuable as you age. For one, it means you’ve survived yet another year without major complications. But carrying that good health forward by being cautious and diligent will also prevent you from an ever-lengthening recovery cycle. A skiing accident at 45 will be much tougher to heal from than one at 25.

There’s no way to avoid all risk, bodies are meant to be used, and we’ll all arrive at the end with at least a handful of scars. Still, try to avoid mending what needn’t be broken in the first place. Pay attention to prevention. It’s not glamorous, but it can carry us a long way.