Care of the Aging Athlete: Interventional Treatment Options for Musculoskeletal Injuries in the Masters Athlete

As the population of aging athletes continues to grow, the number of older individuals presenting to sports medicine clinics seeking musculoskeletal care is expected to increase. Common conditions treated in the older athlete include osteoarthritis and overuse soft tissue injuries such as tendinopathy and fasciopathy. Initial treatment for such conditions is conservative. However, there is a significant knowledge gap on the next best steps in management when the older athlete becomes refractory to conservative treatments or if medications and surgery are contraindicated. In such circumstances, interventional treatment options may be considered for those seeking alternative nonsurgical interventions. The use of injections, orthobiologics, needle tenotomy, and extracorporeal shockwave therapy to treat musculoskeletal injuries in the aging athlete will be discussed. Interventional treatment options may be a viable option for the aging athlete, but until more well-designed clinical trials become available, extrapolation of the current available data should be used with reasonable caution.