Minister of Sport Elvin James is a former cricketer. He became engrossed in the game when he was 15 years old. At 22 he took up the sport seriously and played steadily until he was 35.

He said he was fit and trim weighing 180 pounds. He was a local athlete, very active, very healthy.

"I was a pace bowler which meant that as I would take my run up, on my last step, I would leap into the air and then deliver," he said. "I always landed on my left foot.

" This proved damaging to Mr. James' left knee - but not right away. It took several years. In fact he said he was in his mid 40s before he noticed any problem. "One day I was walking down a hall at work and my knee didn't lock under me. I went to the ground," he said.

Although uninjured in the incident, Mr. James said he consulted a specialist who told him that his previous athletic life led to the problem. "When you look at it in a single cricket match I may have bowled 20 overs. That's 120 times I would have jumped and landed on that knee - jarring it. And that's just in one day." he said. "At the time it didn't bother me at all."

But after his knee locked the consultant suggested surgery. Mr. James has resisted that suggestion and has only had his knee give way under him two other times. He said he doesn't have much of a problem with the knee apart from the occasional weakness. Sitting for prolonged periods tend to cause his knee to lock, but by stretching first he said he's been able to avoid any inconvenience or major pain.

Mr. James said his body clearly alerts him when his knee needs to be stretched. "It's just been wear and tear from over the years why this happens," he said.

And local sports medicine expert Dr. Annabel Carter agreed. In her busy practice she said she sees an average of two to three people a day with knee injuries. "These are a mix of young and old alike. Physiotherapists here likely see even more on a daily basis," she said.

She said her younger patients typically have injuries that are a direct consequence of their sport. She also sees in this age group, injuries and syndromes caused by over use of particular joints, muscles or tendons.

In older patients who have reduced their athletic pursuits, Dr. Carter said the injuries are most often an overuse syndrome. Cartilage tears that are degenerating and primary or secondary osteoarthritis are common. "The latter a potential consequence of significant injuries sustained in earlier years," she said. "As the saying goes, our injuries can come back to haunt us, be it a few years or 30 years later... if you alter the alignment, the biomechanics of a joint, or increase instability it is quite simply more susceptible to arthritis. "

But fear of arthritis and cartilage tears in later life do not haunt sprinter Xavier James. Son of Sports Minister Elvin James, the younger Mr. James is a physical education teacher at Gilbert Institute. He has every confidence that he will not suffer the sports related injuries he's seen his father and his father's friends face. "The knee has three major muscle groups that attach to it," he said.

"It is important to balance all of these muscles to prevent injury today and into the future."

So the younger Mr. James uses a workout and training routine where he ensures all these muscles are used relatively equally. He said weight training is a must.

"Weight training is not something the athletes of my father's generation did. Most all track and field athletes at a high level use plyometrics, medicine ball and the aqua jogger." he said.

He believes that sprinting is a natural movement of the body. "Everyone is born to run," he said. And, he feels it doesn't cause the type of stress his father put on his knee in cricket.

Xavier James has been running competitively for 12 years and aims to represent Bermuda in the 100-metre dash at the Beijing Olympics.

In addition to weight training, he said he gets certain muscles in his legs massaged every week.

Dr. Carter said good quality conditioning, strengthening, functional training, balance training and sports specific skills can help athletes avoid developing injuries in the future.

She suggests that runners adopt a slow measured build in mileage. And she said, later in life, they should work on maintaining good muscle balance and strength in the lower limb as a whole, particularly the quadriceps and hamstrings.

She warned that any excessive weight gain could exacerbate osteoarthritis, especially if sustained over long periods. "A handy hint if one is older comes in accepting that while you may still think of yourself as being 25, your knees quite simply aren't. Genetics and injuries may or may not be kind to you!" she said.

"Studies have demonstrated that every single pound of weight loss can help," she added. "Supplements can be considered, from glucosamine/chondroitin 'cartilage builders' (studies are mixed in their support but unless you are diabetic there is no apparent risk in taking them) ¿ to omega-3 fish oils."