All of these people were fit for their age group. With training and in some cases, good orthopaedic doctors, they were able to do these activities. But should they? If George Bush broke a hip, would it have been worth it? Is Bo Jackson content shooting arrows from his porch? Would our friend from Everest do it again if he knew it was truly the last thing he would do? Do you want to be on the track with Denny Hamlin knowing his reflexes aren't their usual, only 10 days after surgery?

Yes, we can do a lot of things with our aging and surgically repaired bodies. That doesn't mean we should.

And it certainly doesn't mean it's healthy.

Dr. Daniel O'Neill, M.D., Ed.D, F.A.A.O.S. is an Orthopaedic Surgeon, Sports Psychologist, and founding member of The Alpine Clinic based in Franconia New Hampshire.