Broke my ankle skating a 5' mini ramp when I was 28, it's never been the same since. To make matters worse I broke it again about 3 months after it healed the first time...riding a motorcycle. I've lost some pop, which sucks, it's not so much ollie height, but I just don't feel like I can really snap it as hard. Sort of weird to explain. It also swells up a bit everyday, but I have no pain and full range of motion, so I'll deal with it. My doctor wanted to do surgery but I'm afraid it'll just make it worse and since it doesn't bother me I've not worried about it. One thing that sucks is I have to be super careful about stepping on anything at a weird angle, stepping off on a curb or anything like that will basically give me a minor sprain for a few days. It helps if I wear an ankle brace, but all of the ones that I've tried feel super uncomfortable so I usually don't wear one.
I will say I'm stiffer and it takes me way longer to warm up now when skating. I usually feel comfortable after about 20 minutes of pushing around and taking it easy at first, then I feel good to go. Of course by "go" I mean skating ledges, ditches, red curbs and occasionally stepping it up a bit if I'm feeling really good. Stretching helps keep me loose before I skate, and I believe it helps keep me a little looser after skating, but nothing gets me loose as quick as just pushing to spots. Anymore when I go skating I just step out my door and go skate around. Really reminds me of being 13 again, being miles from home, skating everywhere, just hitting spots as I go. Rarely drive to a spot unless it's really out of the way or the park.? ?
On another note, the cold absolutely affects my joints. Ibuprofen and drinking tons of water seems to help. I've also noticed that a really long hot shower before I go skating in cooler weather seems to help. I get up around 6am on Sundays, take a long hot shower and go out for a few hours, I can absolutely tell a difference. Counter-productive I suppose, but oh well. When I was 16 or so I always remember thinking I'd quit skating when I was 35...I'll turn 38 in December and now I'm hoping I can at least cruise around doing slappys until I'm 50.
This is also my deal. I have to "warm up" my knees for about 20 minutes before I can Ollie worth anything since about 33 years old. Stretching is a MUST now as well. I learned that around that time as well. Frontside flip on my unstretched 33 year old body led to groin muscle pull that felt like shit.
My main physical issues are my left ankle and left knee (I'm goofy foot and the only switch I do these days are flatground switch ollies, 180s, kickflips and frontside flips). So my push foot/knee combo suck. In 2001 (I was 25), I tore some tendons in my ankle/foot, which I believe never truly healed right (I had no medical insurance so I just sat on a couch for months = "healed"?!). That was on a kickflip off some stairs, rear foot half on/half off = nice twist! Anyway, that foot/ankle cracks and pops so much, even if I don't move it. IT sucks. My left knee has been a bummer since growth spurts at 12/13... but these days, it's pretty crunchy and feels weak at times? The last time I skated was about a week ago, where I basically thought "hey I haven't done a 360 flip in a while" and just repeatedly did/tried those, with a few makes, more misses! But ever since that day, my knee has felt like Van Damme kicked it from the side.
My knees hate tranny. I learned this also at 33. 32, no problem, all day, sweet. 33 onward has been... skate into tranny - feel like knees caving in. So my 1987 dream of doing at least one McTwist, I've let go of. Stairs/rails/big gaps = over. I'm okay with this. I drive my car into downtown (I live by 2 gnarly hills, skating/walking up them AFTER skating all around...sucks), park it at the edge of town and cruise the whole city, stopping at what spots are left for some tricks here and there. Curbs, banks, ledges, all still amazingly fun! And honestly, like you said brings out the 13 year old. It feels almost just as good (I say almost, cuz after im done skating now I have a lot of responsibilities that I didn't then ha). Cruising full speed down sidewalks, stopping at 7-11 for a smoke, Walgreens for their free water fountain, etc.. seriously just like being a middle school skate rat again.
All my local skate friends have quit skating and I get
that look when I talk about skating/how rad it still is/how i'm never gonna quit. You know, the look of "Dewd, just get mature already. Stop having fun with your life. Watch the news, discuss current events and go to work!" . So, honestly over the last year, I've given up on all of my friends. I skate alone, which has it's goods (can go where ever I want/when I want etc) and bads ("Did you see that!? Oh i'm alone" and waiting for a high five that isn't coming) . And I'm also on a tight schedule to skate. I watch my kid all day, wife home around 4:30 and I usually help her with the kid until 8pm , then walk my dogs for about an hour... THEN I skate at 9 or so, generally for an hour, hour and a half. I haven't skated in the sunlight since....I have no idea. Skating at night is the shit though, skate down main streets in between cars, still fun as a mofo. Less people to deal with especially. I still get the occasional "faggot!" yelled at me or "skate or die man" (My suburb is a pretty pro-football/anti-skateboard type place)...or this new-to-me one of: honking the horn, then when I look, some kid/kids banging their head and holding the horns at me? My reaction is to give them a hang loose. I dunno why but it makes me laugh.