You Always Hurt the Ones You Love

One byproduct of getting older is that injuries hurt more and last longer. Inflammation prevents broken bones from knitting themselves back together correctly so that they look like gnarled wood. Old and new traumas compound to create new, mysterious sources of pain. Cells divide lethargically, which slows the closing of cuts and healing of bruises. Some cells even grow senescent, forgetting how to replicate at all.