Fine for older men Darth, take it from one! Also, both my teacher and myself have a collection of injuries between us and manage to work around them....this includes one very knackered knee.
Some styles such as Minagkabau Harimau from Sumatra are very low, even semi-recumbant. Some styles are completely stand up. Most are in between.
Most styles will have a combination of striking, locking, throws, limb destructions and low kicks. Oh and there's even, gouging, ball wrenching, headbuts and even biting in some styles
I certainly feel Silat is very 'street effective' and practical. Until Silat was formalised following WW2, it was mainly a combat art. Not for sport or entertainment but often for survival, hence we don't work within a 'rules' mindset and sometimes we can be percieved as aggresive & dirty fighters by others.
Another aspect of Silat is 'pecahan' which allows us to adapt and adjust within a system which cuts out the A is the answer to B stuff. There is always flexibility in response to attacks.