Old injuries, never go completely away.

[StandingO]

It seems like most of my old injuries never completely go away. Even when I worked out correctly and often all it took was a few bad work outs over doing it and the old pain issues scream back at me. Now that I am older it seems much easier for this to happen. Now an old shoulder injury as completely killed a serious work out. arrr. If i could only could stay light and in perfect form and slowly rebuild I may not have this problem???

[dichotomy]

Yep - it sucks. Also when you get older - old injuries have a tendency to rear their head again.

 

I injured my back in college - poor lifting. Since then it has caused issues in my life, and when I finally (way too long) got back into lifting - it kept me from doing heavy squats and deadlifts. I did a couple of things

 

1) Got MRI scans to make sure what I was dealing with in my back.

2) Got sports based physical therapy and evaluations

3) Replaced certain exercises like squats and straight deads with Trap Bar Deads and also dumbbell lunges.

4) Massage therapy, massage rollers and balls, warm water pools and hot tub

 

The sports based physical therapy was amazing. They did full body evaluations and identified certain weakness in other parts of my body -and recommended exercises and stretches to help with my back. I do these on off days.

 

Recently been having some planters issues in my left foot. Got a good trigger point ball for that. Some samples of mobility aides below.

 

http://www.roguefitness.com/mobility-rehab/mobility-tools.php

Edited February 2, 2014 by dichotomy

[Robert Z]

It seems like most of my old injuries never completely go away. Even when I worked out correctly and often all it took was a few bad work outs over doing it and the old pain issues scream back at me. Now that I am older it seems much easier for this to happen. Now an old shoulder injury as completely killed a serious work out. arrr. If i could only could stay light and in perfect form and slowly rebuild I may not have this problem???

 

 

 

Yep, I have learned to tell when my muscles have endured all that they can take for one day. If I try to push beyond that point I am prone to injuries. But I had to hurt myself a few times before I recognized the feeling.

 

 

I still have to take it easy on my knees. So I tend to stay light on the leg extensions and curls compared to the rest of my lifts. But slowly I am able to increase the weight.

 

 

About a year ago I injured my shoulder by trying to increase the weight too quickly. I am still recovering from that. But if I start feeling it I swim for a few days and that seems to help.

[Eau Claire]

No great mystery.

 

A good cardio vascular workout, moderate weight exercises and a nutritious diet are the ticket to a healthy well being. These are a real plus even when you have some type of chronic issue.

 

As soon as you have any discomfort...stop! Any ouch, twinge, pull, etc. Stop! Not to be confused with just using a muscle to failure. So many guys over the age of 45 or so talk about how they 'used to' work out, run, hike, etc. They didn't listen to their body. Never work through pain as opposd to working through just what's 'hard'. A healthy body just gives out...goes on strike...feed me, let me sleep and the next day or couple days back to 'let's do it again'.

 

As important. let an injury completely heal. A week off to let a tender shoulder mend is an investment. Otherwise some day it will be six months not being to use that shoulde.

 

We have an ex NFLer come into our ward. Yikes. He is in constant discomfort...on major pain meds, etc. Tape a knee up and back on the field next week....complete stupidity. Stupid. Stupid.

[thefooloftheyear]

No great mystery.

 

A good cardio vascular workout, moderate weight exercises and a nutritious diet are the ticket to a healthy well being. These are a real plus even when you have some type of chronic issue.

 

As soon as you have any discomfort...stop! Any ouch, twinge, pull, etc. Stop! Not to be confused with just using a muscle to failure. So many guys over the age of 45 or so talk about how they 'used to' work out, run, hike, etc. They didn't listen to their body. Never work through pain as opposd to working through just what's 'hard'. A healthy body just gives out...goes on strike...feed me, let me sleep and the next day or couple days back to 'let's do it again'.

 

As important. let an injury completely heal. A week off to let a tender shoulder mend is an investment. Otherwise some day it will be six months not being to use that shoulde.

 

We have an ex NFLer come into our ward. Yikes. He is in constant discomfort...on major pain meds, etc. Tape a knee up and back on the field next week....complete stupidity. Stupid. Stupid.

 

I cant speak for everyone, but for me and the guys I know that are my age and take training seriouosly, pain is just a part of the game..If you have to put it on the shelf every time you are in pain, then you might as well stay home and eat donuts and just be like every other fat, middle aged person.

 

Its exceedingly rare at this age(late 40's) that there isnt something thats bothering me. Shoulder, wrist, elbow, back, whatever...One thing gets better and something else crops up..Some of these injuries wouldnt fully heal anyway if you rested them, they need surgical repair(which is never 100% effective anyway)..Training around it is what seperates the men from the boys (and the women from the little girls).. I get it together and work through it...And if it means I get arthritis earlier than I normally would have, frankly I dont care...it was worth it..Well worth it..

 

Most injuries dont happen while training..They usually happen when we do oddball movements or lift something improperly doing daily activities....Ill show you some startling lifts in the gym, but if you ask me to help you move some heavy furniture Ill give you some money and tell you to hire a mover..Thats the way it goes at this point..

 

 

TFY

Edited February 2, 2014 by thefooloftheyear

[FitChick]

Find a sports medicine doc who does prolotherapy.

[StandingO]

I hear ya, so true, getting older requires adjustments in work out behavior for sure.

My GF is 10 years younger and so far she does a great job at voiding injuries.

[Emilia]

No great mystery.

 

A good cardio vascular workout, moderate weight exercises and a nutritious diet are the ticket to a healthy well being. These are a real plus even when you have some type of chronic issue.

I don't agree with this. You can end up weight training/lifting heavy but weight needs to be introduced gradually in a well-thought-out manner. There is absolutely no reason why one shouldn't use their body vigorously as long as they do it in a smart way. In fact, older people almost benefit from higher bone and muscle density than younger folk. Those that have problems have them because they didn't pay attention to mobility in their younger years.

As soon as you have any discomfort...stop! Any ouch, twinge, pull, etc. Stop! Not to be confused with just using a muscle to failure. So many guys over the age of 45 or so talk about how they 'used to' work out, run, hike, etc. They didn't listen to their body. Never work through pain as opposd to working through just what's 'hard'. A healthy body just gives out...goes on strike...feed me, let me sleep and the next day or couple days back to 'let's do it again'.

 

As important. let an injury completely heal. A week off to let a tender shoulder mend is an investment. Otherwise some day it will be six months not being to use that shoulde.

 

We have an ex NFLer come into our ward. Yikes. He is in constant discomfort...on major pain meds, etc. Tape a knee up and back on the field next week....complete stupidity. Stupid. Stupid.

Yes. fully agree.

[JDPT]

I'm 32 years old and dealing with two fractured tibias. My life has been hell for the past 2 months. I've been couch bound for the most part minimizing weight bearing and crutching my way around. This has certainly been a life changing event and has screwed up with my head more than anything.

 

 

I feel as if I'll forever be "broken" and never have the strength to go back to running which was one of my favorite workout exercises. In the meantime, I've been supplementing with extra vitamins and such. I'm learning to be patient as I know this will be a long process.

[Eau Claire]

I cant speak for everyone, but for me and the guys I know that are my age and take training seriouosly, pain is just a part of the game..If you have to put it on the shelf every time you are in pain, then you might as well stay home and eat donuts and just be like every other fat, middle aged person.

 

Its exceedingly rare at this age(late 40's) that there isnt something thats bothering me. Shoulder, wrist, elbow, back, whatever...One thing gets better and something else crops up..Some of these injuries wouldnt fully heal anyway if you rested them, they need surgical repair(which is never 100% effective anyway)..Training around it is what seperates the men from the boys (and the women from the little girls).. I get it together and work through it...And if it means I get arthritis earlier than I normally would have, frankly I dont care...it was worth it..Well worth it..

 

Most injuries dont happen while training..They usually happen when we do oddball movements or lift something improperly doing daily activities....Ill show you some startling lifts in the gym, but if you ask me to help you move some heavy furniture Ill give you some money and tell you to hire a mover..Thats the way it goes at this point..

 

TFY

 

No, pain is not part of the game. My boyfriend is approaching 60 and has zero issues. We backpack, run, cycle.

 

Pain may be part of your life because of past injuries or abuse of the body.

 

There is nothing wrong with pushing your body but it should be done to muscle failure and not pushing through pain. The same with cardio vascular...push yourself. Nothing unhealthy about gasping for air if its after running a mile as fast as we can.

[thefooloftheyear]

No, pain is not part of the game. My boyfriend is approaching 60 and has zero issues. We backpack, run, cycle.

 

Pain may be part of your life because of past injuries or abuse of the body.

 

There is nothing wrong with pushing your body but it should be done to muscle failure and not pushing through pain. The same with cardio vascular...push yourself. Nothing unhealthy about gasping for air if its after running a mile as fast as we can.

 

No disrespect, but backpacking, running and cycling is more like recreation than training...At least from my standpoint...I could do a 25 mile bike ride or 5K run and barely break a sweat( I do this type of activity when the weather is nice)..Heavy weight training or just intense moderate weight training is a whole different game.

 

 

Every guy I know in my age range that does the type of training that we do are usually suffering from some sort of pain. Tendonitis, wrist pain, shouldder pain, etc..Pain tolerance varies from one individual to another....If you rest every time you have pain, then you wont be able to do it as you'll spend more time on the sidelines than in the game. Maybe when I am 60, Ill resort to recreational type of activities, but for now I like what I do, and a little pain wont ever stop me...Most people half my age cant do what I can even when I am in some pain, so I guess I am stupid..

 

TFY

[BOREDouttaMymind]

yup the only way to work through an injury is to either quit or go to the gym just to stay lightly toned..as in extremely light weights, low reps, low sets. nothing else.

[Priv]

Ugh, tendonites has been screwing over my mp and bp for a loooooooong time. I have no idea what to do about. Minimized training these movements to once a week after half a year off, threw out all variations of them (push press, incline pb etc.) and reset the weights. I don't think I will ever get rid of it completely. It still hurts :S, but only the day of training. Not like earlier, where it was a constant problem using my shoulders for anything.

 

Weirdest injury I had was a dislocated pelvis twice. Not a good feeling when at the bottom of a squat. Thankfully I got rid of that by focusing on heavy goodmornings and lots of physiotherapy. My physiotherapist would probably kill me for the goodmornings, but it seems to set everything in the right place again after a week of heavy squatting and deadlifting. He rather has me doing planks . It is still a weak/soft spot that needs constant attention.

[thefooloftheyear]

Ugh, tendonites has been screwing over my mp and bp for a loooooooong time. I have no idea what to do about. Minimized training these movements to once a week after half a year off, threw out all variations of them (push press, incline pb etc.) and reset the weights. I don't think I will ever get rid of it completely. It still hurts :S, but only the day of training. Not like earlier, where it was a constant problem using my shoulders for anything.

 

Weirdest injury I had was a dislocated pelvis twice. Not a good feeling when at the bottom of a squat. Thankfully I got rid of that by focusing on heavy goodmornings and lots of physiotherapy. My physiotherapist would probably kill me for the goodmornings, but it seems to set everything in the right place again after a week of heavy squatting and deadlifting. He rather has me doing planks . It is still a weak/soft spot that needs constant attention.

 

I deal with tendonitis from time to time...This is what has helped me..

 

Wear a compression sleeve and keep the body warm at all times..In fact, I found that layering myself really helped-even during training...That and soak it as much as you can in warm/hot water..Its unscientific, and I am not following any doctors advice, but it definitely helps me..

 

Also, what works for me is to work through it gradually(by using lighter weights) and then once I have it adequately warmed, then go heavy..The pain is much less than when I just go after it..Seems like once blood gets flowing into the area, I loosen up and it gets somewhat bearable...

 

Also, some Motrin works marginally for me...I hate taking the OTC meds as I worry about long term effects on the liver.

 

Good luck

 

TFY

[Priv]

I will look into a compression sleeve and layering when training. It might help. I also have this suspicion the problem is aggravated due to me sleeping on the shoulder that is giving me trouble. But can't control my movements when asleep.

 

I do warm up before going heavy, which seems to help somewhat. But mostly it's just training through the pain. Which kinda sucks since you know you can do better without it. Especially mentally as it takes away your concentration from the lift and start focusing on your stinging shoulder.