How to beat muscle pain?

[Ruby Slippers]

I used to play tennis and other competitive sports from childhood through high school. I was good, played many hours a day, and won numerous tournaments and titles.

 

I've always kept pretty fit, but what has stood in my way of achieving the level of competitive athleticism I want and a truly bangin' body is physical pain. No matter what form of exercise I do, I seem to always hit a wall where physical pain holds me back. This time, I'm determined to overcome it.

 

I was always very active in high school, and I was pretty frequently ripped from sleep by wrenching back pain and vicious cramps in my calves, quads, and hamstrings. During college when I got into running seriously, I eventually had to quit because I couldn't get past the pretty severe knee, hip, and back pain that ensued.

 

So now I'm really going for it on the tennis court. I'm playing in a league, and so far I'm undefeated and have been destroying my opponents. Often they don't win a single game. I've been taking lessons, and two weeks ago, before the pain set in, I was on fire, and I was dominating my coach on the court. At the end of our 90-minute lesson, he was lying on the ground panting, and I was up bouncing around and ready for more.

 

I have essentially endless stamina. I can play all day long and keep going, as long as I get the occasional break to refuel. I've figured out that one of my strengths on the court is that my opponent always wears down before I do. It takes me a little while to get in my groove, but once I do, I just keep heating up, as they're fading out.

 

I have a lot of great athletic qualities. But my biggest weak point is chronic pain.

 

Last week, after a really long, intense match, I woke up the next day with intense pain in my neck and upper back muscles, the muscles that power all the tennis strokes and serves. I've gotten it under control since then, but it's still tense and tight, and it's impeding the flow of energy and throwing off my game. I know that if I could effectively manage this pain, I'd be unstoppable and could win big tournaments and titles again, maybe even cash prizes.

 

In fact, I think I can be even better now, because now I'm far more confident, and my mental game is much sharper.

 

My coach and tennis buddies have all said something like, "I take Aleve like candy." I've taken it a couple of times since the pain set in, but I really prefer to use natural, holistic, non-pharmaceutical pain management methods if at all possible. I feel like drugs are the easy way out, and they're not good for you long term.

 

I'm eating a very clean, light diet. I should probably add more protein to help with muscle repair and growth.

 

Here are all the things I've done in the past two weeks to deal with the pain and try to bust through it:

 

Application of sports pain rubs and sprays

Yoga/stretching/deep breathing

Fitness roller for self massage

Tennis ball massage, specifically targeting tense pain points until the pain and tension release

Hot baths, including application of very hot, wet towels to areas of pain

Heating pad

Ice packs

Aleve (only twice)

 

I also took a few days off, and I felt better when I came back to it, but eventually the same pain flared up. I played today, and the pain was totally throwing me off.

 

The next time I play, I might try taking Aleve beforehand to see how that goes.

 

I'm getting a professional massage this week. I'm also considering trying to find a massage buddy, because my money needs to be going other places right now, and I'm single and don't have a man to rub me down. Sucks.

 

I also realize that I should probably shift to exercise that's more lower body-intense for a while. But I love playing tennis and I don't want to stop.

 

Does anybody have any tips for dealing with this and busting through it?

[Ninjainpajamas]

I'm the same way with drugs or even supplements, I hate taking them...I've never been into putting medication into my body, even when I get injuries and surgeries, I never take all of my pain medication, I only finish off the antibiotics.

 

Even when I was young and in sports, guys were taking creatine and steroids, and other cocktails and magical potions for extra strength, stamina and recovery, it was just never my thing...I am pretty much only willing to drink protein shakes.

 

Even today, I see a lot of people taking medication for the slightest muscle pain, ache or pain. I've got to be in some pretty significant pain to do that, otherwise I'd rather just let it pass or take something naturally. Sadly, people seem all too willing to pump medication into their body for just about anything, and I'm not herb loving hippy or anything like that...it has nothing to do with anything else other than the fact that I believe this just can't be good for my body.

 

For pains and aches, I usually soak in hot baths...some people swear by Epson salt, I've used something like that before...it's good, baths do a lot for me. Other than that just plenty of rest, I've had to build up my stamina over time by getting extra rest which is not something I've always been good at...I'm the energizer bunny and I will just keep going, I'm used to everyone calling it quits before me or thinking I'm some kind of slave driver for pushing on...I have to reminds guys that I was training in the past to let me know when they need a break, because honestly I'll just practically kill myself and take them with me and I enjoy that for some twisted reason, pushing the boundaries and never stopping.

 

I don't know if this mirrors tennis, but I played linebacker and always had my knees bent, a good balanced position with my back straight, standing on my toes or ball of the foot and never with the heel down, but the idea was to have your body lowered at all times and to move quickly horizontally to maintain your center of balance and strength...basically it burned the hell out of your legs just to stand in position, let alone play athletically like that. It also took a lot of core muscle to maintain that position and flexibility, but the idea is to have really strong legs and a core, so I definitely think you need to take some time to strengthen those parts of the body and it's just not going to be realistic with playing and training all the time, you will have your off days, your legs will not function properly on leg days. But in the end hopefully protect your knees from injures and maybe even save your ankles, they're just such naturally vulnerable parts of the body they need all the help they can get.

 

Deep messages work on those knots/cramping you may get, I used to get them done by the staff or ladies on the team which was also slightly erotic depending on the girl, but I've also received them from physical therapist. This one lady was tiny as can be but she was determined, and she would get on the table with me and dig her elbow into my thighs to break apart the muscle with her whole body and sometimes she'd get the guy to help out too. She used to give me the biggest boner too by the way, but in my defense she was really massaging quite high.

 

So IMO, hot baths always did wonders for me, a good massage, and stretching is also key. Other than that it just takes time and rest, I mean really just rest, and everywhere I was having pain I would strengthen the muscles in that area in particular, maybe they are being overloaded and can't maintain the pace and stamina of your endurance and will.

 

You might need to stretch with some assistance as well, but I do believe you need some more muscle/weight training. I used to stretch the hell out of my body, drink lots of water, and even do neck exercises. I do lots of shoulder exercises, squats, power-cleans, dead-lifts, leg presses, core work-outs, leg-extensions, leg curls. I never suffered from cramping, just injuries and the occasional knotting/pulling of a muscle when sprinting. Hopefully you can figure it out, would suck to be limited by pain alone, but women tend to suffer from lots of the same issues IME from what I've seen due to lack of strength training that was well-rounded. I've always had weight-training a big part of whatever I was doing.

 

One thing I usually give my SO a massage with, as she usually has neck pain or back pain. Massage the upper part of the neck where the head is, then where the neck meets the shoulders, you can ask the masseuse to kiss you there too, it usually helps with relaxation. Sometimes pulling the shoulders down as the shoulders can be tense, and massage the inside of the shoulder blades. I also will get on top her while she lays on her stomach, put my legs on the side of her hips and pull her hips down, while holding up on her upper body and pulling her torso up by holding her. Also the lower back area, where your back ends and your @ss begins, that's usually a spot that needs to be massaged as well and put pressure on by pushing down towards your legs. You could get an inner thigh and thigh massage too, but that usually gets sexual...fault to the masseuse on that one though.

[alphamale]

Does anybody have any tips for dealing with this and busting through it?

find a good doctor who knows about these issues

[MuddyFootprints]

Probably too simplistic, but are you drinking enough water?

[Ruby Slippers]

I take supplements, but not the hormone or steroid variety - a multivitamin, fish oil, and the like.

 

Epsom salt is a good idea. I'll get some of that.

 

The problem with tennis is that it requires a repetitive motion with frequent blasts of power. Every shot is powered by the same group of muscles on one side of the body - right side, because I'm right-handed - so it's imbalanced. I also experienced a little bit of pain in my left bicep and tricep, and I think that's because I've been working on making my backhand more powerful, which requires more strength in my left arm. This is a good clue that I'm pushing too hard too fast, not giving my muscles time to break down, repair, and rebuild properly. The bright side is that I'm getting back my nice girl guns

 

You're probably right that I need to get back to strength training. My intuition says give my back a rest for now, focus on exercise powered more by the lower body, and once the pain subsides, start building up the entire muscle infrastructure of my body, especially my core, since it's where the pain is concentrated. And especially my back, since all tennis strokes are powered by those muscles. My back, shoulders, and arms need to be very strong and fit. And abs and core, too, for balance. My lower body is already pretty strong. I haven't had any significant pain there recently (knock on wood).

 

I'm going to start looking for a massage buddy because I know if I find someone halfway decent, this will make a big difference.

 

I have worked with a few types of physical therapists over the years (osteopath, chiropractor), and a couple of them were amazing - but never cheap. I just don't want to spend my money on this kind of thing right now. I'd rather learn to do it myself.

 

I'm drinking a lot of water, so I think I'm good there.

 

Right now I'm watching lots of YouTube videos about sports medicine, sports pain, muscle pain, self-treatment. I'm trying to become my own sports therapist. I would love to find a comprehensive video or book about sports medicine, muscle pain, and how to treat it all yourself. So if anybody knows of any, let me know.

[Under The Radar]

Yes, fully body strength training is part of the solution to your chronic pain.

 

As for quality book recommendations:

 

Self Myofacial Release and Stretching Techniques -

 

"Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance" by Kelly Starrett.

 

I prefer the strength training exercises in this book -

 

"Strong Curves: A Woman's Guide to Building a Better Butt and Body" by Brett Contreras and Kellie Davis.

Edited May 18, 2015 by Training Revelations

[Hopeful714]

I'm going to suggest the weight training, an anti inflammatory diet, and much stretching and yoga.

 

Not sure of your age, but I think the body, joint and muscle pains are linked to hormones. Many women as they age develop this and when the doctors can't find a diagnosis or anything wrong many are labeled as having fibromyalgia which in itself is controversial.

 

I am very active and fit and have experienced phases of this in my life. Staying in motion and remaining active is important even when the pain is at its worst. Without risk of injury of course. The mysterious pain then goes away then for a while (months)....but then returns.

 

In my opinion, I think it could be inflammatory and you need to figure out by trial and error what triggers it. Also keep your hormones balanced....I think that is key. Good luck.

[Maleficent]

Maybe the pain is your body's way of telling you you're pushing too hard? I had pain similar to tendinitis in my shoulder and knee for a while and a sports doctor

Couldn't figure out what was wrong. 2 months after I was on a sick leave for clinical depression...

 

I would suggest you try to figure out if a medical condition us causing this pain.

 

I get you sometimes need to push yourself beyond limits to accomplish anything, but pain is never a good sign...

Training through pain is generally not a good idea.

[writergal]

Go see an exercise physiologist. They deal with professional athletes. They can examine you and determine the best treatment for your chronic neck and back pain. I wouldn't try to self treat pain that emanates from the neck or back because it could be something serious.

[Emilia]

Yes, fully body strength training is part of the solution to your chronic pain.

 

As for quality book recommendations:

 

Self Myofacial Release and Stretching Techniques -

 

"Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance" by Kelly Starrett.

 

I prefer the strength training exercises in this book -

 

"Strong Curves: A Woman's Guide to Building a Better Butt and Body" by Brett Contreras and Kellie Davis.

 

Bingo. Pretty much any pain I've experienced got resolved through getting stronger. Especially the posterior chain. With strong hams, glutes and back I get zero problems. Especially a strong lower back that can support upper back development. Ditto for core.

 

Loads of stretching. I use certain yoga moves after training every single time.

 

In my experience people with a lot of stamina do long cardio sessions while little or no strength training. Maintaining any sort of form long term requires strength however.

[Ruby Slippers]

Thanks for the tips!

 

I'm making progress. A new romantic interest who is very fit and active recommended another book, Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain. He sent me scans of a few stretches from the book, and one of them is really helping already. It's a stationary stretch designed to nurture deep relaxation in the lower back, and when I do it, I can feel increased blood flow and strong waves of healing energy flowing into my back. He's been shedding some light on the physiological sources of pain, which is very enlightening.

 

I recalled that just before I started playing tennis, I was doing all this intense physical labor - hours and hours of large-scale yard work and home improvement work including serious heavy lifting that gave me a series of intense muscle workouts and left me sore from head to toe for days. I'm figuring out that I have a tendency to leap with wild enthusiasm and determination into the things I love in all facets of life, driving forward with sheer will. I'm trying to learn to pace myself.

 

I've been doing water yoga, which is amazing and deeply soothing.

 

I reviewed some guides to an anti-inflammatory diet, and it seems my diet is already in line with the recommendations - but I'll review more closely and see if I'm missing anything.

 

I have a feeling I'm pretty close to finding a good love & sex partner again, and I think that's going to have a tremendous effect, with all the feel-good chemicals I've been choosing to do without for a while now.

 

I've recently had a physical with full bloodwork, and the doctor raved about my results.

 

I've been resting my upper body, working out my lower body. I'm feeling really good, and I think I'll get back on the court in the next week or two and see how I do. I'm gonna have to really focus on not overdoing it. And then I'll get a good strength training regimen going again.

 

I'm in better shape now than I have been in about 3 years, and I have a feeling I'm ready to get in the best shape of my life. I'm getting physically ready, and for the first time ever, I feel mentally ready for the challenge.