Managing aches and pains

[MRG]

I have been soaking in a hot tub that I have access to in my local gym actually, and it does feel great while I'm in there. It's great for stretching. But people tell me that soaking in a hot tub is bad for inflammation because the warm water increases the inflammation. They tell me to use ice. I'm never really sure when to use heat and when to use ice. I find it very confusing.

We don't use the gym hot tubs but I believe ours are in the ~80-90°F range. We do go to the local hot springs weekly. Matter of fact we're leaving in an hour or so. Love soaking in the mineral water at 105°F, sometimes I'll take a dip in the 38°F river too.

Surprisingly nobody's mentioned CBDs. Legal in most states, help with pain and inflammation. I tried some 1:1 cbd:thc oils last year(legal state), great for somethings like muscle aches and bruises, didn't do much on a tooth needing a root canal. The 1:1 stuff is not mind altering, I took a dosage, several hundred mgs, that would make walking impossible. Had zero impact on motor skills.

 

[friar1610]

At 72 I really feel it when I do hard gym workouts 2 or 3 days in a row. It works much better for me to alternate a day at the gym with a day in which I just do a nice (45-60 minutes) walk. 3 days per week of each plus the proverbial day of rest is ideal for me.

 

[Badger]

Surprisingly nobody's mentioned CBDs. Legal in most states, help with pain and inflammation. I tried some 1:1 cbd:thc oils last year(legal state), great for somethings like muscle aches and bruises, didn't do much on a tooth needing a root canal. The 1:1 stuff is not mind altering, I took a dosage, several hundred mgs, that would make walking impossible. Had zero impact on motor skills.

Recently started with CBD and THC in my state. Both are dissolved in olive oil. I was told to start at 5mg of each and work from there to find my levels. I'm dealing with pain and arthritis in knees, shoulders, and hands. CBD can be taken at most any amount but THC will make my head dizzy above 8mg. I can't imagine taking several hundred of THC. Maybe the concentration is different here. So far have not found a good level or maybe I haven't been taking it long enough.

Cheers!

 

[SoReady]

Ready,
Take it slowly. I started playing Pickleball a year ago. I'm 61 and because i overdid it i haven't played for the last 3 months due to a bulging disk between the L1&L2. The pain is in lower back, grin and front thigh. Sounds similar to you. Getting a steroid shot on Monday which i hope will begin my road to recovery.

 

[LOL!]

My hypothesis is that it takes good nutrition to repair any damage from exercise, but it also takes time for your genes to get activated to make enough of the proteins that catalyze those repair pathways. After all, your body didn't need to waste energy activating those genes when you didn't need those pathways.

And there can be some damage that your body cannot repair easily such as torn cartilage, torn ligaments, osteochondral defects.

Some of this could arise from osteoporosis due to inactivity for years. Research on how to make bones stronger is quite interesting. But for certain, there is no quick fix. It takes months and longer.

 

[MRG]

Recently started with CBD and THC in my state. Both are dissolved in olive oil. I was told to start at 5mg of each and work from there to find my levels. I'm dealing with pain and arthritis in knees, shoulders, and hands. CBD can be taken at most any amount but THC will make my head dizzy above 8mg. I can't imagine taking several hundred of THC. Maybe the concentration is different here. So far have not found a good level or maybe I haven't been taking it long enough.

Cheers!

From what I've read it's the 1:1 ratio. Also I'm suspect of the advertised percentages.

I consumed 500mg of an 80% oil containing a 50/50 product. Should have been 200mg of CBD:THC. The tender explained this was a dose for severe pain often used by cancer patients.

If I consumed 200 mg of THC alone, I would sleep for a day and not be able to walk for the next day.

Good luck on your pain management. As with all things, less is more.

FYIW: I've been experimenting decarbing to infuse my own cannaoil. As rough as the estimates are, the homemade product seems to produce inexpensive, consistent, and effective doses.

 

[Ready]

Ready,
Take it slowly. I started playing Pickleball a year ago. I'm 61 and because i overdid it i haven't played for the last 3 months due to a bulging disk between the L1&L2. The pain is in lower back, grin and front thigh. Sounds similar to you. Getting a steroid shot on Monday which i hope will begin my road to recovery.

Ouch, sorry to hear! As I said earlier, I think pickleball can be deceiving because you don't really get that tired if you are playing doubles, but your joints and feet take a lot of pounding running up and down the court chasing the ball. So you can't judge when to stop by how tired you are feeling. You just have to watch the amount of time playing and cut yourself off at some predetermined amount, and then watch your recovery time after you finish.

 

[TromboneAl]

Ice massage is great. It reduces the swelling inside, so less rubbing of swollen parts, less pain later on, faster healing, no drug side-effects.

Right now as I type my back is "killing me"... It feels like maybe a soft tissue pain, not spinal pain, so I think I either strained or pulled a muscle. How did I do it? You'll get a laugh from this. I was cutting up a big Amazon Prime Pantry box with a dull box cutter, probably more enthusiastically than was wise. Well, and before that I lugged the box in from the porch and unpacked it.

It's possible it wasn't the gay slash dancing, but the lugging that did it.

My biggest back strain happened in the early eighties just from turning to get something off a shelf. But what had proceeded that was carrying a unwieldy, heavy box (containing an old-fashioned Dell PC) up 45 stairs.

On ice vs heat:

https://gizmodo.com/an-injury-primer-when-to-heat-when-to-ice-it-887566131

 

[W2R]

Ice massage is great. It reduces the swelling inside, so less rubbing of swollen parts, less pain later on, faster healing, no drug side-effects.



It's possible it wasn't the gay slash dancing, but the lugging that did it.

My biggest back strain happened in the early eighties just from turning to get something off a shelf. But what had proceeded that was carrying a unwieldy, heavy box (containing an old-fashioned Dell PC) up 45 stairs.

On ice vs heat:

https://gizmodo.com/an-injury-primer-when-to-heat-when-to-ice-it-887566131

Thanks. The heating pad felt good at first, but after a while it just got worse and worse. So after a few hours of that yesterday, I switched to icing it down with a large gel ice pack that I originally got for my knees. That really helps, but only so much. By 1 PM today I was at my wits end, which is about where I have to be before I "give in" and take any pain killers. That's just how I am. Anyway, at 1 PM I took prescription ibuprofen that was left over from my dental implants, and this along with off-and-on ice pack application has been very helpful. I couldn't take another ibuprofen until 7 PM and the last 2-3 hours before I could take it were still a little grim.

As for what caused it, well, it didn't seem like any of what I did was that bad even though I am really out of shape and not lifting weights lately. I have heard of people throwing their back out when lifting a pencil so maybe this is one of those situations. I am gradually improving and hopefully can stop the ibuprofen tomorrow morning.

 

[RunningBum]

The heating pad felt good at first, but after a while it just got worse and worse. So after a few hours of that yesterday, I switched to icing it down with a large gel ice pack that I originally got for my knees. That really helps, but only so much. By 1 PM today I was at my wits end, which is about where I have to be before I "give in" and take any pain killers. That's just how I am. Anyway, at 1 PM I took prescription ibuprofen that was left over from my dental implants, and this along with off-and-on ice pack application has been very helpful. I couldn't take another ibuprofen until 7 PM and the last 2-3 hours were still a little grim.

As for what caused it, well, it didn't seem like any of what I did was that bad even though I am really out of shape and not lifting weights lately. I have heard of people throwing their back out when lifting a pencil so maybe this is one of those situations. I am gradually improving and hopefully can stop the ibuprofen tomorrow morning.

If it's not getting much better soon, it could be a muscle spasm, which a muscle relaxant will take care of. Or it could be a slipped disk. It'd be worth seeing a doc to get it checked out if it's not getting better.

 

[W2R]

If it's not getting much better soon, it could be a muscle spasm, which a muscle relaxant will take care of. Or it could be a slipped disk. It'd be worth seeing a doc to get it checked out if it's not getting better.

Thanks. I seldom have back pain and don't have any history of a "problem back" at all, so I am hoping it is not a slipped disk. Subjectively it feels like a muscular thing, perhaps an intermittent muscle spasm as you suggested but who knows. If it doesn't get better, you're right, I should probably see a doc.

The last time I threw out my back was during a linear algebra class over thirty years ago. Must have been all that heavy math. I never had much compassion for back pain sufferers until it happened to me and I found out what it actually feels like.

 

[Moemg]

If it's not getting much better soon, it could be a muscle spasm, which a muscle relaxant will take care of. Or it could be a slipped disk. It'd be worth seeing a doc to get it checked out if it's not getting better.

I agree with Running Bum. I would try Advil or Alleve plus ice for a day or two .If no relief call the Doctor .Good Luck !

 

[W2R]

Thanks, Moemg. Sounds like a good plan.

 

[gretah]

OP -

Glad to read your post about new plan to work up endurance, strength, and skills. Good on you!

Inflammation: lots of water (washes out salt, etc) and tumeric. I buy tumeric at bulk spice aisle of supermarket and put into capsules. My friend puts it into her cooking. Both work great.

Many leg cramp causes can be due to lack of water. Drink 2-3 quarts/litres a day! More if you drink caffeine or alcohol.

Arnica gel for bruises and strains. Magic stuff. Arnica is an herb used since the 1500s. You can get arnica cream but I find gel absorbs better. Massage it in. You can also get arnica tablets but I prefer to treat locally instead of systemically when possible.

Ask your MD about plantar fascitis for foot pain. If diagnosed, pain can be eliminated by stretching feet and lower legs 20 min every morn and eve and eliminating all starch and sugars.

Also ask MD about sciatica. Eliminating all starches will heal that.

Consult a nutritionist. Your radical change in body demands might need far more potassium for muscles, calcium for bones, and other nutrients. Get blood labs done and ask an expert. I find naturopaths far better trained in nutrition than MDs. They can tell you what to request results for before you go to a MD for a blood withdrawal analysis so cost is covered by insurance.

Be careful with pain killers. Ibuprofen can create kidney stones. Aspirin thins blood. There is no such thing as a medication without side effects. If you use OTC pain meds, switch them by type every week.

Marijuana OIL is a NON ADDICTIVE pain reliever.

If you use oil, you escape the problems of smoke and lung problems. A licensed medical seller can help you with dosage and results. My friend says her 75yo husband gets great relief from 1 drop to tongue once daily.

With the opioid addiction we in North America are currently battling, who would deny someone suffering from serious pain a source of relief that is non addictive? By legalizing marijuana, it is not cut with gosh-knows-what plus strength is predictable. I think states / countries not allowing medical use of marijuana are cruel and abusive.

Best of luck to you !!!

 

[jollystomper]

As an aside, I had never heard of pickleball before this thread. Perhaps another item to file away as a post-retirement activity...

 

[zinger1457]

I know when I first retired I started playing golf much more frequently and soon developed some of the repetitive injuries that serious golfers sometime experience like tennis elbow, shoulder soreness, tender back. Decided to try adding in strength exercises 2-3 times a week to build up muscle around those joints along with plenty of core exercises, also do dynamic stretches before doing anything. It seems to have really helped me, the tennis elbow and sore shoulder went away fairly quickly and no back issues.

 

[lwp2017]

Warm bath with a cup of Epsom salts added to the water seems to help sore muscles.

We go to WDW for spring flower festival and fall food & wine festivals. Walking 10 miles a day on concrete stresses the joints & feet.

My DW packs 1 cup bags of epsom salt in vacuum food saver bags for us to use on the trip. DVC villa has a nice whirlpool bath. We always feel better in the morning.

Also a few glasses of wine somehow seems to aid in pain relief.

 

[splitwdw]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I guess I needed to hear it from others, but now I see that I overdid it getting started, and I guess I had not accepted the fact that I can't exercise in my 50s the way I did in my 20s. It's hard for me to accept but I get it.

....

Most of the folks I play with are in their 60s and 70s and they have been playing for years so they are very good. I got frustrated because as a new player I was making a lot of mistakes and losing all of my matches, so I figured I'd get as many hours of play time as possible to build my skill level up. In my quest to do so I ignored the aches and pains until they became pretty severe. In retrospect I wasn't demonstrating good common sense. It's easy to do when you want to get better at something and ignore the cost of doing so.

Pickleball is a very social sport. You show up by yourself and next thing you know people are asking you to join their doubles match because they need a fourth. Everyone is very nice and you don't want to let people down by saying no.

But at this point I need to take some time off until everything is fully healed, and then I'll start up again but limit my play time to an hour or less and see how things work out.

Looks like you figured it out. You never overdo when starting a new physical activity, never play through the pain, no matter what your age. How long does it take to play 1 pickle ball match, on average? Were you doing any exercise before starting pickle ball? Don't worry about letting people down, it's a game/exercise. If you do permanent damage it's going to wreck your whole life not just your pickle ball game.
For those of you that keep recommending hot tubs/springs/sauna, you shouldn't be using one without your doctors knowledge. You should only be using for 15-20 minutes. Certain meds react with the heat and hot tubs/springs/sauna can raise your blood pressure.

 

[W2R]

Just wanted to report back in that my back is completely better today. I slept easily all night and today, no more ibuprofen, and no need for ice any more. I'm being very cautious with it for the day, but otherwise I have gone from back-pain Hades back to normal, and I am so glad. It really hurt a lot yesterday.

Thanks TromboneAl, RunningBum, and Moemg, for your help which really worked.

 

[RunningBum]

Just wanted to report back in that my back is completely better today.

Great! Glad it wasn't anything more serious.

 

[LARS]

Reading this thread I can conclude none of you went to one of my alma maters: The University of Chicago. Had you, you would have learned the wise words attributed to a former President of the University on this very subject.

He said: "Whenever I have the urge to exercise I lie down until it goes away."

Problem solved. ;-)

 

[Ready]

OP -

Glad to read your post about new plan to work up endurance, strength, and skills. Good on you!

Inflammation: lots of water (washes out salt, etc) and tumeric. I buy tumeric at bulk spice aisle of supermarket and put into capsules. My friend puts it into her cooking. Both work great.

Gretah - appreciate all the feedback. I picked up some Turmeric capsules yesterday. From what I've read it takes a few weeks before most people notice an effect so I'll keep taking them and keep my fingers crossed.

I haven't been on the court since Tuesday, so just the rest from playing has been the biggest relief. Most of the pain is now gone, but my left leg is still sore.

The Penetrex seems to work a bit, but it's not a miracle cure. I'd say it has a mild effect, although temporary at best.

 

[Ready]

Just wanted to report back in that my back is completely better today. I slept easily all night and today, no more ibuprofen, and no need for ice any more. I'm being very cautious with it for the day, but otherwise I have gone from back-pain Hades back to normal, and I am so glad. It really hurt a lot yesterday.

Thanks TromboneAl, RunningBum, and Moemg, for your help which really worked.

Glad to hear you're feeling better W2R!

I picked up a lower back massager when Costco was having their Black Friday sale. It was only $50 so I figured I would give it a try. Now I use it first thing every morning when I'm sitting at my desk using my computer. I look forward to getting up in the morning and getting my lower back massaged. Best $50 investment I've made in a long time. Maybe give it a try?

 

[garyt]

DH and I were supposed to take a beginners lesson yesterday for pickleball. Rained, so we didn't go. Maybe I'll rethink this. I had both knees replaced in 2016.

Don't give up. Pickleball isn't that strenuous. Unless you're totally out of shape. there is a lot of bending reaching for low shots which could cause problems if you're not flexible.

 

[W2R]

Glad to hear you're feeling better W2R!

I picked up a lower back massager when Costco was having their Black Friday sale. It was only $50 so I figured I would give it a try. Now I use it first thing every morning when I'm sitting at my desk using my computer. I look forward to getting up in the morning and getting my lower back massaged. Best $50 investment I've made in a long time. Maybe give it a try?

Sounds pleasant, although the only time I ever bought a back massager on Amazon it was too rough and painful for me and I ended up throwing it away. I'll look at them again. When I was in pain F asked me if I wanted him to massage my back, and I would not let him. I don't think that a massage would have helped the severe pain in my back during the past few days, and might have made it much worse, although I do enjoy massage when my back isn't hurting. Glad your massager is helping your back pain, though, and that most of your pain is gone by now!