Managing aches and pains

[LuckyDog]

I stretch and use an exercise roller
for about 15 minutes every morning. Also, I use Power Step insoles in my shoes. The insoles combined with the stretching keep the old back and knee problems at bay.

 

[akidagain2018]

Get to know a good physical therapist and massage therapist. Get work done, and learn everything you can from them. Stretching and strength training of weak muscles can help with many pains as one moves through middle age. It's not aways quick to heal, and diet, rest stress, I think all weigh in to it. I'm feeling healthier each day I get closer to pulling the plug to RE later this year. Any poor or deficient diet or sleep or stress we might have been able to overcome when we were younger, can be bigger stumbling blocks to feeling good and pain free as we age. Total bummer, but it beats giving into it.

 

[braumeister]

I won't run races or do long training runs with shoes over 300-400 miles, but I will do shorter runs with them for awhile longer. I feel like I can tell a difference between shoes with 400 miles and shoes with 25 miles. After that if I like them I will wear them around normal daily walking, even hiking as long as they feel ok. Possibly it's in my mind but since I've tracked shoes more closely I feel like I probably have fewer wear-and-tear issues.

Definitely not in your mind.
I've always tracked the mileage on my running shoes. Years ago, I could rarely get more than about 200 miles on a pair before starting to notice the loss of cushioning. More recent shoes have done much better, and I'm over 400 miles on my current pair. I think running shoe construction has just gotten much better in recent years.

 

[Jeffman52]

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.

My wife and I make a concoction every night about an hour before bed time.

Heat up 1.5 cup of milk (we use almond milk) to just hotter than luke warm.
Pour it into our vitamix blender
Add 2 teaspoons of tumeric, 1 tsp each of Ceylon Cinnamon, ginger, honey. then a pinch of black pepper.
Blend it for 20 seconds and pour that into two separate coffee cups.

Since we started this a few months ago we have noticed that we don't feel the need to take Advil and Aleve so often. But even better is that we have been sleeping much better. Could be the placebo effect but so far I think it does seem to have this benefit.

 

[Chuckanut]

My Italian friend recommended I try Voltaren when I hurt my ankle while in Italy. It certainly works for me, though it is inconvenient - it has to dry before being covered with clothing. Not a big deal. I’m amazed we can’t get this OTC in the USA. Given the small but real risks of oral Nacids, it seems a no brainer..

 

[JoeWras]

My Italian friend recommended I try Voltaren when I hurt my ankle while in Italy. It certainly works for me, though it is inconvenient - it has to dry before being covered with clothing. Not a big deal. I’m amazed we can’t get this OTC in the USA. Given the small but real risks of oral Nacids, it seems a no brainer..

Aspirin, Ibuprofen and Naprox seem to cause me no trouble.

But I tried Diclofenac (Voltaren) one time, and it rip my insides to shreds. I think that is why it is Rx. I never puke, but taking that stuff made me so nauseous it was ridiculous.

My doc always tries to push it on me when I have an ache or pain. I think he sees good results in his patients. I have to remind him that it didn't agree with me. He looks down at his laptop and says, "Oh yeah, I see that here..."

BTW, my father was a long time user of Voltaren and it worked well for him. Kept him going.

 

[FREE866]

Not sure if its been mentioned in this thread, but what has helped me immensely in the last year or two has been using the foam roller. Really can loosen up quads, hamstrings, help with posture, etc

 

[Music Lover]

I track my running mileage as best I can. I won't run races or do long training runs with shoes over 300-400 miles, but I will do shorter runs with them for awhile longer. I feel like I can tell a difference between shoes with 400 miles and shoes with 25 miles. After that if I like them I will wear them around normal daily walking, even hiking as long as they feel ok. Possibly it's in my mind but since I've tracked shoes more closely I feel like I probably have fewer wear-and-tear issues.

I think someone who is feeling foot, knee, hip or back aches and pains should try new shoes, and if that helps, start tracking your shoe usage and learn when you need to replace before those issues start up. If you don't have issues you can certainly go a lot longer. Harry Klugh is certainly one of those people who can wear shoes longer. I'm pretty sure that I am not.

When I ran I did the same with my runners...after about 400 miles then they became "walking around" shoes, then "cut the grass shoes". I rarely run these days but still buy quality running shoes as my every day walking around shoes.

 

[ls99]

My typical workout is 45 minutes to an hour 2 or 3x/week. I rarely have pains.

I never stretch unless fully warmed up. Meaning, about 10 to 15 minutes of various warmup moves, and just beginning to sweat. IMHO stretching unless warmed up tears things, thus causing pain.

Then I do falling techniques for another 5 or so minutes. Am a figure skater as well. I've done my routine for over 40 years.

 

[Chuckanut]

I hesitate a bit because medical products are often hard to recommend. One person finds them the Fountain of Youth and another person considers the same product a waste of good money. We are all different, toss in the placebo effect, and, as they say, YMMV.

As I've mentioned in other posts I am have had a bum knee for 40+ years and in the last 12 months it has gone over a cliff in terms of pain and interfering with my life. I am waiting for TKR (Total Knee Replacement) surgery this Summer. In the meantime I have to deal with everyday pain that is limiting to say the least.

Because of the problems involved with taking oral NSAIDs over a long period of time (digestive and heart issues) I looked for a topical cream that I could use to treat only the painful joint and not my entire body. I found two that work pretty well for me.

The first is Voltaren, a topical NSAID that is avaiable by Rx in the USA, but OTC in many countries. I used it while in Europe a few weeks ago and found it helpful. It allowed me to enjoy my trip with minimal interference from pain. A big tube that lasted me the entire trip was maybe $20 at a European pharmacy. Why this stuff is not available OTC in the USA is beyond me.

The other is something called Ted's Pain Cream. I was skeptical, but for $20 from Amazon, I thought, why not? No Rx needed. I am in the 3rd day of using it and it definitely helps me with the pain. It's based upon an interesting area of pain study that I have read about in regard to back pain (Our nervous system gets 'trained' to report more pain than we actually feel). It's not perfect and is certainly no substitute for a surgical fix, but anything that allows me to get out of the house and walk about is welcome.

My 2¢. YMMV.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I use a CBD ointment that has a small amount of thc in it. The pain goes away within minutes. It cost 40 and almost a year later I still have a third of the jar. I tried some without the thc and it didn’t work. It must be the combination of the two.

 

[W2R]

I hesitate a bit because medical products are often hard to recommend. One person finds them the Fountain of Youth and another person considers the same product a waste of good money. We are all different, and toss in the placebo effect, and, as they say, YMMV.

As I've mentioned in other posts I am have had a bum knee for 40+ years and in the last 12 months it has gone over a cliff in terms of pain and interfering with my life. I am waiting for TKR (Total Knee Replacement) surgery this Summer. In the meantime I have to deal with everyday pain that is limiting to say the least.

Because of the problems involved with taking oral NASIDs over a long period of time (digest and heart issues) I looked for a topical cream that I could use to treat only the painful joint and not my entire body. I found two that work pretty well for me.

The first is Voltaren, a topical NASID that is avaiable by Rx in the USA, but OTC in many countries. I used it while in Europe a few weeks ago and found it helpful. It allowed me to enjoy my trip with minimal interference from pain. A big tube that lasted me the entire trip was maybe $20 at a European pharmacy. Why this stuff is not available OTC in the USA is beyond me.

The other is something called Ted's Pain Cream. I was skeptical, but for $20 from Amazon, I thought, why not? No Rx needed. I am in the 3rd day of using it and it definitely helps me with the pain. It's based upon an interesting area of pain study that I have read about in regard to back pain (Our nervous system gets 'trained' to report more pain than we actually feel). It's not perfect and is certainly no substitute for a surgical fix, but anything that allows me to get out of the house and walk about is welcome.

My 2¢. YMMV.

Thanks! I bookmarked it.

The reviews on Amazon range from stellar to so-so. But, it might be worth trying anyway for $19 with Prime shipping.

 

[amandagreen]

Pain patch is my go-to option

Honestly, as someone said above, recommending medical products is always a challenge. But here's what works for me and I hope it works for you too:
Absorbine Jr. is a product that combines menthol and natural herbal ingredients, it really helps to bring temporary relief. Out of all the products I've tried, this one is by far my favorite.