myiW Current Conditions and Forecasts Community Forums Buy and Sell Services
 
Hi guest · myAccount · Log in
 SearchSearch   ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   RegisterRegister 
The Ecstasy and the Agony
Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    iWindsurf Community Forum Index -> Windsurfing Discussion
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
pobey



Joined: 10 Jan 2010
Posts: 4
Location: Culver City

PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:49 am    Post subject: The Ecstasy and the Agony Reply with quote

So we all have had our day (or days) of Pleasure. Then comes the Morning After.

Personally, I've tackled rib cracks, tendonitis, tennis elbow, golfers elbow, putting out my lower back, putting out my upper back...
and the Physical Therapy ("Are you STILL windsurfing?", asks the doctor, accusingly, when the Physical Therapy, for some unknown reason, is not working.)

Question is...what do you guys do for the pain?
The constant pain that comes day after day.
The pain that makes you feel 100 years old (although a 100 year old may actually feel better than me)
The pain that makes you wonder if you are a masochist in denial.

There is the god, Ibuprofen, but, alas, I must reject him due to protests by my Stomach.
I have tried Stretching.
I have tried contrast baths.
I have tried amino acids.
I haven't tried anything mildly illegal...but those substances probably do the best job.

Sometimes, lying in bed, I dream of windsurfing an entire week.
Then I try to roll out of bed.

I have read heated debates about wrong technique causing pain, wrong choice of harness causing pain...basically, if you get on the board and have pain, you are doing something wrong.
Is this Truth?

It is a rigorous sport, I love it,
but any suggestions on dealing with the body pain?...besides beer...and other things that I should not mention.

One day I wish to windsurf an entire week...and still be able to walk.
(Actually, when in pain, I find windsurfing less painful than walking...)

Thank you all!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
cgoudie1



Joined: 10 Apr 2006
Posts: 2597
Location: Killer Sturgeon Cove

PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 12:59 pm    Post subject: Re: The Ecstasy and the Agony Reply with quote

Well, you do everything else that can be done first, you stretch, you
strengthen, you go through analgesics and then nsaids
(and then maybe saids) and continue for many years after
you should, you get nerve blocks, multiple surgeries, you replace
joints, and then ........you take narcotics, when that stops working,
then you are going to have to quite the sport.

The doctor who rebuilt my low back used to tell me,
"dope is the only hope", he was a kick ass sports medicine surgeon,
and has been dead for about 10 years now. I'm still windsurfing.

-Craig

pobey wrote:
So we all have had our day (or days) of Pleasure. Then comes the Morning After.

Personally, I've tackled rib cracks, tendonitis, tennis elbow, golfers elbow, putting out my lower back, putting out my upper back...
and the Physical Therapy ("Are you STILL windsurfing?", asks the doctor, accusingly, when the Physical Therapy, for some unknown reason, is not working.)

Question is...what do you guys do for the pain?
The constant pain that comes day after day.
The pain that makes you feel 100 years old (although a 100 year old may actually feel better than me)
The pain that makes you wonder if you are a masochist in denial.

There is the god, Ibuprofen, but, alas, I must reject him due to protests by my Stomach.
I have tried Stretching.
I have tried contrast baths.
I have tried amino acids.
I haven't tried anything mildly illegal...but those substances probably do the best job.

Sometimes, lying in bed, I dream of windsurfing an entire week.
Then I try to roll out of bed.

I have read heated debates about wrong technique causing pain, wrong choice of harness causing pain...basically, if you get on the board and have pain, you are doing something wrong.
Is this Truth?

It is a rigorous sport, I love it,
but any suggestions on dealing with the body pain?...besides beer...and other things that I should not mention.

One day I wish to windsurf an entire week...and still be able to walk.
(Actually, when in pain, I find windsurfing less painful than walking...)

Thank you all!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
mchaco1



Joined: 08 Sep 2010
Posts: 645

PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 1:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The best cure for me is regular sailng, Ive gone 7 days straight so far and your body adjusts..or course age plays a part, but it probably just takes longer to adjust when your older. After about the 5th day I could probably keep going for weeks. Going all out one day at a time and then resting back to normal will leave you getting beat every time. Any working out that you do off the water is a big plus, specifically core and upper body exercises. And technique is important, using the harness as completely as possible makes all the difference.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
coachg



Joined: 10 Sep 2000
Posts: 3549

PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 1:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not a doctor, but I think the first thing you need to do is see a doctor to determine if you are hurt or injured. If you are hurt you just have to find a way to deal with the pain, if you are injured you need to get the injury treated.

Bad technique may speed up the occurrence of the pain but even with good technique repeated motions without proper rest can cause pain. So obviously better technique can help, but so can cross training. One suggestion is to do something other than windsurfing every day or try varying your sailing sessions by changing the type of sailing you do. Bump & jump one day, rig small & freestyle the next.

As far as supplements or medication to take for chronic pain, good luck with that. There are a lot of experts out there with tons of studies-research- that will tell you they have the answer, but the reality is every human body is different and nobody can be absolutely sure how supplements or drugs will affect every person, but since you are looking for suggestions here you can try glucosamine. It has done wonders for my ankle. I shattered my tibia & broke my fibula playing football. The injury required 5 hours of surgery where they had to reconstruct the tibia with a metal plate, screws & artificial bone paste of some type. This injury was obviously going to be a source of pain in my life so at the first sign of it I started taking glucosamine & my ankle has been pain free. Glucosamine may not be what has caused me to be pain fee and it may not work for you, but it may be worth a try.

Coachg
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 1:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

At 63, I definitely have my minor aches and pains after a good windsurfing session, particularly if I haven't sailed for a while, but it sounds like you're paying a much higher price. With regard to using an analgesic, I would recommend switching to an enteric coated aspirin. The enteric coating prevents the aspirin from breaking down in the stomach, and instead it's later broken down and absorbed in the small intestine. Normal aspirin irritates the hell out of my stomach, but I absolutely have no problem at all with enteric coated aspirin. I take one 325mg tablet every day for my heart health.

As far as using a harness, I would highly recommend using a seat harness, as it removes stresses on your back and allows you to control everything through the "seat of your pants", but it still allows you to readily maintain a 7 type stance. While I've never tried a waist harness, my first harness was a chest harness. It really screwed with me and left me with lots of lower back discomfort after sailing. A later change to a seat harness totally eliminated any problems with my back. Would a waist harness cause me any grief? I don't know, but I don't like the idea of being pitched or rag-dolled from the middle of my back. Moreover, I've known folks that use a waist harness and complain of back problems, so it's clear to me that some aren't well suited for that kind of harness.

Lastly, I would highly recommend using a Chinook winch to downhaul your sails. Use of a hand held downhaul tool of any kind really puts an incredible amount of stress on one side of your body and back. Back in the mid-90s I started having a big problem with my right hip area, and it was beginning to really cripple me. I ultimately found that the problem actually was originating from my back, even though I didn't have any evidence of back pain. At the time, I bought a "Rig-it-Right" downhaul tool and started using it religiously. Almost immediately, my hip pain disappeared.

Good luck in finding a workable solution to end your pain.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 2:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm also 63.
Pain. If you want to end it, just commit suicide. With pain, comes LIFE.
No pain, no living.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
wynsurfer



Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Posts: 940

PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 4:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm 60, and I have had to deal with pain most of my life, we all have at some time. Pain is our body's way of telling us we are doing something wrong. Lower back pain is a very common problem with winsurfers and I agree with the other poster in using a seat harness. I eventually ruptured the lower most disk and nothing gave me relief. Physical therapy wore off by the time I got home. I tried everything to no avail. The only drugs that would touch the pain were narcotics ,percoset. A friend of mine suggested I try accupuncture, I was skeptical, but was desperate, so I tried it. I would have tried anything at this point. It took a few treatments, and the Dr. I went to also gave me an herbal tea to drink. Gradually the pain got better and within a month I was out on the water again. I think many of the so called alternative health care practioners have much to offer, it is certainly much safer. A good friend, also a windsurfer, got addicted to narcotics because of his M.D. No hope without dope? I would steer clear of the drug route. Even changing your diet can have a dramatic difference on the ammount of pain you experience. If you have arthritis I recomend Dr. Stephen Sinatra's book "Arthritis Interupted". I had 5 degenerated disks in my spine, and was told " there is nothing that can be done, live with it" Today I have no pain in any of these 5 discs, they are healed, due to changes in diet and lifestyle.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 6:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote


_________________
K4 fins
4Boards....May the fours be with you

http://www.k4fins.com/fins.html
http://4boards.co.uk/
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
NOVAAN



Joined: 28 Sep 1994
Posts: 1544

PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 8:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey Guys,
I am 62 and like the rest of you have all the same pains. I started windsurfing in 1981. I have sailed almost everywhere. Loved to wave sail. In 1987 I broke my neck on a motor cycle. My family was told that I wouldn't live through the night. I did that but was told I would never walk again. I spent four months paralized from the neck down. For some reason, the big guy upstairs decided to let me get better. It was a very long recovery. I made it my goal to windsurf again. I hit the gym everyday to lift and work on flexibilty. Now I windsurf as much as the wind blows. I pick my spots to sail. Its all flat water. Places like Lake Lopez and South Padre Island. Its not waves but its still so much fun. I guess my point is be in shape to sail. Work out in the off season and be ready for that first big day. Use the pain killers if thats what it takes. I also find the more I windsurf the more I can windsurf. I spent July and August near lake Lopez in central Cal. I sailed 53 out of the 57 days I was there. Some all day sessions. At first it was pain killers hot tubs and beer. By the end of the trip I needed nothing before I sailed. That beer afterwards sure was good....
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
cgoudie1



Joined: 10 Apr 2006
Posts: 2597
Location: Killer Sturgeon Cove

PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yup, narcotics are bad, they are at the end of a very long road, but
if you live long enough (or continue performance sports long enough),
you get to the end of that road. I'm not advocating, just showing the
progression. By the time you're 95, the best blessing you can hope for
may be to be able to move well enough to mow your lawn. If you
get that far, narcotics may be a benefit. I've had a couple of doctors
tell me that (addiction aside) in moderation hydrocodone is easier on
my body than ibuprofin.

I'm younger than the rest of you codgers (56), but I'm with LeeD, life is
pain (especially in performance sports), if you get old, and you still
want your adrenaline jollies, then you'll just have to deal with it until the
rewards no longer offset the issues.

I tell my kids (and my grandkids) I'd rather live well, than live long.

-Craig



slinky wrote:
No hope without dope? I would steer clear of the drug route. Even changing your diet can have a dramatic difference on the ammount of pain you experience. If you have arthritis I recomend Dr. Stephen Sinatra's book "Arthritis Interupted". I had 5 degenerated disks in my spine, and was told " there is nothing that can be done, live with it" Today I have no pain in any of these 5 discs, they are healed, due to changes in diet and lifestyle.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    iWindsurf Community Forum Index -> Windsurfing Discussion All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6  Next
Page 1 of 6

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You can attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum

myiW | Weather | Community | Membership | Support | Log in
like us on facebook
© Copyright 1999-2007 WeatherFlow, Inc Contact Us Ad Marketplace

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group