My bod is falling apart - need advice :-)

S

SRP

Cathlete
Well, I haven't been around here much in a while, so let me first apologize by barging back in with a big, long post. :rolleyes: I'll try to keep it as concise as possible.

I consistently get lower body injuries - one heals, another one crops up, and lately I've been dealing with more than one at a time. Torn calf muscle, strained knee, pulled quad.... and on and on. I'm also extremely prone to tendonitis in my arms and wrists if I lift too heavy. Fortunately THAT is easy to avoid. :D

I've been to doctors, including and orthopedist, and in fact just visited the ortho for a followup on my calf problem. It was torn two years ago but suddenly recurred - it was strained, not torn, but I have no idea why so I went back to see him. He gave me no useful info at all, and I'm currently ticked off at all doctors. :mad: But that's another (very long) story.

Anyhow, to get to the point, I've come to the realization that it's totally up to me to find a way through this. I don't know why I'm so prone to injury. I'm pretty much middle of the road when it comes to exercise. I like a good hard workout, but for instance, I don't do stuff like Insanity. Heck, I don't even do Imaxes anymore because the plyo/jumping causes problems.

I have an elliptical and an incline trainer (utterly cool!), and I'm focusing on a lot of low impact cardio now. I stretch every day, warm up properly, etc. I think I eat a balanced diet, and it's usually fairly clean.

What I'm hoping to find here is maybe some insight, or some other stories from any of you who have run up against similar situations. You work out to stay fit, strong and healthy, you're careful and sensible, but the injuries still come. Is there anybody out there?

Thanks!
 
Hey Shannon--we've missed you! :) And I'm right there with you.

Do you think most of these injuries are caused by high impact? I had an ah-ha moment at the RT when I found doing high impact on a real aerobics floor made a world of difference. I had rubber puzzle mats on my concrete basement floor, & they were killing me. Killing me. The main problem has been my feet--serious pain within about 5 minutes of starting.

So I put carpet padding down & Tileflex flooring over that. It's helped tremendously. I still have some discomfort, but it's not painful the way it was w/the concrete.

If high impact isn't the problem, I have no advice, but I do have empathy.
 
Hey Laura -
Gee, you missed me? Thanks! :eek: And thanks for the empathy too.

I don't honestly know if high impact is to blame or not, but there's a good chance. I have tile floors on concrete slab. I put puzzle mats over those. But here's the kicker. I have to exercise in my living room - that's the only space I have. I pick up the puzzle mats after every workout. So putting down a real workout floor isn't really an option.

But I do have those two exercise machines. The elliptical is no impact, and I use the incline trainer for walking with steep incline - no running - so that's low impact. I'm cutting out step for a while to see if that helps. I miss it already!

I sure am glad you found a solution for your feet!
 
Shannon - I went through a similar phase several years ago when dealing with my knee injury, a bad back, which kinda exacerbated some other stuff. I was constantly feeling "tweaked" somewhere.

Anyway, during that time I got some exposure to some rather "old school" theories regarding training and injury. For instance, training with whole body exercise as opposed isolation moves, free weights instead of machines, full squats/butt below parallel as opposed to the partial squats (this one was huge for me)...you get the idea.

Another thing I got religion on was exercise frequency and recovery. Trying to workout six days a week was not doing a thing for me physically or mentally. I've since backed down around four days (sometimes 3, sometimes 5). The rest days in between make my training sooooo much better.

I know you don't want to hear about doctors, but I also started seeing a chiro & occupational therapist during this time that have helped me a lot.

I hope this helps. Every path will be different, but I've been there, too. :)
 
Gayle - thanks a lot!

Talk to me about those full squats. I've been doing squats with the ball between me and the wall forever now, not even partial bb squats, because I simply cannot keep my stupid knee in proper alignment and it gets sore. Drives me nuts.

I've read a lot about whole body exercises too - do you have any good sites or books, etc. to recommend?

And oh yes, I've cut back on my workouts, too. Right now I do cardio 3x/week, weights 2x. I take one day totally off, and on one day during the weekend, I like to go for a nice walk outside. It can be kind of long, but it's not intense. I just walk to walk. I'm LOVING that.

I'm glad you found your way out of this phase!
 
Of course I miss you Shannon! You & Christine (andtckroo), for some reason I always associated you two with each other. :)

Sorry about the step. I just don't know what I'd do without my step routines. :confused:
 
I'm really, really hoping that after a break that I'll be able to get back into step. I probably won't do it as often though.
 
Hi Shannon - Here's a little more to my squat story. For the past 20 years I've been doing partial squats (squatting to parallel and higher) because I was told that deep squats were bad. Well, the truth is that the partial squat only engages *some* of the leg muscles and is particularly quad-centric and hamstring-weak. So my years and years of squatting left me significant muscle imbalances between my quads (too strong) and hamstrings (too weak), as well as IT band and general hip tightness. All of which culminated in a nice ACL tear.

In Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe, he talks about how PROPERLY squatting low (butt below the knees) actually engages ALL the muscles of the posterior chain, so you don't end up with muscle imbalances.

I didn't start doing this until after my knee surgery, and I can honestly say that squatting low has had ZERO negative effect on my knees...in fact they feel stronger than ever...and I'm totally back into my mogul skis. :D

Getting low took time. I squatted a long time with no weight (an air squat with proper form is all good) and had to work on improving flexibility in my hips, hamstrings and ankles. If you have trouble with your knee tracking properly, work slowly and deliberately.

For books and sites, I really like Starting Strength. Rippetoe covers a ton about the mechanics of squatting as well as the deadlift, bench and power clean. He also talks about the benefits of full body movements as opposed to isolation. I also subscribe to the CrossFit Journal http://journal.crossfit.com/. It's $25 per year, but you get full access to all of the back issues and articles, as well as lecture videos. I think it's a fabulous resource. If you browse their site, there are a number of articles and snippets of videos that you can view for free.

John Gilson at againfaster.com has a whole slew of really nice Mic'd Instructor videos that are worth a look. http://www.againfaster.com/the-micd-instructor/

Here's a link to his "Fixing the Squat" - http://www.againfaster.com/the-micd-instructor/2008/4/19/fixing-the-squat.html

I know I've encountered more good stuff on blogs and other CrossFit sites, but I can't recall them now. I'll post some more when I find them.

After my surgery, I started dabbling with CrossFit (and still do it), which is all about using full body movements. From there I also got interested in kettlebell training, and more recently powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting (I never in a million years thought I'd get into that!). So a lot of my resources come from those kinds of places.

Hope this helps! :)

ETA - Good short article -
Training May Curb Some Sports Injuries In Women - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93309486
 
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Shannon, Hi

I, too, am trying to find the right balance.

I am recovering from a yet to be diagnosed ankle/shin malady. Being sidelined was, at first, very frustrating. I was impatient to get back at it.

I had a cross over moment where I realized it wasn't about getting back at it so I could burn calories or lose a few pounds, it was because I enjoyed it so much, it benefited all areas of my life. When I realized that - I relaxed - I knew I would be re-engaging running, lifting, biking soon..and. it wasn't to lost to me.

I have started swimming. Like you mentioned, I also have started looking at whole body exercises. I especially like Scott Sonnon Rmax here is the link: http://www.rmaxinternational.com/home/mambo/index.php

I feel like I have hamstring weakness too which may have contributed to calf issues which lead to tendinitis issues....blah blah blah...so I found Gayle's post very very interesting, I watched the whole video and looking for more.

I'll echo what Gayle said - the body needs plenty of rest and recovery. If we were training with a coach, they would make us rest! When I get back to running I am going to schedule in a week off or two here and there and make myself take a break so that I am not forced to take a break!
 
I agree with the above comments, but wanted to add....

I am training for a half marathon and have been struggling with pain during/after running. After many doctors (general, sports med, etc) I ended up with an AMAZING physical therapist. I feel like a new woman and my running is better than ever. Give some thought to consulting with a sports med specialist or a PT.
 
SRP said:
Well, I haven't been around here much in a while, so let me first apologize by barging back in with a big, long post. :rolleyes: I'll try to keep it as concise as possible.

I consistently get lower body injuries - one heals, another one crops up, and lately I've been dealing with more than one at a time. Torn calf muscle, strained knee, pulled quad.... and on and on. I'm also extremely prone to tendonitis in my arms and wrists if I lift too heavy. Fortunately THAT is easy to avoid. :D

I've been to doctors, including and orthopedist, and in fact just visited the ortho for a followup on my calf problem. It was torn two years ago but suddenly recurred - it was strained, not torn, but I have no idea why so I went back to see him. He gave me no useful info at all, and I'm currently ticked off at all doctors. :mad: But that's another (very long) story.

Anyhow, to get to the point, I've come to the realization that it's totally up to me to find a way through this. I don't know why I'm so prone to injury. I'm pretty much middle of the road when it comes to exercise. I like a good hard workout, but for instance, I don't do stuff like Insanity. Heck, I don't even do Imaxes anymore because the plyo/jumping causes problems.

I have an elliptical and an incline trainer (utterly cool!), and I'm focusing on a lot of low impact cardio now. I stretch every day, warm up properly, etc. I think I eat a balanced diet, and it's usually fairly clean.

What I'm hoping to find here is maybe some insight, or some other stories from any of you who have run up against similar situations. You work out to stay fit, strong and healthy, you're careful and sensible, but the injuries still come. Is there anybody out there?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I am in a similar situation myself. I have Loose Ligements naturally/Genetically which leads to plenty of problems within itself. I also had a tendon condition known as Plica in both knees requiring surgery to have them and part of the tendons around the inner knee removed. I have mass cartalige loss in one knee from the pressure the PLica put on my knees. I was also involved in 2 accidents in my early 20s that left me with chronic bursitis in 4 locations in my hips as well as 2 places in my low back. I also dislocated my hips and had a bulging disc in my back that is now pretty much back to normal. I though am left with a very weak core including the hips, which along with shoulder and knee issues, leave sme with a lot of pain. Being 27 (next week) it is very difficult to find ways to stay in shape when you have to guard more closely against injury compared to the "normal" person.

I lost a lot of my physical fitness and gained some weight over the summer due to being down from from knees both before and after knee surgery; I have another in December. My game plan is to no longer do hard or hardcore workouts and that really hits hard at my collection of Cathe. Step Aerobics is very hard on my body now as is heavy lifting thanks to shoulder problems and Bicep Tendonitis that is caused. I stay active around the house doing a lot of yard work and walking. I do intermediate in level workouts, some of Cathe's beginner workouts, and stick to low to lower impact DVDs. Gilad, Debra Mazda, and Prevention Fitness are some of my staples now. It's sad because there was a time when I was doing BM2; I was in pain, but I could make it and then some stamina-wise. Now, a 30 min moderate cardio kicks my butt.

I say listen to your body. If you find a workout that adds to the pressure or pain, don't use it. As you get stronger, try it again, but never force yourself to use it or finish it if it bothers you. If you can't do step with risers, take them out. Swimming is great if you have acess to a pool. I find that pretty much any activity causes some discomfort or even down-right pain. When I learn what ones are painful, I get rid of them and stick to the lower-pain workouts. Yoga, denise austin, stretching (Stretch Max), ect are good. I do my workouts to get mobile as it helps with keeping the pain down, but I surely will never be an Advanced Exerciser again. I just have too many issues that present themselves constantly regardless of the precautions that I take.

I wish you much luck!
 
I agree with CollinsMom about seeing a PT or sports medicine therapist. You may have an undiagnosed muscle imbalance. Weak muscles or overly tight muscles, especially in the core region (psoas, spinal erectors, rectus abdominis, hips), can cause your whole body to be pulled out of balance, causing recurring injuries. An expert can help figure these things out and get you strengthening the parts that are weak & stretching the parts that are too tight.
 
Is there any chance you are taking a statin drug for high cholesterol?? My DH started experiencing similar injuries to yours and they were determined to be side-effects from his use of statins. His sister had similar issues - so severe that she was in need of a cane to even walk!!
 
Some ideas

Have you seen a good physical therapist? It sounds like you have a muscle imbalance. Also, this may sound a little weird but there are runners who run bare foot because they found that shoes created problems. Have you ever tried hula? Its done bare foot and is low impact, I don't know if that would bother your knees/ankles.

You might want to be sure you are getting enough good fats. Lipids are what act like shock absorbers in the body for your joints. I'm sorry you have been getting injuries.
 
Hey Miss Shannon! Great to see you!

You already know how I feel, but I'm in a snarky mood, so here comes another post that no one wants to hear.

When my friend and I were younger, we both belonged to the gym. She used to go every day, run on the TM, and take lots of high impact aerobic classes. I would come in when I felt like it and walk on the TM (aerobically, of course). My friend was rather impressed with herself and used to make fun of me for being such a weanie. Well, one day she injured the ball of her foot, and couldn't work out for several months. I kept walking. Gradually, as she aged she dealt with more and more injuries. I kept walking. Today, we are both 53 years old. She's got all kinds of injuries and recently had back surgery. She's obese and has high blood pressure and her doctor has been reading her the riot act.

I've added the elliptical, still think exercise is fun, have a BMI of 19 and am in perfect health.

She hasn't called me a wuss in years. :D Moral of the story: dare to be a wuss and don't get caught up in the insanity (or should I say Insanity with a capital "I"?)

HTH. Sending lots of injury healing vibes your way!
 
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Nancy,

I absolutely loved your post! Sounds like the tortoise and the hare.:D Thanks for making my night.
 
Hi everyone!

Sorry it's taken me so long to respond to all your great posts. I was gone for a three-day weekend. :D Thanks a bunch!

I'm still working on revising my workouts. Overall, I feel pretty good about the changes I'm making. I've also pulled out the book "Frame Work," by Dr. Nicholas DiNubile. Some of you may remember discussions on it a while back. Anyhow, it's got some fitness/flexibility tests that are rather humbling. :confused: I think that in some areas, I'm going to to back and start from the ground up. Your posts will help a lot.

Gayle - I'm going to check out every single one of your links. Thanks for such a detailed and informative post. It'll tell ya, I'm a bit of a chicken when it comes to those full squats, but I trust you! I'll be very, very careful... I've explored CrossFit in the past and it never really appealed to me. But I think I'll take another look, since things have definitely changed. Thanks for the reminder.

Janis - I agree 100% with your "crossover moment." That's pretty much where I am, too. Thanks for the Rmax link - I'll check it out.

CollinsMom and Stebby - Right now I dread the thought of trying to track down any sort of specialist. Sigh. But honestly, I would love it if I could find a sports med specialist who actually wanted to take the time, instead of just taking my money!

Nancy - woman, I loved your post! I envy the people who can keep on doing high impact because I love it, but I think I'm in the same boat as your friend. Grrrr. Anyhow, I'm really working on my walking. Ever tried an Incline Trainer? Coolest things since sliced bread.
 
SRP said:
Gayle - I'm going to check out every single one of your links. Thanks for such a detailed and informative post. It'll tell ya, I'm a bit of a chicken when it comes to those full squats, but I trust you! I'll be very, very careful... I've explored CrossFit in the past and it never really appealed to me. But I think I'll take another look, since things have definitely changed. Thanks for the reminder.
Click to expand...

Shannon - If you decide to subscribe to the CF Journal, check out the stuff written by Kelly Starrett. He's a physical therapist and owner of San Francisco CrossFit. He does a bunch of lectures on injury and rehab and has a 3-part series on knee problems, as well as some other fabulous lectures on shoulder, midline stability, tissue healing, acute injuries, etc.

Snippets from some of his lectures are available on the CF site, you just need to search his name on the page. http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/excercise.html

I also agree with others about a good sports specialist...if you're up to it. ;)

Good luck!
 
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