Joys of old age.....

[LeeD]

Hi guys....
Just got back from an attempt at gardening.
Boy, it's heck to grow old!
Yesterday, while sitting on the stairs and bending sideways to chip, sand, tape ,prime, and paint baseboards on the side of the stairway, my lower back went pop hi, went out just above the left hip.
Debilitating, to say the least, that lower back thing.
Impossible to reach my feet, so shoes are out.
Stairways upward is a real challenge.
Sitting requires good posture.
Volkswagon doors are the ultimate challenge, as they weigh a ton, swing really wide to the final catch, the other's worthless, and swing back in a gust of wind to really bite the hand that feeds it.
Shifting a 6 speed is basically torture.
Did I mention the challenge just getting in and out?
Second back pull this year, but his one on the left side.

 

[winstonlim8]

I sympathise 100%. Chronologically I'm 55 but physically, I usually feel 75 because of all the aches and pains I've been living with since I was 20.

 

[drak]

I sympathise 100%. Chronologically I'm 55 but physically, I usually feel 75 because of all the aches and pains I've been living with since I was 20.

LOL I hear ya, been prepping my house for sale, doing things like scrapping and sanding an old deck and redoing kitchen countertop/cabinets and lots of yard cleanup - all that bending really irritates my back!

 

[LeeD]

Thanks guys.
I"m just waiting for a fellow TW guy to challenge my assertion that I can serve 100mph and play at 4.0 levels...
I think, right now, 3.0 and 40 mph is about the best I can manage.

 

[onehandbh]

If you don't already, make sure you stretch your hamstrings, quads, and
glutes a few times a week after you are warm from exercise, etc.

I've found having tight hamstrings makes your lower back more vulnerable.
Push comes to shove, the smaller muscles usually give way first.
In bending movements, if your hamstring's tight, then something else
may give -- like your lower back.

 

[dman72]

I screwed myself up for a couple of weeks putting together a power rack in my garage.....there was a lot of squatting and kneeling and bending over while holding up the friggin thing (says you need 2 people to put it together, I did it myself).

For 2 weeks afterwards I had this knot in my lower back/right hip area that was causing enough pain to wake me up at night.

Hang in there man.

 

[mikeler]

Back pain sucks, sorry to hear that.

 

[LeeD]

Thanks guys.
I did it helping out in the house, something I hate to do, but need to, since g/f bought this fixer upper.
Twisting and me don't mix, especially twisting only to the left, while sitting down on the stairs, lower body facing down the stairs, upper body twisted facing left and a little back.
It usually goes away in a week or so.
Nows the ideal time for 3.5's to challenge me to a tennis match.

 

[movdqa]

I've been there but not in a long time.

Yes, getting in and out of cars with back pain is a *itch.

 

[LeeD]

GTI's gotta be one of the toughest.
That door is HEAVY. That landing is low. Seems I park either uphill or on a wrong slanted street, against the wind every time.
The two intermediate catchs barely work in ideal conditions, and usually allow the door to blow back into the hand that feeds it.
Once inside, the seatbelts are almost behind me, on my bad left twisting side.
Then, it's a 6 speed!
Whine whine whine.
I tried to move my Ford Van across the street. It's easy to climb into, the doors stay open, the opening is huge, the seatbelt to my side, the seats comfy and soft, the darn van won't start!

 

[LuckyR]

Been there, did that as far as low back pain is concerned. I didn' think you were that vulnerable to it since, in my experience, tall guys are more susceptible to it.

Good luck and work your abs (and stretch your back) after you get over it.

 

[comeback]

LeeD, i struggled with serious back pain for many years until i discovered this great system http://www.foundationtraining.com/
..look it over. There are also videos on utube. But it really healed me and gave me a stronger back permanently.

 

[movdqa]

You need a minivan.

My procedure for getting into a car. Back into it straight, grab the handle above the window and pivot on the seat. Reverse to get out. Fewer problems than trying to do it in a combined motion.

 

[LeeD]

Our shared VWEuroVan has seats just the right height, so I can slide right in and out.
Doors are heavy, but it's an auto, thank god.

 

[Nostradamus]

is there a way to avoid this back going out ? possibly wear a brace with all activities ? and how old are you ? when should we expect this type of event starting to occur ?

 

[OTMPut]

Get well soon LeeD.

 

[movdqa]

I drove manuals for 20 years and then decided to go auto as I had knee issues from time to time and I had to drive in more congested conditions and automatics got better and better. It is a natural progression.

 

[OTMPut]

We all have something to aspire to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGgoCm1hofM

And LeeD, no way you are old!

 

[LeeD]

Hi guys...
I think I'm old because my body is worn out from too much trauma thru my fun years.
Besides playing contact and collision sports, I've crashed my roadrace bikes at least 8 times going over 35mph, once over 100.
I raced motocross for 5years, mostly 40 races each year, plus the twice a week practice.
Windsurfing took over from motocross, but I was always one of the highest jumpers in any body of water with wind.
I don't LOOK 65, but my ankles, knees, where all the pins were inserted, my rotator cuffs, clavicals (4 breaks), fingers (3 pins inserted in ONE pinkie, while two other ring fingers have one pin each), and at least 4 real concussions causing walkabouts for up to 3 days.
Today, managed to drive the GTI to the courts, watching my bud's play tennis, and answering innumerible questions why I'm not playing......
Space between the bucket seat edges to the roof of the door is excessively low!

 

[Nostradamus]

Hi guys...
I think I'm old because my body is worn out from too much trauma thru my fun years.
Besides playing contact and collision sports, I've crashed my roadrace bikes at least 8 times going over 35mph, once over 100.
I raced motocross for 5years, mostly 40 races each year, plus the twice a week practice.
Windsurfing took over from motocross, but I was always one of the highest jumpers in any body of water with wind.
I don't LOOK 65, but my ankles, knees, where all the pins were inserted, my rotator cuffs, clavicals (4 breaks), fingers (3 pins inserted in ONE pinkie, while two other ring fingers have one pin each), and at least 4 real concussions causing walkabouts for up to 3 days.
Today, managed to drive the GTI to the courts, watching my bud's play tennis, and answering innumerible questions why I'm not playing......
Space between the bucket seat edges to the roof of the door is excessively low!

so that saying by USTA that tennis is sport for lifetime and you can play til you are 85 years of age is a big LIE.

 

[OTMPut]

so that saying by USTA that tennis is sport for lifetime and you can play til you are 85 years of age is a big LIE.

No, it is not a lie.

http://www.itftennis.com/seniors/world-individual-championships/super-seniors/overview.aspx

If you do not take care of yourself by eating properly and exercising purposefully, a lot of other activities apart from tennis will be out of reach beyond 50.

 

[goober]

so that saying by USTA that tennis is sport for lifetime and you can play til you are 85 years of age is a big LIE.

I have never heard that comment with respect 85 year age range. At that age I would just be happy walking without difficulty.

I certainly have seen many people in their 70's playing. The average lifespan is 78 in the US so I don't think the claim is unreasonable. When I see the comment something is a sport of a lifetime I take it to mean is very possible to play in your advanced years not that you are guaranteed to be able play.

 

[Steady Eddy]

so that saying by USTA that tennis is sport for lifetime and you can play til you are 85 years of age is a big LIE.

In the past month I've played doubles against 3 different guys in their 80's. Two were 80, the other 82. They're limited in their mobility but do very well with the balls they can reach. At any rate, I'm wouldn't say that a person can play golf a lot longer than tennis.

 

[movdqa]

I played a guy in his late 70s or early 80s two months ago. He uses an APD and hits a topspin forehand and can serve and volley. He's in good shape and fairly thin. They guy he plays with all the time is heavy, slices everything and won't go after the ball if it's placed well. I hit with a guy in his 90s when I was a kid. He walked very, very slowly and chopped everything with a short stroke and I often thought that he would die on the court. He lived very close to our local public courts.

So yes, you can play tennis to a ripe, old age. If you've been rough on your body, or if there were circumstances beyond your control, then it can be hard to play. Of course the medical industry is getting better and better at spare parts.

 

[SteveI]

No, it is not a lie.

http://www.itftennis.com/seniors/world-individual-championships/super-seniors/overview.aspx

If you do not take care of yourself by eating properly and exercising purposefully, a lot of other activities apart from tennis will be out of reach beyond 50.

The thing is...it is not the age it is the mileage. As in LeeDs case, I have been playing all sorts of sports since I was very young. Body parts wear out. If you did not play much in your early years you will have much more left to give in your later years. It is just common sense. Of course, eating properly and exercising purposefully will help you extend your playing days. Tennis is not really a sport for life.. it is BS. Tennis is one of the worst sports on the planet for your body. It tears you to pieces bit by bit... Walking and swimming are sport / exercises for life.

I coach a ton of HS and Juniors and I can tell you many of them will not be playing for a life time. The modern game and strokes are much worse than the classic game to be sure and they will feel the impact much sooner than us older set.

Most of the older folks I know that are playing late into life have picked up the game later in life.

 

[Dan.Levy82]

On rather soft clay and lawn you can play your whole life. Hard court not so much.

 

[movdqa]

I have a friend that retired last year and he has a nice home with a clay tennis court in the woods. He plays as much as the weather allows.

 

[RajS]

@LeeD: Jesus, man, take it easy for a while! Just reading about your exploits makes me ache all over... At 58, I feel like I am used up sometimes, especially after playing a young rabbit, and nursing a stiff back and wobbly knees, but I can't imagine how you manage to do what you do! Please take care of yourself.

@SteveI: I agree, but I believe tennis can be a lifetime sport if one plays for fun and lives well within one's capabilities. After all, most of us don't make a living winning tournaments, and so it is really not worth being competitive to the point of abusing the body to extreme limits like the professionals do.

 

[SteveI]

@LeeD: Jesus, man, take it easy for a while! Just reading about your exploits makes me ache all over... At 58, I feel like I am used up sometimes, especially after playing a young rabbit, and nursing a stiff back and wobbly knees, but I can't imagine how you manage to do what you do! Please take care of yourself.

@SteveI: I agree, but I believe tennis can be a lifetime sport if one plays for fun and lives well within one's capabilities. After all, most of us don't make a living winning tournaments, and so it is really not worth being competitive to the point of abusing the body to extreme limits like the professionals do.

This is the key point:

"I believe tennis can be a lifetime sport if one plays for fun and lives well within one's capabilities"

 

[comeback]

The thing is...it is not the age it is the mileage. As in LeeDs case, I have been playing all sorts of sports since I was very young. Body parts wear out. If you did not play much in your early years you will have much more left to give in your later years. It is just common sense. Of course, eating properly and exercising purposefully will help you extend your playing days. Tennis is not really a sport for life.. it is BS. Tennis is one of the worst sports on the planet for your body. It tears you to pieces bit by bit... Walking and swimming are sport / exercises for life.

I coach a ton of HS and Juniors and I can tell you many of them will not be playing for a life time. The modern game and strokes are much worse than the classic game to be sure and they will feel the impact much sooner than us older set.
Most of the older folks I know that are playing late into life have picked up the game later in life.

Agree wholeheartedly Steve, tennis for a lifetime is a myth..Seeing guys 80+ on a USTA advertisement is BS..Yes there are some but they don't show you the broken down ones..I plan to be the exception. At 63 i have dedicated my life to diet, recovery, flexibility, fitness and insulating my body from injuries by doing and planning my competitive tennis very carefully. Since i have a fitness backround i have an advantage. But it's still a crapshoot, i could blow my knee out tomorrow. Pickleball, racketball or paddletennis is a lot better as you get older. Luckily i'm a dancer so i have my backup plan in place, and that is still not easy on the body.

 

[movdqa]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/24/centenarians-attitude-lifestyle/8048923/