My body has lost resiliency, injuries piling up

[Hot Sauce]

Right now I have the following injuries to:

My achilles, likely tendonitis for a year (from basketball, landed awkwardly)
My rotator cuff, for 2-3 months (from tennis, happened in one session)
My wrist, for 2-3 months (not sure what it's from)
My knee, likely tendonitis, for 5 months (snowboarding, landing a jump)
My ankle, for a week, (slap shot to the ankle)

And they're all just piling up. When I was younger my body was so resilient, I could get injured and be fine in a couple days or a week. But now, every injury or ache that I feel lasts much much longer. I'm still young, why is this happening?

I've done physio, I've iced, I've taken ibuprofen, I've worn braces, I've rested.

But these injuries just won't go away. Could there be something more general that is responsible for all of these injuries? Could I have injury prone tendons, or something to do with my blood, possibly? I don't know. What kind of tests can I do to diagnose the underlying cause, if there is one, to my injuries?

All responses are appreciated.

 

[Swissv2]

You must understand the direct cause of your injuries to get your answer. If you push yourself too hard in your sports, the chance of injury increases. If you cannot answer why or how you got injured, then you need to consider reducing the amount of intensive sports you participate in, be highly aware of your circumstances, and allow your body more time to heal in between injuries

 

[Moz]

It could be due to muscle imbalances.

I suggest you go to a really good physio who has a machine that can measure muscle imbalances. They will also be able to check range of motion etc.

 

[plasma]

I'm quite sure that a slap shot to the ankle is not psych0-sematic or casued by "muscle imbalance" or a limited range of motion...but who knows???? Doctors and therapists love folk$ like you.
,I'm sure you could find books and therapists that say that a slapshot to the ankle was casued by deep repressed childhood trauma...

Hot Sauce-Hey doc I got a slap shot to the ankle I can barely walk what do you reccomend???

Holistic Therapi$t- " Ohm, Hotsause, you are obviously not in touch with you inner child, let me asses you for muscle imbalance$. Oh MY! that looks like ten session$ at least...let's check that range of motion before getting you in the foot bath"

I got your "range of motion" right here....
Hope you are a man of your word, Sauce, and do appreciate all honest responses, not trying to be insulting, as insulting a hockey player is obviously NOT smart, but hey man...lay off the "sauce". The underlying cause of a slapshot to the ankle is...a slapshot to the ankle....
doesn't sound like you are abnormally slow in recovering from what you do...

 

[acehole]

my advice. osteo biflex. no good telling you to slow down. just like me. i have torn meniscus in both knees, issues with both ankles, one ruptured and two herniated disks, and then about a half dozen smaller problems. i just keep going. osteo biflex is about a miracle. i can walk and run because of it. from what you describe, it may work wonders for you. try some and in about 2 weeks, give an update.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

^ Which version of Osteo Bi-Flex do you use?

 

[Kobble]

Same **** with me. I used to do sissy squats and marathon workouts when I was a kid. After more than 5 years away from doing bodyweight squats with the knees over the toes, I tried it, and now I seem to have joint mice. Unreal.

 

[acehole]

^ Which version of Osteo Bi-Flex do you use?

i would guess its the basic recipe. it says msm, joint shield, and 5-loxin on the bottle.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Ah, nature's cruel joke. No matter how well you keep your body in shape, it's the joints that are going to betray you as you age. You can keep your various muscles strong and keep you cardio-vascular system in top form but the joints are going to be the wink links -- they just wear out as you get older.

I'm in the same boat as you -- chronic pain & inflammation -- rotator cuff, both knees, some elbow issues, lower back and hip issues, right heel and Achilles tendon, & shin splints. A lot of old injuries have come back to haunt me irecently. I've had one issue after another since my early 40s. When I hit my mid-50s (a couple of years ago), a lot of these issues have returned and won't go away. Some ofhtese issues are from older trauma as well -- injuries sustained in my 20s and 30s.

I've made a change recently that has helped quite a bit with a lot of the lower back & other lower body issues. A few days ago, a physical trainer suggested that I use arch supports to minimize the shin splints. I had already been using heel pads and very good athletic shoes that provide excellent support. And yet, the arch support orthotics made a significant difference. My arthritic knees are still a problem, but the shin splints, lower back pain, hip pain and ankle/foot problems have all subsided quite a bit. I'm hoping that the knee issues will also lessen in time as well.

You might want to visit a foot specialist and see if custom orthotics or off-the-shelf orthotics (such as the arch supports I mentioned above) will help witha lot of the lower body issues. The other thing that I plan to do is to cut back on my court time (tennis, badminton, volleyball) a bit And spend a bit more time in the gym instead doing more low-impact cardio work -- not as much fun, but undoubtedly much better for my joints.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

Same **** with me. I used to do sissy squats and marathon workouts when I was a kid. After more than 5 years away from doing bodyweight squats with the knees over the toes, I tried it, and now I seem to have joint mice. Unreal.

I had joint mice in my knees as well more than 8 years ago. After a little more than 6 months, the problem went away & has not (yet) returned. Perhaps some of my countermeasures have helped. Then again, it could be that the "mice" have just worked themselves into parts of my knee that do not interfere with my knee function any longer.

 

[Hot Sauce]

I'm quite sure that a slap shot to the ankle is not psych0-sematic or casued by "muscle imbalance" or a limited range of motion...but who knows???? Doctors and therapists love folk$ like you.
,I'm sure you could find books and therapists that say that a slapshot to the ankle was casued by deep repressed childhood trauma...

Hot Sauce-Hey doc I got a slap shot to the ankle I can barely walk what do you reccomend???

Holistic Therapi$t- " Ohm, Hotsause, you are obviously not in touch with you inner child, let me asses you for muscle imbalance$. Oh MY! that looks like ten session$ at least...let's check that range of motion before getting you in the foot bath"

I got your "range of motion" right here....
Hope you are a man of your word, Sauce, and do appreciate all honest responses, not trying to be insulting, as insulting a hockey player is obviously NOT smart, but hey man...lay off the "sauce". The underlying cause of a slapshot to the ankle is...a slapshot to the ankle....
doesn't sound like you are abnormally slow in recovering from what you do...

The slap shot was recent, only last week, and I wasn't expecting it to heal immediately. The main reason why I feel frustrated and as if all my injuries are piling up is because they aren't healing. They aren't feeling better. They've plateau'd (aside from the ankle, which has only been a week). What use is resting and giving the injuries time if they are not healing? In fact they even feel worse on some days, days when I'm not even doing any exercise.

On another note, I don't see what led you to make those conclusions about me. Is physio not normal? Is it not normal to be concerned when your injuries aren't healing after a significant amount of time? As much as I appreciate your response, I don't think it was very logical to make those prejudice conclusions.

I don't feel as if I'm doing extreme sports, or wrecklessly putting my body on the line. I don't know anyone with as many injuries stacking up as me, and I don't do half the dangerous activities they do. Nobody around me, including family and friends see my injuries as normal for the things that I do. It's almost as if I'd appreciated a clean broken bone, followed by a clean heal.

Ah, nature's cruel joke. No matter how well you keep your body in shape, it's the joints that are going to betray you as you age. You can keep your various muscles strong and keep you cardio-vascular system in top form but the joints are going to be the wink links -- they just wear out as you get older.

I'm in the same boat as you -- chronic pain & inflammation -- rotator cuff, both knees, some elbow issues, lower back and hip issues, right heel and Achilles tendon, & shin splints. A lot of old injuries have come back to haunt me irecently. I've had one issue after another since my early 40s. When I hit my mid-50s (a couple of years ago), a lot of these issues have returned and won't go away. Some ofhtese issues are from older trauma as well -- injuries sustained in my 20s and 30s.

I've made a change recently that has helped quite a bit with a lot of the lower back & other lower body issues. A few days ago, a physical trainer suggested that I use arch supports to minimize the shin splints. I had already been using heel pads and very good athletic shoes that provide excellent support. And yet, the arch support orthotics made a significant difference. My arthritic knees are still a problem, but the shin splints, lower back pain, hip pain and ankle/foot problems have all subsided quite a bit. I'm hoping that the knee issues will also lessen in time as well.

You might want to visit a foot specialist and see if custom orthotics or off-the-shelf orthotics (such as the arch supports I mentioned above) will help witha lot of the lower body issues. The other thing that I plan to do is to cut back on my court time (tennis, badminton, volleyball) a bit And spend a bit more time in the gym instead doing more low-impact cardio work -- not as much fun, but undoubtedly much better for my joints.

I'm sorry to hear about your injuries. I'm still very young though, so I feel as if I should at least see some healing over time, but my injuries have plateau'd. I've had custom orthotics for about a year, I got them when I suffered the achilles tendonitis.

I've limited my sports to once (hockey) or occasionally twice a week (tennis), with weightlifting about 3 times a week. I haven't done any leg work because my knee wont allow it. When I bend my knee with weight on it, it clicks, and feels like somethings grinding. Yes, painful.

 

[chess9]

If you have access to medical care, I've heard some rumors that there are these people who actually go to school to learn how the body works and they prescribe physical therapy and medicines. Very few of them do so on the internet. )

We are a weak weak weak substitute for the genuine article.

-Robert

 

[Hot Sauce]

Oh hey, c'mon, there are some very knowledgeable posters here, including YOU! Experience is knowledge.

 

[chess9]

Oh hey, c'mon, there are some very knowledgeable posters here, including YOU! Experience is knowledge.

I was kidding you, but you don't mention any doctors, so I'm wondering if you are like I was when I was your age? "Go to the doctor? It's just a broken leg!" The last time I went to a hospital I went unconscious. That's usually the only way I'll go. But, I'm improving. I do go to the doctor occasionally now, and the VA hospital where I see my doctors.

-Robert

 

[Hot Sauce]

I've been to my family doctor for all of my injuries, but I feel like he's telling me the same thing. Ice, rest, and ibuprofen for 2 weeks to a month and if it's not better then come back. Then when I go back he just recommends me to physio, which hasn't been working. Now I've been waiting for some months for my appointment at a sports clinic about half an hour away, but I'm not sure what to expect. More physio?

 

[chess9]

You probably need about 6 months of rest, with a side order of double doses of sex.

-Robert