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How do you minimize chronic aches and pains?

Started by EOTE, February 14, 2020, 11:42:41 PM

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EOTE

A lot of us on this forum are "older and (hopefully) wiser" and life has taken a toll on our bodies where we wake up each morning feeling like the tin man after a major rain storm or worse that King Kong did a tap dance on us the night before. We have to get out the oil can (medications and/or dietary supplements) and lubricate all the joints to drive away the rust (i.e. aches and pains).  So I was curious what others are doing or taking to minimize the effects of joint stiffness or chronic pain so we can go about our daily lives?

My story is that when I was young and foolish I used to jump motorcycles (think Evel Knievel style) which had a major effect on my back, knees, and hips.  On top of this my father owned an office supply and furniture store where I worked after school.  I always thought I was invincible and had to drag 400 pound desks up 4 flights of stairs by myself.  By the time I was 19, I had constant back pain and my hip joints would pop out without warning, leaving me doing a face plant.  By the time I was 21 I was working as a diesel mechanic and over the next ten years had a few work related back injuries as well as developing repetitive motion injuries.  This has followed me all of my life and now I wake up in the mornings and my back or hips will tell me "hey, you remember that time you jumped your motorcycle off that cliff?  I'm here to remind you of how much fun it was!"

So over the years I have begun taking various supplements like MSM, Chondroitin, Glucosamine, and fish oil as a way to deal with the chronic pains.  When things get really bad, I throw in a couple of Advil.  I've found that without the daily intake of these supplements I would feel literally crippled and unable to function normally.  I remember once I stopped taking MSM and after about a week I couldn't even walk a block without my hips and knees being in excruciating pain.  I do try to minimize the use of pain killers like Advil because I am concerned about the effect it could have on my liver and kidneys but as time goes on and with all the work I am doing to build our retirement dream home there are times I can't function very well without the pain killers.  Fortunately all my vitals are excellent and are the best they have been in 40 years so health-wise I am ok.  

Another thing I am encountering is leg and muscle cramps.  Certain activities bring on the muscle cramping faster than other things like climbing ladders a lot, or kneeling work.  Fortunately, I have been able to minimize the cramps with the regular use of magnesium malate/citrate and sometimes potassium supplements.  I also found these incredible natural remedy pills on the big A store that stop the cramps within minutes when they become severe.  

Oh, and what did my doctor recommend?  Oxycontin.  I tried it for a while but gave it up after reading about all the negative effects.
EOTE (End of the Earth - i.e. last place on the road in the middle of nowhere)  Retired.  Old guys rule!
Buzz Lightsaw, 12 Mexicans, and lots of Guy Toys

doc henderson

calcium carbonate (tums) will stop cramps too.  I like you used to take Advil for all the aches and pains.  now I take 4 pills maybe 2 or 3 times a year.  I used to tell the neighbor, who had been a mechanic his whole life, " it will be a sad day for your family when all your aches and pains finally go away!"
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

Ed_K

 Before I got cancer I used tyelonal quick release sometimes 2 at a time this was for 10 yrs before. You can take up to 6k mg no more than that a day. I didn't have any problems kidneys or liver damage. I did have problems with kidney stones but I believe that was from having Multiple Meyloma which dissolves the calcium in the bones and the kidneys grew the stones. But the Drs. I've asked this question all said "never heard of such a thing".
 Along with the supplements try eating pickles during the day or 2 Tbl spoons of vinegar mixed with 6 ounces of  water just as soon as you get a cramp.
Ed K

square1

Low impact & isometric type exercise targeting the area that is aching. Problem is I'm having to add new exercises frequently  ;)

doc henderson

@Ed_K recent recommendations for Tylenol (acetaminophen)  is no more than 4,000 mg or 4 g (same thing)  It is for sure toxic at levels of 10 g a day.  so 2 of the extra strength every 6 hours, or 2 regular strength every 4 hours.  Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen)  can be 800 mg (4 over the counter tabs)  every 6 hours.  You have to be careful if you are on ACE inhibitors and if you have kidney insufficiency.  we all loose 1% of our kidney function per year after age 40.  so if you are 80 and on an ACE, and you take a normal dose of ibuprofen, you could wind up in renal failure in a few days.
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

Ed_K

 The 6'000 mg is what my primary care Dr. at the time 15yrs ago I think said to take. 6 or more hours between doses. 4'000 is better as less is better. I've been on lots of high power pain meds since being diagnosed with the cancer and I'm trying hard to lower the doses, at times I can totally stop the 2 low power meds with just taking the tyelonal. I can't take ibuprofen because of the myeloma.
Ed K

Nebraska

Fish oil, trying to avoid gluten and milk proteins(it really seemed to help me I'm not perfect with it) and yoga ddp. Keep moving!

Magicman

The simple answer is Clean Living.

Avoid it at all cost!!   ::)
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EOTE

Quote from: Magicman on February 15, 2020, 09:22:24 AM
The simple answer is Clean Living.

Avoid it at all cost!!   ::)
I think that's what I did...and it caught up with me.  :D
EOTE (End of the Earth - i.e. last place on the road in the middle of nowhere)  Retired.  Old guys rule!
Buzz Lightsaw, 12 Mexicans, and lots of Guy Toys

Sedgehammer

Good question, I'm still searching. I take several ttpes of pain killers. All script based. Over counter no matter the dose is like pissing in the wind. Where i'm lucky i guess is i do have have an extremely high pain tolerance, so i've learnt to just accept it as my new normal and get on with life as best as I can. Got 2 little kids, so that hurts more, but also helps as it forces me to try and stay more mobile then I would otherwise most likely. 
Necessity is the engine of drive

doc henderson

I think we learn to tolerate it.  I would much rather put a central line in an 80 year old lady than a teenage boy.  It is a 4 inch long needle going into the neck or under the clavicle or into the groin and pointed to the heart.  got the picture.  Little old ladies say things like, "so how many kids do you have Doctor".  tough.
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

Old Greenhorn

You're not kidding DOc. I had a few I treated that SHOULD have been screaming in pain, one I recall with a shattered hip. As we were getting her in a scoop stretcher and onto a back board, she said to me "Now don't hurt your back lifting me young man, I couldn't live with that!" I was 55 at the time.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

Southside

Break something really, really, painful, makes the daily aches and pains rather insignificant.  
Franklin buncher and skidder
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Old Greenhorn

Been meaning to chime in here since yesterday. I too suffered from the 'getting older' stuff. Many, sometimes most, mornings I felt like I had to re-assemble my bones when I got out of bed. Lots of injuries over the decades were adding up. Last December ('18 ) I hurt myself running the mill, nothing special, but the pain was unbearable and I could barely walk with assistance. I finally broke down and asked friends to suggest a chiropractor. Dear friends gave me a name and said they thought 'he would be a good fit for me'. I had no idea what that meant, but I was in agony. I went, he fixed me, over a period of weeks and months. Turns out, he used to do construction, but his back problems took him out of the game and he began to study how to ease his own pain, eventually working through message therapist and becoming a Chiropractor (and a few other things I don't understand). This guy has found and fixed, or at least adjusted injuries from 30 or more years ago. I thought I would have to just live with it, but I have learned different. Now I just go once a month fro 'balancing things out' because I still do dumb stuff. These days I never have to think about getting out of bed carefully, I just bounce up. I have not felt this good or pain free in a couple of decades. I used to take Advil like candy, nearly every day. Now a small bottle lasts me 2 months or more. When I do over-stress my back I am usually back to normal by the next morning whereas before I could count on a few weeks of pain.
 He always asks what I am working on and wants to come spend a day helping with the mill. Tells me I am in better shape than almost all of his patients my age. I asked if he realized I was 32 years old. :D
 Anyway, this is what worked for me. 
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

jb616

I also agree that regular visits to a chiropractor are beneficial if you want to minimize medications.  Once I got straightened out, i have a 1x a month "tuneup" visit. Another important thing is stretching. I stretch everything from my ankles to my neck every day. 

Onthesauk

I remember my Dad telling me, "You're Swedish, it's suppose to hurt."

John Deere 3038E
Sukuki LT-F500

Don't attribute irritating behavior to malevolence when mere stupidity will suffice as an explanation.

EOTE

Something I have been dealing with is leg cramps, particularly at night after a hard day's work.  I was able to mitigate it somewhat by taking a magnesium supplement.  I have tried magnesium oxide, magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate, and magnesium malate with magnesium malate being the most effective.  I have also supplemented it with a potassium supplement.  I found for almost foolproof and immediate relief that Hyland's Leg Cramps tablets stop the cramps.  However, they don't eliminate them for the rest of the night.

Most of the difficulty of preventing the cramps I think was my regimen of taking the supplements after the end of the day.  Yesterday, I decided to try something different as I was faced with digging out 80' of trench 2' deep in hot sunny weather (90's).  This is assuredly a recipe for leg cramps at night.  What I changed was to take the magnesium and potassium supplements during the day at intervals (3 times) with my normal hydration.  (I went through a gallon and a half of water because I sweat like crazy in the heat).  I also took my supplements before bed.  I was pleasantly surprised that I had no leg cramps last night and slept pretty well to boot.  I am going to implement this regimen from now on.

I am sharing this because it worked for me.  Doc probably should weigh in from his perspective but hopefully if you're plagued with leg cramps at night this might be a solution that could work for you.
EOTE (End of the Earth - i.e. last place on the road in the middle of nowhere)  Retired.  Old guys rule!
Buzz Lightsaw, 12 Mexicans, and lots of Guy Toys

red

When I woke up at night with leg cramps pickle juice would stop them ASAP.  Do some research on pickle juice and athletes. 
Honor the Fallen Thank the Living

EOTE

Quote from: red on June 04, 2020, 10:52:36 AM
When I woke up at night with leg cramps pickle juice would stop them ASAP.  Do some research on pickle juice and athletes.
Wow!  I never stop learning something new.  You are right!  There are several significant studies on how pickle juice works to relieve muscle cramps .  Who would have thought?  I may have to give that a try as well.  Vlasic here I come! :D
It now begs the question that if I substitute the pickles for the pickle juice and add a cheeseburger with all the other condiments for a midnight snack if I will even get leg cramps. :D :D :D
Thank you for the pickle juice suggestion.
EOTE (End of the Earth - i.e. last place on the road in the middle of nowhere)  Retired.  Old guys rule!
Buzz Lightsaw, 12 Mexicans, and lots of Guy Toys

btulloh

Quote from: EOTE on June 04, 2020, 11:16:40 AMIt now begs the question that if I substitute the pickles for the pickle juice and add a cheeseburger with all the other condiments for a midnight snack if I will even get leg cramps. Thank you for the pickle juice suggestion.


That and a cold Lone Star will certainly achieve the same or better results.  :D

Good luck and keep us posted.  Nobody wants leg cramps in the middle of the night.
HM126

Sedgehammer

Quote from: btulloh on June 04, 2020, 12:21:32 PM
That and a cold Lone Star will certainly achieve the same or better results.  :D

Good luck and keep us posted.  Nobody wants leg cramps in the middle of the night.


This is my preferred and it may just depend on what those leg cramps are from.... thumbs-up
Necessity is the engine of drive

sawguy21

I wake up with leg cramps if I don't stay adequately hydrated, man do those things hurt. Otherwise it is extra strength Tylenol to control the effects of aging, I don't like it but that's the reality. Losing weight has really helped too but this Covid thing sure hasn't been beneficial as outdoor activity has been seriously curtailed.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

scsmith42

Re aches and pains, my wife is a believer in CBD oil. It worked well for her when she had shingles, and she started giving it to our older dogs when they were in obvious muscle and joint distress. It clearly Provides relief for them. 

Quality varies amongst manufacturers.  She likes the products from John Lyons.
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and a mix of log handling heavy equipment.

sawguy21

My wife tried CBD oil, it was the only thing that relieved her pain but she didn't react well, felt loopy.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

Raider Bill

Quote from: sawguy21 on June 04, 2020, 02:44:16 PM
My wife tried CBD oil, it was the only thing that relieved her pain but she didn't react well, felt loopy.
You sure that was CBD oil? :D
The First 70 years of childhood is always the hardest.

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