How do you minimize chronic aches and pains?

doc henderson · July 02, 2024, 03:49:13 PM

staying active, exercise, low impact if the joints are bad. swimming, aerobics, yoga, stretching. It is not only the aches and pains but being aware of your body. many falls are due to not picking our feet up. some exercise not only keeps the muscle strong, but bones and ligaments as well. and we practice doing stuff like picking up our feet and lifting in a controlled environment. Planet fitness should be free to anyone over 70. If a 20 something flirts with you, might make a good video!

JD Guy · July 02, 2024, 05:59:51 PM

I'm thankful that this thread resurfaced. I have had back problems that go all the way back to age 15. First incident was a football injury but naturally I played through it and also competed in other sports. Helped farmers during haying season by loading/unloading 70# bales for about $1 an hour

Fast forward and I've dealt with Stenosis and degenerative disc disease between L4-5 and L5-S1. Orthopedic surgeon wants to fuse doing two surgeries and if I understand him correctly would take a year or more to be completely healed. I'm trying to forgo that until there's no other alternative.

I've been on and off prescriptions for pain and couldn't stand the way they made me feel. I too take acetaminophen and it's a good thing I have a high threshold for pain

I'm still fairly active but slowly losing stamina at age 73. What is the thought about these CBD gummies, is this something safe or just marketing BS?

Any thoughts or input would be sincerely appreciated. Thanks

Old Greenhorn · July 02, 2024, 07:29:17 PM

JD Guy, I have had issues since I was about 17 (slow learner) and I know how tiring it gets to hear all the advice from well meaning folks, They mean well, but they don't understand. For me, as the years went by and I began to have 'little incidents' that would debilitate me for a few days at a time, or I needed a cane for assistance. It was not only painful, it was embarrassing. Then I really did it running my manual sawmill and 'something went'. That was a little scary, working alone down in the woods with no cell service. It took me 45 minutes to shut down the mill, get a cover on it, and drag my body into the Mule. The drive up the hill was agony and I nearly passed out but there was nobody to see me cry. I could not move. I needed two canes to get out of a chair. I was done.
So I bit the bullet and got references for a chiropractor that could tolerate me. Two close friends both recommended the same guy and one predicted we would become good friends, she was right. To make it a bit shorter he changed my life. He fixed my main issue over about a 3 month period with regular visits, then we went to monthly visits and over time he found and fixed injuries from decades ago that I had fully forgotten doing. Over time he has gotten me well balanced and now I only go for tune-ups every 6 weeks or so. My ability to recover and repair myself is better now than it has ever been in the past 30 years, which means serious injuries are getting further and further away from happening. Yes, I get sore, have pain and rarely need to call him for a fix, but it is really rare. When I do have overwork pain, as I do right now, it was usually heal within a day or two with just light work.
My whole point is, if you can find a guy who fits for you and can listen and help, it can make a WORLD of difference going forward. No it's not for everyone and I wonder how many folks have been as lucky as I to find the perfect person for me, but if you can do it you will be a happier person. I can't tell you how much it's meant for me. I am pretty sure I could not be doing what I am doing now without my chiro's magic hands.
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Now on the subject of these gummy things or CBD or whatever you call them, I am interested too. That pain I get before healing can take place is very distracting sometimes and if there is relief available I'd love to hear about it. Sometimes I wonder if I pop a little too much ibuprofen and a lot of times it doesn't do much.

Freedy201 · July 03, 2024, 05:19:35 AM

CBD works for me. It helps me minimize my chronic back pain. I appreciate that CBD is a natural option. I was worried about potential side effects from traditional pain medications, but CBD has been gentle on my system.

Releaf, the clinic from where I get my CBD oil, has top-notch products, and they helped me get started on it. The CBD oil doesn't completely eliminate my pain, but it makes it much more manageable. I can go about my day without constantly being distracted by discomfort.

NewYankeeSawmill · July 03, 2024, 06:55:21 AM

I recall Dad telling me the only thing "Golden" about the "Golden Years" is your pee!

I concur with a lot of the other people here, and have found a few of the same things work for me. I would suggest folks try looking harder at alternative solutions in general. I don't want to go off on a tangent about the medical field, but I do not carry a high opinion of most professionals today, many are just pill pushers. If you like and trust your Doctor, go with it, my experiences have been less than positive.

I have had good results with Chiropractic care, as well as CBD and THC for pain relief (limit my beer to Friday and Saturday, but those are the only nights I sleep, too). It's important one find a good Chiropractor however. Many will rip you off and have you coming back way more than needed. After several bad Chiro's, I went to a physical therapist who explained what was going on in my body to me far better. With his stretches and exercises I now only need Chiropractic once every few years when I get locked up. Learning to self-manage myself and my body has been huge. Likewise, being overweight (by more than a few pounds) has a significant compounding effect one doesn't always recognize. If we all dropped 30 lbs, a lot of these problems would get better! When I get the scale below 265, a lot of my aches and pains go away on their own for some reason...

Topical CBD/THC creams seem to work better for me at localized relief than ingesting. Gummies and a few toots are great for chronic all-over pain (only way I can sleep), but have found concentrated topical applications to be very highly effective for localized/joint pain. Some of the oily tincture CBD pain relievers I've tried work for hours, and don't upset my stomach like ibuprofin. I have a THC based cream that kills my cramped shoulder muscles in about 2 minutes. Amazing stuff. Can't believe they want to keep it illegal? Oh, yeah, big-pharma, nevermind...

I was complaining about aches and pains and the 90-dollar bottle of stuff GNC was selling me, and a friend turned me on to a nutritional supplement called "Immnuno150". https://immuno150.com/
I don't get any kickbacks or anything, but the aches and pains in my joints have nearly gone away. I still feel old and beat up, but the difference in how my joints felt was noticeable within 3 days of taking them. The sand grinding away in there was gone! I paused taking them while on vacation one time and within a week noticed aches and pains in my joints returning. It's about $50/bottle/month, which ain't cheap, but I was spending twice that on junk from GNC trying to avoid pain-pills, and it replaced my daily centrum multi-vit. Heck I'd be willing to ship someone a handful to try if you were really interested. If like me, you're at the point you're swallowing whatever the kid behind the counter at GNC tells you all the other old people come in to buy, it's worth your 50 bucks, I'm telling you.

- K

JD Guy · July 03, 2024, 11:24:46 AM

I sincerely appreciate all of the replies and suggestions.As for chiropractor I have done that many years ago until he honestly told me that what I had he could no longer help. I've had many multiple steroid injections over the years in the strategic areas done under fluoroscopy. Also a procedure that also under fluoroscopy is inserting a long needle and in six locations essentially cauterizing the nerves. It helps for about 6 months and during that time period you still have to be cautious that you are smart about your activities. I have been very happy with my care givers but still appreciate the wisdom of those who "share my pain".

Wlmedley · July 04, 2024, 01:57:43 PM

I've had a lot of trouble with my right shoulder for at least 15 years. Doctor sent me to a specialist and he said I needed a complete shoulder replacement but recommended that I wait as long as possible. Steroid shots didn't help and doctor put me on Diclofenac which I have been taking ever since. I can't raise my arm above shoulder level but besides that it really didn't hurt that much.In the last couple years it's got to the place I have trouble sleeping and I figured medicine wasn't doing anything so I quit taking it. After a couple days not only was my shoulder hurting but my wrists,knees,back and several other places. I decided it must be working after all and I still continue to take it even though I read it's hard on my liver.Doctor does regular blood work and says so far he doesn't see any problems.Would love to find an alternative that would help as I don't like setting around but if a fellow gets to hurting bad enough he doesn't have much choice.

Ed_K · July 07, 2024, 10:06:09 AM

I your under Va Healthcare don't try it as that will discontinue your Healthcare.
My NP literly told me to go to the gummies as that would help me to get off some of the pain killers, I'm at 40 mg's now. We ( Rita an I ) were shocked that the people at the cancer center would advise that.
The pain killers will at some time hurt my liver and kidney's, but what can you do. The Gov rules are the only rules and We can't afford all the things I need to keep me alive.
Y'all have a great day.

barbender · July 07, 2024, 04:26:16 PM

Greenhorn, the fact that you still put the cover on your mill when you had to drag yourself to the Mule does not speak well of how you value your body vs your machines😁😂

Old Greenhorn · July 07, 2024, 04:46:28 PM

Priorities man!

First, it was a habit, second, given my condition I had no idea when I could get back to the mill. That turned out to be accurate, and it was a couple of weeks before I could make it back down, even longer before I could work with it. I've had debilitating back issues before that took me down, but never like that. I thought I was 'done'.

barbender · July 08, 2024, 01:21:12 AM

I've watched others get shut down with back problems. A good friend of mine has been throwing his back out since he was 12-13 years old😬 So I am very thankful that I haven't had any back issues to speak of, although I do fear if I do something to my back it will be bad because I've never really had to protect it.

My issues have always been joints- knees, ankles, and wrists. I'm kinda put together like an old machine with really loose tolerances, and things pop loose a lot.

I've had a lame left leg for almost 2 years now. I couldn't figure out what the problem was, it wa just very weak. Then I got thinking it might be the statins I was prescribed about the time I started having leg issues. I dropped the statins, now after a year statin free my leg still isn't right. Now I'm thinking it's a circulation problem. Have any of you suffered from leg circulation issues?

Old Greenhorn · July 08, 2024, 06:38:28 AM

I have had a numbness/weakness problem in my left leg for about 8 months. Also felt like maybe circulation. I tried a few things, but to cut to the chase, it turned out to be my too thick wallet in that back left pocket. If I leave that out of my pocket for a few days, the issue goes away. So now I try to put it in the truck glove box when traveling or on my desk when home. It's only when I am sitting on it that it seems to matter, if standing or walking it's fine.
Probably not your issue, but I mention it, just in case. Cheap fix.

beenthere · July 08, 2024, 11:47:04 AM

Spend some of that $$$ and your leg will improve.

barbender · July 08, 2024, 11:58:36 AM

Thanks OG, I love a simple fix! Unfortunately, not only is my wallet thin, but it rides on the opposite cheek😁

I've noticed my leg feeling tingly if I stand in one place for too long, sometimes sitting in my skidsteer as well. I've also had bad varicose veins on that leg for a long time, probably 20 years now.

The weak leg led to a cascading effect. First, I injured that knee hiking out in the Bighorns. Then between the knee injury and weakness of the leg, I was favoring it so that I developed plantar fasciitis in my right heel. I was actually on crutches for a couple of weeks, that was my first experience with that. That was 2 years ago, I've had improvement but I'm not sure if it has gotten better, or I've just adapted to it.

At any rate, I quit taking the statin a year ago. My left leg has gotten strong enough that the plantar fascitis subsided in my right foot,but it's still not right. I'm having doubts that it was the statin, and has more to do with circulation.

Wlmedley · July 08, 2024, 01:13:27 PM

I agree with Tom about the billfold in the back pocket. It will cause a lot of trouble. I had to move mine to my front pocket.

doc henderson · July 08, 2024, 01:25:32 PM

Old age is universal and eventually fatal. We are all different in our response and side effects of medication and treatment. Our ailments are not all the same. Even if it is just placebo effect and others say it cannot work, who cares if you can afford it and it does not kill you early. I see my profession as giving advice, but I admit, I do not know everything.