Yep. It happens. We get older. Things don’t work like they used to. Muscles you didn’t know you had suddenly get angry. The little things we used to do easily now aren’t. Welcome to middle age. I hate to tell you that this will continue. No, actually it gets worse. That old saying, “you can have it all” is true, but only if followed by, “not all at once”. It seems to happen in stages. I always wondered why 65 is the age of retirement. I will be 66 in September and I don’t wonder anymore. While you lament the aging of your body, do look at the upsides too. With age comes wisdom, clarity and peace. Life is full of stages. Enjoy them as they come. Each has a purpose, and joy, as well as pain. Look for the upsides of your next segment of life. Everything you do changes you, so you won’t have the same thoughts and hence life you once wanted. Allow yourself to change, alas you have to. Maybe it will be a different adventure than you had planned, but it still will be an adventure.
Yep. The first time I had such a thing happen, I suddenly understood the meaning behind that Bette Midler song from 'Beaches' that my mom played incessantly in my childhood - "I've still got my health". It's something we don't adequately appreciate until we lose it (and as you say, that feeling of resulting vulnerability and panic is no fun). If you don't already travel with a lacrosse ball, that may be a useful tool. I found this online once when my back was out, and it has been a lifesaver. Caveat is see what your doc says, maybe yours is different, but sometimes when lower backs go out, it's tied to a giant muscle knot in the glutes that goes haywire. If you lie on your back with the lacrosse ball under the knot, sparingly at first but repeatedly over a day or two, it will work that muscle knot out, and voila, back problems dissipate. It's an easy tool to pack, so hoping this may be the type of back issue plaguing you, as it's somewhat easy to remedy if so.
I imagine you've already looked into this, but just in case I highly recommend reading "Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection" by Dr. John Sarno.
It's not necessarily age or injury that is determinant in causing this problem (even if they might both play a role). Especially if it's a condition that comes and goes so quickly, its very likely that there's a root cause in the emotional realm.
I had debilitating back pains in my late thirties and early forties when I was going through burnout (e.g. hospitalized-and-getting-MRIs kind of pain, laid out in bed for a couple of days, going to work on crutches). I thought it was due to an injury, but eventually learned that it was my body's way of sending me a message when I was stubbornly ignoring all the other ones it was sending me. Now, close to fifty, after changing my lifestyle completely, I rarely get any kind of back twinge unless I let myself get particularly stressed or overwhelmed.
Apparently, a lot of men express stress/emotional overwhelm through musculoskeletal pain (neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees), while women tend to have more internal expressions (digestive or reproductive system).
Hey Patrick, thanks for sharing your experience. Most of my incidents seem directly related to intense exercise, too much sitting, and sleeping on poor surfaces. But I'm open to thinking bigger! Can you tell me more about your new lifestyle? Feel free to email.
Yep. It happens. We get older. Things don’t work like they used to. Muscles you didn’t know you had suddenly get angry. The little things we used to do easily now aren’t. Welcome to middle age. I hate to tell you that this will continue. No, actually it gets worse. That old saying, “you can have it all” is true, but only if followed by, “not all at once”. It seems to happen in stages. I always wondered why 65 is the age of retirement. I will be 66 in September and I don’t wonder anymore. While you lament the aging of your body, do look at the upsides too. With age comes wisdom, clarity and peace. Life is full of stages. Enjoy them as they come. Each has a purpose, and joy, as well as pain. Look for the upsides of your next segment of life. Everything you do changes you, so you won’t have the same thoughts and hence life you once wanted. Allow yourself to change, alas you have to. Maybe it will be a different adventure than you had planned, but it still will be an adventure.
Yep. The first time I had such a thing happen, I suddenly understood the meaning behind that Bette Midler song from 'Beaches' that my mom played incessantly in my childhood - "I've still got my health". It's something we don't adequately appreciate until we lose it (and as you say, that feeling of resulting vulnerability and panic is no fun). If you don't already travel with a lacrosse ball, that may be a useful tool. I found this online once when my back was out, and it has been a lifesaver. Caveat is see what your doc says, maybe yours is different, but sometimes when lower backs go out, it's tied to a giant muscle knot in the glutes that goes haywire. If you lie on your back with the lacrosse ball under the knot, sparingly at first but repeatedly over a day or two, it will work that muscle knot out, and voila, back problems dissipate. It's an easy tool to pack, so hoping this may be the type of back issue plaguing you, as it's somewhat easy to remedy if so.
Sounds like a perfect addition to my traveling repertoire of PT tools—thanks!
I imagine you've already looked into this, but just in case I highly recommend reading "Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection" by Dr. John Sarno.
It's not necessarily age or injury that is determinant in causing this problem (even if they might both play a role). Especially if it's a condition that comes and goes so quickly, its very likely that there's a root cause in the emotional realm.
I had debilitating back pains in my late thirties and early forties when I was going through burnout (e.g. hospitalized-and-getting-MRIs kind of pain, laid out in bed for a couple of days, going to work on crutches). I thought it was due to an injury, but eventually learned that it was my body's way of sending me a message when I was stubbornly ignoring all the other ones it was sending me. Now, close to fifty, after changing my lifestyle completely, I rarely get any kind of back twinge unless I let myself get particularly stressed or overwhelmed.
Apparently, a lot of men express stress/emotional overwhelm through musculoskeletal pain (neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees), while women tend to have more internal expressions (digestive or reproductive system).
Hey Patrick, thanks for sharing your experience. Most of my incidents seem directly related to intense exercise, too much sitting, and sleeping on poor surfaces. But I'm open to thinking bigger! Can you tell me more about your new lifestyle? Feel free to email.