Felt Strong in the Gym the Other DayI'm 72 years old and spend too much time sitting at the computer. I do exercise in the gym from two to four days a week (usually three), mostly on the treadmill, but also on a few upper-body weight training machines. The other day I was feeling particularly good, and said to myself "I can do more weight than I've been lifting," so I added 10 or 20 pounds and worked out on two or three different machines. At one point, lifting a particularly heavy weight in an uncomfortable position, I felt a little "crack-crack," sort of like the sound of cracking my knuckles, only deeper.Two days later it hit me -- pain under and around the shoulder blade, sometimes radiating around to the right side ribs. At its worst, taking a deep breath hurt, even swallowing, and sneezing!! It happened twice, and doubled me over. The worst effect is sleep-deprivation -- I'm getting by on a few hours here and there. I'm very conservative with the use of Tylenol, as I take several medications for various conditions related to aging, largely related to a minor heart problem (atrial fibrillation), mild hypertension and serious glaucoma. I'm now on day seven since the injury, day five of the pain, and living on hope that, as experience has taught me over the years, the body is pretty good at healing itself, and this will prove to be temporary. In the meantime, I plan to call my primary care physician today and ask if he could prescribe some temporary pain prescription that might help me get more sleep to aid the healing. I've had some serious surgeries in my life, and I don't plan to add another one. I'm doing my best to be patient and optimistic, which I believe to be a couple of the best universal "treatments" in the book. I found this site extremely supportive and helpful. Please wish me well (as I wish you well)! Thanks, Don Felt Strong in the Gym the Other Day to Back Pain 4/15/09 |
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