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Thread: Old man with old man problems.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Posts
    6

    Default Old man with old man problems.

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    Well maybe not that old at 63 but I have my issues.

    I fought leg pain mostly in the hamstrings for a couple years. The progression was told my doc during my physical. Got sent to a rheumatologist who said "I do too much for my age". Had a bi-lateral laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair shortly after returning to weights when the BS Covid restrictions were lifted. Next physical mentioned I still have the leg pain. Got sent to a neuro-muscular specialist. Had a full evaluation and came back for a EMG test. Basically was told that I was doing too much, had the nerve response of a young man and was very strong. Also told that a MRI at my age would have findings but would not necessarily be my problem.

    What I do that has been labeled too much. I hike 3-5 miles in hilly terrain with my German Shepherd Dogs on weekdays, 5-7 miles on weekends, Strength Training in a local gym 4-5 days a week. Then I'm still working in medical field service 40 hours a week.

    My wife got on the cancer train and I put myself on the back burner. When things slowed down for her I decided that I would go straight to a neurosurgeon I know to be excellent. I called the office and was asked, "do you have imaging? People generally come with imaging". I said, "No. Can you get me imaging"?
    So off I went to the local radiology office for x-rays and a MRI. The results were not encouraging.

    FINDINGS
    For purposes of this dictation, it is assumed that there are 5 non-rib-bearing, lumbar-type vertebrae, and the most caudal fully segmented lumbar vertebra is labeled L5.. Transitional vertebral body of S1 which is lumbarized. A rudimentary disc at S1-S2.

    The lumbar spine demonstrates minimal grade 1 anterolisthesis of L4 on L5 likely related to degenerative changes. Vertebral bodies are normal in height.. Heterogeneous marrow signal. Small hemangioma at the posterior L4 vertebral body. Intervertebral
    discs are mildly decreased in height and signal intensity.

    The conus medullaris terminates at a normal level and the nerve roots of the cauda equina appear normal. The included paraspinal soft tissues and retroperitoneal structures are grossly normal.

    Evaluation of the individual levels demonstrates:

    L1-2: Unremarkable

    L2-3: Bilateral facet degenerative changes without a significant spinal canal stenosis, minimal bilateral neural foraminal narrowing.

    L3-4: Disc bulge and bilateral facet degenerative changes contributing to mild spinal canal stenosis and mild bilateral neural foraminal narrowing.

    L4-5: Mild grade 1 anterolisthesis with uncovering disc and bilateral facet degenerative changes, joint effusion in the left facet joint, and thickened ligamenta flava contributing to severe spinal canal stenosis, moderate right mild left neural
    foraminal narrowing.

    L5-S1: Disc bulge with a small subarticular disc protrusion and bilateral facet degenerative changes contributing to mild spinal canal stenosis and mild bilateral neural foraminal narrowing.

    IMPRESSION:
    1.Transitional vertebral body with S1 is lumbarized.
    2. Degenerative changes of the lumbar spine most prominent at L4-5 level.


    So the neurosurgeon recommended I stay away from surgery for as long as possible. (I liked that! A guy who makes his living with surgery recommending I don't get surgery.) He said at my age I would need a second surgery due to the spinal dynamics changes from a fusion in approximately 10 years. He suggested facet injections. I was all set to give the facet ablation a try and a friend suggested I try his chiropractor. The chiro asked me to hold off on the injections and I did. I went to the chiro for a solid 3 months 3 times a week. Honestly I don't think the chiro made any difference.

    The spinal injections/ nerve ablation idea worries me. If I were feeling much better would I overdo it and really hurt my self?

    What's interesting about my condition is walking/hiking is perfect, no issues. Standing still can be agony when things are not good.

    So here I am doing most everything I want to do but I have times where my low back and legs feel like hell. I have to keep my feet together and on the bench when bench pressing the pain is too much to put them on the floor. I've worked my way up to squatting sets of 5 with 225 and deadlifting 250 for 5 reps. In both cases I know I can do more but I am AFRAID I will exceed the amount that will blow something out. So I gradually and slowly increase the weight.

    When I squat I feel sciatica type pain in my left leg only on the way down and it's not that bad. I'm fine on the way up and I will frequently do paused squats to try and up the intensity. Frequently when I rack the bar the weight load coming off me will trigger my legs to hurt. Sitting and bending forward is the magic fix. Perhaps it opens up the inner vertebral spaces.

    What I have found is that deadlifts after squats kind of balances me out. The pulling feels like it counteracts the stress I received squatting. I generally feel much better after the deadlifts as compared to before.

    I'm going to keep at it for as long as I can. I feel that if I don't I'll end up as a basket case. Lately during the extreme heat and humidity I have not been hiking as much because the dogs just don't tolerate the heat well.

    I wish there was a magic pill I could take.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Posts
    37

    Default It’s no longer training or “maintenance,” it’s all . . .

    I’ve never met anyone in their 60’s without some pretty serious issues. I’m two years older.

    You’ve lifted on your own for years, right? Well, it’s time to find a way to start working with an SSC on a regular or at least almost-regular basis. You’ll be astonished. Because of the fear of blowing something out that you’ve expressed, I bet that one of the things that’ll astonish is just how much you’ll learn despite your years of experience.

    Lifting heavy at our age is no longer training or “maintenance,” it’s all re-hab and pre-hab. And a good SSC is close to a magic pill.

    Post your height and weight? And more detail about your training history? Do you have the wherewithal to immerse yourself in perfecting your technique for a year or 18 months to see if prioritizing adding weight to the bar helps with your issues? A gradual increase to well-performed 310 lbs. squats and 380 lbs. deadlifts couldn’t hurt. And the extra time lifting and recovering in the day-to-day it’ll take will save those poor dogs some wear and tear on their hips for when you retire from your work and start running them ragged.

    Good luck.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Chandler, AZ
    Posts
    935

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill G View Post
    Lifting heavy at our age is no longer training or “maintenance,” it’s all re-hab and pre-hab. And a good SSC is close to a magic pill.
    I beg to differ (not the SSC part, though, of course), and here's a list of 215 gentlemen who agree with me: Open Powerlifting 2022 US Men 60-69, Full Power, by Dots.
    Yeah, that's me at number 27.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Posts
    6

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill G View Post
    I’ve never met anyone in their 60’s without some pretty serious issues. I’m two years older.

    You’ve lifted on your own for years, right? Well, it’s time to find a way to start working with an SSC on a regular or at least almost-regular basis. You’ll be astonished. Because of the fear of blowing something out that you’ve expressed, I bet that one of the things that’ll astonish is just how much you’ll learn despite your years of experience.

    Lifting heavy at our age is no longer training or “maintenance,” it’s all re-hab and pre-hab. And a good SSC is close to a magic pill.

    Post your height and weight? And more detail about your training history? Do you have the wherewithal to immerse yourself in perfecting your technique for a year or 18 months to see if prioritizing adding weight to the bar helps with your issues? A gradual increase to well-performed 310 lbs. squats and 380 lbs. deadlifts couldn’t hurt. And the extra time lifting and recovering in the day-to-day it’ll take will save those poor dogs some wear and tear on their hips for when you retire from your work and start running them ragged.

    Good luck.
    Yup been lifting/ training on my own for 50 years. There were a few intermissions in there due to life/school/kids. I did the bodybuilding routine for most of my 20’s, 30’s & 40’s. 20’s into 30’s I became a bicycle road racing nut. I had the leg strength to smoke most everyone but the upper body burden on hills. Still I just loved being out on the road and the wind in my hair, when I had it.

    Currently I’m hovering between 190-195 and was formerly 5’ 9”. My Dr now says I’m 5’ 8.5”.

    Being an engineer I tend to study most things including the “blue book” and have I pretty good idea of how lifts are supposed to be performed. Not trying to say I couldn’t benefit from some coaching but I think I doing a decent job. I get awful tempted to help others when I see what they are doing in the gym but I mind my own business.

    Most of my workout these days consists of the primary lifts Bench, Press, Low Bar Squat, Deadlift. I mix in pull-ups, walking lunges with weight and some curls. When I squat it’s a methodical progression of bar, 95, 115, 135, 155, 185. Then depending on how m feeling I will go up from there. I know it sounds like over the top warmups but for me it’s what I’m comfortable with to tests the waters each and every time. Squats on this past Friday gave me one of those scary twinges in my low back first time in months. Interestingly it always happens on the way down. I stopped squatting when it happened.

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