Dodging aches and pains?

[northernone]

Interested in getting ideas how others have adapted their dive practices to accommodate the residual aches and pains.

I can still stagger into the water with a set of doubles on my back if needed, but for the rest of the week my back will remember I did it. Gearing up in the water saves me.

Wearing weights on my middle messes with my compacted spine, wearing ballast low and high on my body keeps the ache away. Also, spreading the weight as much as possible.

Still have some loss of flexibility
(Bedridden years ago and ineffective physio) back mount valve boom drill shutdowns are challenging (doable of I push) so I prefer mounting tanks upside down or sidemount/ belly bottle.

Not to say I don't pass a medical or I'm in bad shape, it's just some things that make my diving more comfortable. Anyone else?

Hoping to pick up a few good ideas or something I can keep in the back of my mind.

Cheers,
Cameron

 

[lowviz]

I can speak to that concern.

First, let's put HIPPA aside for this thread. In the 80's I hammered the hell out of my spine in a parachuting accident. Collapsed T2, totally got away with it. But now the C's are checking in, getting old sucks.

Tore my left rotator cuff in a bad fall several years back. I do a strenuous walk every day. Doc said I was a candidate for surgery, but Physical Therapy (PT) would work if I took it seriously. I did. Stupid human arm tricks. Ungodly annoying exercises! Point is, PT works but only if you do it.

Now it is my dominant arm. Recent nerve trauma to C6-7 took out my bicep complicated by Lyme disease from a bite in exactly the same area. I now have PCP, an infectious disease specialist, physical therapy team, a neurologist who did my EMG/NCS, and 'me'.

I say 'me' because that is the important part, that is who is looking out for me. We are both getting older. It is up to us to drive our own healthcare. Nobody is going to say that you really should do this or that. I start addressing new health concerns here: Special Health Reports - Harvard Health Find the health report that pertains to your current complaint. You pay for those reports but they are worth it.

Educate yourself first and then approach your medical professional of choice with options. Which one do you think is best? Make it easy for them, once on Medicare, you are on the clock.

 

[Marie13]

And now you see why I’ve taken up sidemount! Looking forward to just wheeling my tanks down to the waters edge at the quarry this season! ;-)

My best tip is to not carry gear at all if you don’t have to. Work smarter, not harder! Wheels are your friend. $70 collapsible wagon worth every penny!

If a different tank size works for you, go wth it. Steel HP80s are so much easier for me to handle on land for single tank backmount than AL80s since I’m short. And better in the water.

Get yourself into decent shape if you aren’t already. For me, it’s snorkeling 1 mile 3-4 times a week, every other day. The boat ladder is going to be so much easier to handle this season.

Split fins make for happy knees if yours are questionable.

Ask for help if you need it. I tip well on the boat and if you haul my gear back to my car when we’re done when I’m beat, I’ll tip you even better!

Oh, and Icy Hot with Lidocaine is magic stuff!

 

[KevinNM]

Cheap hand carts work for backmount doubles too. Don't kill yourself to look hardcore, use tools when appropriate. That's how we got from the parking lot to the boat in my GUE doubles course.

 

[flyboy08]

I have people .....and one Aleve daily.

I'm also a firm believer in acupuncture....works wonders for me...

 

[Kharon]

I'm 71. I live with it. I get up, I ache, I know I'm still alive. I don't still play soccer because that involved surgeries in addition to the aches. No amount of soreness is going to stop me from diving the way I want. Muscle weakness, yes - pain, no.

 

[The Chairman]

Some weeks I seem to live on Vitamin "I". However, exercise has been a godsend for me. Since I bought a house on 10.82 acres, I have been busy, busy dealing with all sorts of things. Why join a gym, when I kinda bought one? The more active I am, the more active I want to be. I just planted 89 trees, have pulled out 1,000 yards of fencing, wooden posts and all, rebuilt the inside of my workshop and I'll be roofing it next weekend. Push through the weakness. Push through the pain. Walk your butt off. Your body will adapt and change to meet the demands you put on it. I have had to take off a few days here and there, but I keep pushing, pushing, pushing as if my life depends on it. It does.

 

[boulderjohn]

Several years ago I started having really bad arm pain and numbness in the arm after a big dive weekend and after other activities involving carrying objects. I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, and they told me that the nerves going down my arm were compromised by bone spurs in the vertebrae. I was told that if it got much worse, I would need spine surgery. I was prescribed physical therapy, which did not help a whit.

The theory was that a weekend of walking to and from the water with heavy doubles and the rest of the kit was causing the problem, so I began to use sidemount instead. It didn't help.

I also noticed pain in the wrist after a weekend of diving, and I went to a hand specialist. He listened to my story with clear incredulity and asked to see all the previous tests. After he looked at everything, he told me that the spine specialists I had been seeing had identified the wrong nerve as causing the problem. He said I had carpal tunnel syndrome, and my pain was caused by a weekend of carrying equipment with my hands, not from doubles on my back. He performed a simple surgery on my wrist, and I am now pain free after diving. I am back to doing primarily back mount diving, and I have no problems.

Maybe you just have to see the right doctor.

I do also work on exercises to maintain strength, especially in the legs.

 

[Stoo]

1) Get a boat. Shore-diving with doubles is some kind of sado-masochistic exercise that carries a very real risk of injury. I climb into the water maybe twice a year, crossing a rocky shore. When I do, all I can think of is how much a compound fracture of my femur is going to hurt.

2) Stretch daily. I talk the talk, but I am the worst at doing it.

3) Vitamin "I" for sure. Some days I need it to get out of bed. (I'm 63, feel 93)

4) Gear up according to conditions. I "always" wear doubles at home. Last winter I was doing a solo dive and the entry was climbing over ice-covered rocks and down into the water. I opted to wear Mrs. Stoo's single steel 80. The lack of redundancy (60', open water) was much less of a risk than blowing my knees or having a friggin' heart attack hauling doubles out.

 

[oldschoolto]

I dream of the days long ago when I was able to throw a set of doubles over my head to put them on... Now, In Bonaire I'll set up the gear on the tailgate and never have to pick it up..

I'm not afraid to ask for help from people now.. I can do it solo but help is much easier and appreciated....

Jim...