Free Spirits Rowing

Greg, do you think the osteo-arthritis diagnosis was wrong? Or do you think you have a torn meniscus in addition to the osteo-arthritis? Either way, it sounds like surgery is the way to go.

Hoping for the best, Greg! [-o<

No, the MRI clearly shows that there is some arthritic degradation, but the the tear appears to be repairable. Basically, it won't be perfect, but it might get better.

Greg my son had the surgery a few years ago. He was a teen and, similar to your story, randomly twisted his leg and felt the pop. His surgeon was so excited to give us in-knee photos and I could see the torn piece as well as the pristine (i.e. young) joint.

My brother was consulting the ortho same week as you. For him, the osteoarthritis and loss of cartilage is the big problem, the meniscus is more "frayed" from degeneration than torn. So he'll do the cortisone, progress to gel injections, has to lose (a LOT of) weight, and then maybe surgery... maybe.

Hopefully the fact you're booked now means you're in great shape (fitness wise too) for a cleanup & repair to be successful.

Take care.

I had the surgery on the other knee when I was young and spry (touch football during lunch at work turned out to be a bad idea). The recovery was complete and I've never had any other problems with it. I suspect that the repair this time will be less certain because of the other issues in the joint.

I'm OK with the idea that my knee is sore and I need to go get a cortisone shot now and then, but I can't row if my knee clicks and locks at the catch. I'm hoping for enough improvement so that I can row.

Sorry to hear of your injury Greg I hope you manage to get it resolved and you can still row.

Sorry to hear that Greg. Kinda puts my lower back pain in perspective.

Got the results of my lumbar MRI scan today.

It appears I have moderate 'wear and tear' to my 3 lower vertebrae and have some nerve damage on the right hand side of my lower back. I have been referred to a 'pain' specialist and may end up getting an injection to help with the nerve damage, but surgery seems unlikely at this stage. Apparently the damage to my vertebrae is irreversible, but can be prevented from getting any worse.

i asked whether this means I can't/shouldn't do any more erging and was told that it was OK to do some erging, provided I don't go at it too hard and am prepared to stop immediately if it causes any pain. Not terribly encouraging, but I'm still tempted to have a go at this month's CTC and IRL if I can be sensible and not try to do them flat out. Not sure I'm psychologically wired to do this, but I might have a go between now and month end.

I did a slowish 3k yesterday and was at a cocktail party last night where I did a lot of standing around. My back was very sore this morning, but I think this was due to the standing around rather than the erging.

Whatever the outcome, I think my racing days may be over, but who knows?

Paul V

Paul: I'm certainly not one to talk, but I hope you take it very, very slowly in terms of getting back into rowing. Do you think that skierg might be an alternative that would be easier on your back? You could still do all the challenges and stuff tat way and take ess risk with your back (I think?)

A quick update on my situation. I had my knee surgery today. It was uneventful. Arthroscopy of the right knee revealed 1 major and 2 minor tears in the meniscus cartilage which were trimmed. After an hour in recovery I was able to bear weight on that leg and at this point I can walk on it (albeit a little slowly). I've been told to expect about 4 weeks before I can resume full normal activity. I'm very hopeful at this point.

Thanks Greg. I guess the ski erg might be an option, but I don't know whether any local gyms have one.

Good luck with the recovery from your operation.

Paul V

Really sorry to hear about your injuries Paul and Greg, my heart goes out to you both and hope that you can both manage to get over them.

Please take it easy on the road to recovery, on a positive note Paul Buchanan came back from horrendous back injuries.

Old age seems to be taking its toll on a few of us - or maybe just the ridiculous amount of punishment we put our bodies through.

Hope everyone has speedy recoveries

Plummy, What is all this rubbish about `old age`? My Defibrillator went off during swimming training about 10 weeks ago, all I felt was a punch on my chest and I had to keep swimming as I was in deep water, which led to a hospital check after which the Dr. said to continue but at a reduced pace. Continuous heart rate monitoring in the pool is not possible unlike viewing the rowing monitor. Gillian has been told she can start rowing again after a lay off due to hip aches. A scan shows Arthritis in both hips but she can continue with the application of pain killers as required. She is determined to enter the English comp in spite of deteriorating awareness of her performance as shown on the monitor - pacing is really beyond her understanding. You have many years of pain ahead so no more talking about old age.

Must be just me then: tennis elbow in both elbows (not debilitating but sore), blisters, callouses, I've developed a dodgy right kneecap during Crazy Bear, tired (a lot) and my legs hurt almost all the time unless I take a couple of days off (at which point I feel guilty!)

plummy wrote:Must be just me then: tennis elbow in both elbows (not debilitating but sore), blisters, callouses, I've developed a dodgy right kneecap during Crazy Bear, tired (a lot) and my legs hurt almost all the time unless I take a couple of days off (at which point I feel guilty!)

When you put it like that, you can understand why so many people get burnt out.

Paul -- very sorry to hear the latest news.

I hope the prognosis is brighter than the picture you paint... which is gloomy, indeed. Hoping for a long-term recovery, but to achieve that you might need to listen to your doctor. Or maybe not; you be the judge.

Greg -- glad the surgery was uneventful! 4 weeks can go by pretty fast... if you keep your mind off it!

plummy wrote:Must be just me then: tennis elbow in both elbows (not debilitating but sore), blisters, callouses, I've developed a dodgy right kneecap during Crazy Bear, tired (a lot) and my legs hurt almost all the time unless I take a couple of days off (at which point I feel guilty!)

Dave -- no... it's not just you. That's quite a list. Hopefully the new year will bring recovery and health!

Cheers,
zoot

Sorry to hear about the status of your vertebrae, Paul

Given that we have had the discussion about the "reverse psychology" quite a few times, Paul, I really don´t know what to say...

Good news!!! Just returned to training again after a second operation. It seems that either during or after my bypass op my Xiphoid bone (or hard cartilage) was fractured and had to be removed. It never rains,but it pours does it? Anyway as I said, resuming rowing again. Over Christmas I have been walking on the Downs near Brighton and discovered just how difficult it is to keep ones heart rate under control. Good news was that in spite of this I did not have any breathing difficulties what so ever. I think that I might have retained some of the fitness that I had pre incident. I think that the difference is between a healthy pumping heart and one that lacks proper blood supply. As to old age, I think that it is not so much the passing of time, it is much more the attitude of the mind (that's what I tell my body!). Happy New Year to everybody.

Dave

I am out for the time being. I am unable to lift my left arm above my head or backwards. It's been like that for a couple of months now and it's getting worse. My GP sent me to a fysio (my first fysio visit ever). Apparently, it's something to do with the shoulder cuff. And although I feel no pain when rowing, he said I should refrain from rowing for now and has given me an exercise to do. I have no idea how long this will take.

Davedcm wrote:Good news!!! Just returned to training again after a second operation.

Dave -- sorry I missed this post. So glad the second operation was a success and that you are back rowing!

Rodger wrote:I am out for the time being. I am unable to lift my left arm above my head or backwards. It's been like that for a couple of months now and it's getting worse. My GP sent me to a fysio (my first fysio visit ever). Apparently, it's something to do with the shoulder cuff. And although I feel no pain when rowing, he said I should refrain from rowing for now and has given me an exercise to do. I have no idea how long this will take.

Rodger -- any idea what caused it? Acute injury or overuse? Sorry you're off the rower for a while. Hopefully exercises and physio will fix you right up and there won't be any surgery in your future!

Cheers,
zoot

Rodger - is that the rotator cuff? I injured mine a couple of years ago (killing wasps with repeated backhand swipes with a badminton racquet) - took ruddy ages to get better. Hope yours gets sorted quickly.

Thanks Zoot and Dave.
Although the fysio didn't call it the rotator cuff, I'm fairly sure that's what it is. Everything I read on it matches the questions he was asking me and the spots he was pressing. I'll ask him next week.
I don't know what caused it. The fysio was asking if I had fallen on my shoulder or had some other painful accident while squashing wasps with a badminton racquet or something, but I can't pinpoint any moment it happened.

As usual I have waited far too long before seeing a doctor. Not the smartest thing to do. I fear recovery will take very long. Maybe for the meantime I should look for something else to do to keep my fitness at a reasonable level.

Rodger sorry to hear it. Over this way my hubby is dealing with similar. He's had cortisone shots in the shoulder before, but this week feels like something may have torn. Not an easy area to rehabilitate. Best wishes.

Chasing wasps with a badminton racquet?

CamiCrew wrote:Chasing wasps with a badminton racquet?

I wasn't exactly "chasing" them. There was a nest in the eaves of my house and I was going to chemically douse it from the outside (as best I could) but took the racquet for self preservation. Thinking back, standing on a roof with a can of chemical spray in one hand and a badders racquet in the other, whilst avoiding lines of incoming/outgoing wasps is more like a scene from a bad sitcom awaiting the inevitable fall from grace.
Once I'd swatted a couple I found it immensely satisfying pinging them for 10 yards through the air so carried on...until I got a sore shoulder....

Sorry to hear about your cuff Rodger, I did mine around 3 years ago and it does take a fair amount of time to repair-please take it easy.

I am sorry to hear that you have injured your shoulder Roger.

Reading through all the replies, it certainly doesn’t sound as if there are going to be any quick solutions, so it is important to follow the sage advice of your physio and fellow rowers and apply plenty of that beneficial medicine, patience.

As an alternative form of exercise, what about a daily 30 minute walk? You might be doing this already of course but if time allows, could it be increased to 1 hour perhaps …?

Lots of health and fitness advantages gained from walking and apart from comfortable footwear and suitable outdoor clothing, you need little else. Perhaps a canine companion … but definitely no wasps.

Best wishes and take care.