Fit at 50 and Beyond – Aches & Pains

If you have sciatica back pain, you know as well as I that the analgesic creams out there like Icy Hot and Bengay actually produce more pain! My doctor explained this to me as to why this happens: The rub will cause more blood flow to the region and result in more swelling, and thus more pressure on nerves. These type of creams are helpful for sore overworked muscles where some stimulation is needed, but are not the ticket for inflammation, at least not for me. Instead, an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen can quickly reduce inflammation (and pain). Personally, I have turned to using a decompression device to get my spine back in alignment and have virtually stopped all ibuprofen use for my back.

Recently, I ran across the product advertised below – an anti-inflammatory cream that supposedly reduces inflammation. Have any of you tried this product, or something equivalent to it? If so, please comment below (Click on No Comments to open the comment box). I am thinking of giving it a try as well. I still occasionally get some bad headaches associated with eye-strain and must take some heavy doses of ibuprofen – perhaps this cream could help for this without the bad stomach effects of ibuprofen pills?

After one one night of sleep with the 4″ mattress pad made of memory foam and regular foam, my wife suggested we put our old feather tick over the top as well. Since then, I have slept like I have not for a while! No tossing due to discomfort.

It’s like sleeping on a cloud!

What muddies this whole issue however, is the fact that I also started taking vitamins on the same day I got the mattress pad. And, I feel better overall, night and day.

The mattress is here to stay. And, I will continue with the comprehensive Arbonne vitamins, taking only 1 of the recommended 2 packs of 6 vitamins per day. As a side note, I have only been taking 1 of the suggested 2 vitamin packs from the start.

My wife is into Arbonne. Frankly, I think some of their items are a little overpriced, but I will concede that they do have certain quality products. For example, their hot-pepper analgesic creme is basically Icy Hot, with hot pepper spray mixed in, but it works far better than Icy Hot or any other similar product I have tried.

My wife got me these Arbonne vitamin packets. 6 large horse pills in each packet which I took for a while but detest taking so I stopped. But I am going to start taking these again, starting today (1/2 hour ago!) I have had a number of new aches and pains lately. Aches in my lower back on the left side opposite of where I have always had my sciatica and also sore shoulders (possibly sleep related – see previous post). And these new aches do not seem to be sciatica as they do not radiate down to the foot but are restricted to the lower back and sometimes down to the knee – sitting or driving does not aggravate either. The back decompression I do seems to help this new lower back problem, but not as immediately as it always helped my sciatica. My right-side sciatica is virtually non-existent these days – just did another 10-hr round trip drive for Father’s Day with no need for Ibuprofen and I did not even bring my Trueback adjuster along (forgot it in the rush to get going). Will vitamins help? A while back I had a knee problem that seemed to mysteriously disappear after taking the Arbonne vitamins. So who knows?

I will post again in a week or two to give an update.

Mike

Lately, I have had a heck of a time sleeping. If I am on my side, I get a sore shoulder. I switch to the other side, and back. And back. Not a very restful night sleep!

So, my wife and I picked up our “Anniversary Present” yesterday. A 4″ thick mattress pad made up of 1.5″ of memory foam and 2.5″ of regular open cell foam.

After 1 night I slept a little better. Still tossed and turned but at least did not wake up with the aches in the shoulders. Hoping this can combat the sleep deprivation I have been experiencing.

I am 49 years old, and am striving to maintain a level of physical activity comparable to many in their 20′s. I jog nearly 4 miles every other day, play baseball and football with my kids, and do all the other things around the house like mowing the lawn, repairing the home, etc. I want to prevent osteoporosis, and I have read that weight bearing exercises like walking, tennis, running, and jumping rope can help maintain bone mass. I want to keep up my strength and bone mass as much as I can so that I can live independently in my old age and not put my children through the anguish of having to place me in 24-hour care at a nursing home.

As I approach the age of 50, I am finding that each new month seems to bring a new physical “adventure”. More precisely, each new month seems to bring a new physical challenge. A new ache or pain, a new reason to lose much of a nights sleep. Many would say “Quit the jogging”. But frankly, I don’t see that as an option. I would rather live with a bit of discomfort with the hope that my kids can enjoy their lives as I approach my later years.

On this blog I will keep readers informed of what new physical challenge I faced as well as the ways in which I dealt with the challenges. I will post links to helpful information as well as successes I have had.

Feel free to comment! (Click on No Comments to open the comment box)

Mike