Michael: Don't Stay the Course

Every morning
There’s a beetle on its back
With its life ending.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Age and injuries are not synonymous. I can’t do anything about aging, but I do feel I’ve done a decent job aggressively treating injuries and preventing them from becoming chronic liabilities.

About twenty years ago, it was Achilles tendonitis. At first I went to a chiropractor, but that seemed like it was going to require regular visits forever. I wanted treatments I could do at home that would eliminate the problem. So to a sports therapist I went. The exercises he provided were both simple and effective. I still do them 6 days a week. I no longer have any Achilles issues, but I’ve never stopped doing the exercises for long either.

Next up, about 15 years ago, I got terrible heel pain. After a few miles it could feel as if I was running on giant painful blisters under both my heels. I thought it was due to heel padding compression or heel pad deterioration caused by aging. But I didn’t want to give up running and sought solutions. Exactly why that went away I can’t say. Perhaps the Achilles exercises had a residual benefit of helping whatever was causing the heel pain. Maybe returning to intensity work helped straighten out my form. I’m sure the plantar fascitis  massages have helped. More than likely, it’s been the combination of all of these that’s done the trick.

Lately it’s been lower back pain. And that, I believe, is also not so much an aging issue as it is a laziness problem. I don’t enjoy stretching. But, again, I’m not willing to give up the joys of riding or running so solutions needed to be found. Now, along with the Achilles stretches, I foam roll and do a 6 exercise back stretch routine.

I’m not sure what joints or muscles will ask for attention next, but I’m sure I’ll do what I can to help them out so I can keep getting out there and enjoy moving about in the great outdoors.