Take Care of Yourself

  • My husband has a sequestered disk fragment - ie. a piece of disk broke off and now moves and presses on the nerves going down to his legs. (We think it happened at the chiroprator's office, btw) He has found the best way to deal with it is to walk every day.

    I feel like I am in pretty good shape for 50+, but then the other day, this news article was sent to everyone in the office: Desk workers see increase in heart disease.

    http://cbs4denver.com/health/desk.sitting.heart.2.1002184.html

    So, I've decided it's time to step away from the computer and talk a brisk walk every day at lunch time.

  • We had a company meeting yesterday where I learned that our benefits no longer include short-term disability or life insurance. In addition, work missed for reasons that would ordinarily be payable by disability coverage (including disability under Social Security) will be applied to PTO. I'll be taking care of myself alright. Just pray that I don't get rear ended while slowing down at a red light. I have savings (most don't), but by the time any long-term disability kicks in, I won't anymore.

  • Standing, ball between feet. Bend over at the waist with arms straight like you were going to touch your toes. Stick right hand fingers in ball finger and thumb holes, and grip left side of ball with left hand.

    Now straighten back up, keeping arms straight swinging ball up and out in front of me at arms length while coming up.

    When done right, you will feel it in the lowest back muscles right where the lower back meets the hips.

  • Hope the back is feeling better, Steve.

    For anyone with back pain or if you're just looking for something different, you have to check out kettlebells. Maybe sounds crazy, but they work. I've always been active myself, and since I've started using kettlebells (about 18 months ago), I work out less and am in as good of shape as when I wrestled in college.

    Try it! 🙂 But make sure to get your instruction from an RKC certified instructor. That certification was the first and still is the best one out there.

    http://www.dragondoor.com/rkc for more info...

  • Thanks everyone for the notes, and my sympathies do those of you suffering.

    I'm much better today, can stand up/sit down with pain, even bend over enough to lift the toilet seat, something I haven't been able to do for 5 days without bending my knees!

    My injury, I think, was from a new set of exercises at karate in stick fighting. Lots of twisting, different movements, and probably, too much enthusiasm on my part. It was sore, but I felt better in a couple days. Last week I had a massage, with some stretching from the masseuse. Not sure what he did, but by the time I got up the next morning, I could barely get out of bed. After lots of rest and heating pad time, it's much improved.

  • Ah the old adage......too much enthusiasm and not enough experience. That has led many of us astray. But let's not go there

    Madame Artois

  • I had this issue a number of years back, and it was no fun. Certain lifestyle changes were in order for me. I now do about 20-30 min. of back stretching and strengthening exercises right after I wake up at least 6 days a week. Fitness gurus may argue about stretching prior to other activity, but by doing it first thing you are sure that it gets done. Also, a good personal trainer can provide regimens that provide some level of protection against injury when you do other sports. I concur that the human body was not engineered to sit in front of a screen for 8 hours so we have to take initiative to counter that. Best of luck.

  • Harry Callahan: A man's got to know his limitations ... 😉

    Take care of yourself and get well Steve !

    RegardsRudy KomacsarSenior Database Administrator"Ave Caesar! - Morituri te salutamus."

  • Thanks and it's better. My wife even has assigned me some fence fixing chores today.

    My limitations get a little lower every year. I'm OK with that, but I still try to reach them.

  • dstemate (5/13/2009)


    ...and the doctor told me:

    if you are on your 40+ you wake up and your body does not bother you (any kind of pain every now and then) then you are dead.

    So true.

    Get well Steve...

  • Steve Jones - Editor (5/13/2009)


    jritson (5/13/2009)


    It's interesting that you conclude so quickly that it is the inactivity and PC work that caused the pain.

    Thanks for the sympathy and link, but it wasn't working at the PC. This was caused by some new stuff at karate and then aggravated by a massage last week.

    Better every day now.

    Ah hah! So it was the exercise that did you in!

    Seriously, you are right, we all need to keep our bodies going, but we need to remember that certain things get harder and/or hurt as we age, so we need to be more careful.

    Having said that, my overachiever cousin is about 8 years my senior and can out-climb people 40 years younger than him on serious rock walls.

  • rudy komacsar (5/13/2009)


    Harry Callahan: A man's got to know his limitations ... 😉

    Rudy, you forgot to clench your teeth when you growl that! :-[] (Steve, why is there no Dirty Harry emoticon?)

    There is no "i" in team, but idiot has two.
  • I'm becoming more disabled as time goes on. Fingers crushed in and industrial accident, failing eye-sight, encroaching neuropathy. I've picked up some tips that have helped me keep going in spite of things.

    Get the best shoes that you can. They are on me all the time to take care of my feet as a diabetic. They put me in touch with a foot wear provider that knows their stuff. At least once go see a podiatrist even if you don't think that you need it. Treat this the same as you would eye-wear. Prescribers don't supply. Suppliers don't prescribe.

    Buy the best chair that you can. Even if your company does not supply one, do it for yourself. The office fixtures police might object but persuade your boss that a better chair keeps you at your desk longer.

    Get you monitor up. Using a laptop screen setting at a desk are you? Wonder why your neck hurts all the time? I've got a large monitor plugged into the laptop right now. The monitor is on a riser.

    Get a proper keyboard. I have large hands (watch the ladies drool) and the laptop keyboard is terrible. Find one that works for you and guard it. Better keyboard will mean fewer keying erros. 😎 Your boss should be on board with that.

    ATBCharles Kincaid

  • [font="Verdana"]As a largely (pun intended) sedentary person, I can attest to the power of yoga over pain problems. I was t-boned by an explorer in my millenium bug (2000 VW Beetle Turbo) back in '01 and have had chronic problems with my hip and neck ever since. Aside from osteoarthritis in my hip and lumbar spine, bursitis in my hip and elbow, and 2 herniated cervical disks, I also have 'idiopathic' neuropathy including pain and numbness in my right extremities. I have been through chiropractic treatments, epidural and steroid treatments, anti inflammatory and narcotic drugs, physical and occupational therapy, among others, and the only lasting relief I have had is from doing PT exercises and yoga. Nothing yet helps the numbness in my hand, and I still have to get up and move around every hour (except at home where I am not limited to sitting for computer work). All that aside, I still manage to get to work and get my work done on a daily basis (with the help of a cane and a lot of attitude) and I attribute a lot of this success to the yoga I practice daily.[/font]

    😎 Kate The Great :w00t:
    If you don't have time to do it right the first time, where will you find time to do it again?

  • One final thing. I use Aspercreme Nighttime lotion on my lowerback at night. It seems to help reduce morning stiffness. It works as a great hand creme to manage mild carpal tunnel pain.

    For severe stiffness at night there is some green gel that stinks but works great for me. I can't remember the exact name, but BIO FIT sounds familiar.

    Again, this works for me. Your mileage may vary...

    Glad to hear your getting better Steve. I was worried when your post didn't come through at the regular time the other day.

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