Getting hurt doing nothing

Do you really know what is truly the first sign of aging? Getting hurt doing every-day activities. Or, for that matter, getting hurt in a unconcious state.

Anyone who knows me is aware of my nearly-excessive physical activity. I can usually be found working out at the YMCA during my free time several days a week. I pride myself on cardiovascular conditioning, fitness, and overall wellness. Yet that didn’t stop me from the dreaded muscle pull in my neck toweling off in the shower a few months ago.

Other incidences of apparent innocuous activity resulting in injury included wrenching my back playing with my kids in the pool; pulling a muscle in my back checking on my meatballs in the stove, and looking back over my shoulder from the refrigerator to the microwave after hearing the beeping sound. That ensuing injury was a twisted neck muscle that ached for days. Oh, and has anyone woken up with pulled muscles and new aches after a supposed night of restful sleep? I’ll grant you, my mattress is not posture pedic, Tempur-pedic, and doesn’t have a built-in Swedish massage, but it is still quite firm and cozy for my purposes.



What I have learned is to stay on the balls of your feet, move with some fluidity, and try not to make any sudden moves to your left or right. The end result, if you lose focus, could be a twisted muscle in your rib that won’t heal for a week. I say this because I twisted a muscle in my rib area recently in the act of yawning, yes YAWNING! It was a glorious, expansive deep yawn where I felt all of the tired leaving my body, and the surge of energy and strength returning to get me through my morning...until the ow! The “ow” stayed for a couple of days, so for the rest of us “older” folks, I recommend using care in the future when undertaking that world-class yawn. Pulled rib muscles hurt.

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Reader Response

1 comments on this story

bndot
June 20th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Pat,
I would recommend staying away from handball games with Marc, that kind of activity will always be painful and probably end with injury of some sort.
If you must play handball try to schedule games with Jerry, you should be safe from injury either your body or your pride.
Whenever you feel you have pulled a muscle take a substantial dose of ephedrine and yohimbe and drink several cups of coffee prior to going to the weight room, lift as heavy as possible for as long as possible at least two hours. You will come away feeling like your 20yrs old again (wait a minute, you are twenty years old aren't you)? Anyway your new found youth will be short lived (maybe 24 to 48hrs or until doms sets in) and then you can do it again.
Trust me it works.
bndot
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