Joints, Painfull Joints...

Here is my dillema.

After 7 years I am back to playing Volleyball.

Thanks to weight training and massage therapy I am playing better than 7 years ago, my jump is quite good (higher that 10 years ago), my attack is the hardest ever (benching can do marvels), etc

My problem is: my joints are giving up (I believe this is my last season ever) next day after a game my knees hurt, my hips bother me and my low back is sore.

I wear proper footwear, warm up well and stretch after games is help full as well.

Other than taking glucosamine/condroidin and icing do you ave any other ideas? BTW how much glucosamine/condroidin should I take?

The upside of this is that I will be able to put this sport aside and dedicate totally to BB

Thanks

W

I have found as an older lifter that doing high rep exercise helps recovery of the joints. Take a weight about 30% of max and do between 20 and 50 reps.

Since you are basically doing a high amount of ballistic/plyometric training (jumping), you’ve got to get blood moving through the joints and back to help repair the connective tissue being beaten up by the jumps and subsequent landings.

You can try high rep bodyweight reverse hypers or hypers for the low back and light, close stance high rep squats or low-position leg press for the knees and then go high position or wide stance for the hips.

DMSO is good for softening scar tissue in the joints as well, but be careful with application. Since it’s an industrial solvent it’ll carry any impurities on the applicator or on the skin into the joint. It’s perfectly safe in itself, though. Be warned though, it’ll make your breath smell like you’ve been eating raw cloves of garlic.

Glucosamine (1000mg x2) is my friend. I also take BCAAs x2.

[quote]hawkcapt1912 wrote:
Glucosamine (1000mg x2) is my friend. I also take BCAAs x2.
[/quote]

And 3 grams of fish oil a day.

Horses often get 3-4 grams of glucosamine. As cheap as the stuff is at SAMS or COSTCO, might as well.

But Skidmark’s advice about getting the blood flowing is really right on.

Warlock,

Since your addy says your up in Canada, i have to assume you’re playing volleyball indoors on a wood or other hard surface. You can take fish oil, glucosamine etc. However, one thing to keep in mind is that what you are doing goes completely against how your body was designed as a result of natural selection. Think for a minute, as little as 3 generations back the majority of our species spent most, if not all of their lives walking, running, jumping, lifting, working etc on dirt, grass, sand, and in your case SNOW. All very forgiving surfaces with cushion. And so thats what your current body was designed for. It wasn’t selected for its ability to survive on concrete, asphalt or indoor volleyball courts, they didn’t exist.

Shoe companies want you to think they can fix all that. If thats the case, why have nearly all NFL and college football teams switched back to natural grass surfaces when 5 years ago everyone was using artifical surfaces??? Because despite the $200 techno shoes, the fish oil, and the glucosamine, the players were dropping like flys. And they weren’t even old yet.

Just something to thinkz about.

LB

[quote]LBramble wrote:
Warlock,

Since your addy says your up in Canada, i have to assume you’re playing volleyball indoors on a wood or other hard surface. You can take fish oil, glucosamine etc. However, one thing to keep in mind is that what you are doing goes completely against how your body was designed as a result of natural selection. Think for a minute, as little as 3 generations back the majority of our species spent most, if not all of their lives walking, running, jumping, lifting, working etc on dirt, grass, sand, and in your case SNOW. All very forgiving surfaces with cushion. And so thats what your current body was designed for. It wasn’t selected for its ability to survive on concrete, asphalt or indoor volleyball courts, they didn’t exist.

Shoe companies want you to think they can fix all that. If thats the case, why have nearly all NFL and college football teams switched back to natural grass surfaces when 5 years ago everyone was using artifical surfaces??? Because despite the $200 techno shoes, the fish oil, and the glucosamine, the players were dropping like flys. And they weren’t even old yet.

Just something to thinkz about.

LB
[/quote]

I completely agree with you and had though about that already, shoes, supplements etc are just ways to minimize the damage the only thing that I should do to stop it is to stop the activity altogether.

well as any other jock knows whenever I say: That’s it! I decide to play one more game and hell; I play really well and keep going…

I am almost 40 playing at a decent level but it is too much time consumed, pain and headaches, this is my last season I am enjoying it a lot, being able to smoke guys that are 1/2 my age is always fun and great to my ego to be able to do stuff that I didn’t know I still could.

Anyways thanks guys for your input I am taking the supplements, incorporating the exercises etc etc.

Thank you so much!

I played a lot of volleyball when I was younger, sometimes 20 hours a week. In my middles 30s, I started having knee problems, mostly patellar tendonitis, but also a torn meniscus (landed funny after getting my foot stuck in the net.) I had to give it up in my early 40s. I didn’t try any of the things suggested here, except for the glucosamine, which seemed to help a little. I hope you can find something to extend your playing years some. Volleyball is the best team sport ever.

By the way, your thread title reminds me of a Cornbugs song “Meat, Rotten Meat”

Warlock,

I am far from over 35 lifter but I was lurking around and figured I would send out some advice. I have had knee issues in the past but they have disappeared (I know, I know its partially cause I am young)but, someone posted about fish oil before. They said take 3 grams which is entirely to low. I would shoot for 10grams at least especially if its low quality fish oil (I get mine from Sams club 300 tabs 8 bucks). I also purchased some really nice neoprene knee sleeves which really helped a great deal. I have taken turmeric in conjunction with glucosmine/chondrotin and fish oil and it seemed to aid as well. Also, flexibility is a major factor with hip, knee, and lower back pains. The articles below are awesome and also assisted me on my way to recover best of luck!!!