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Joint pain - any ideas for alleviation?

post #1 of 18
5/11/08 at 2:11pm
Thread Starter 
So, I have two pretty localized areas of pain that stem from pretty specific areas. One is a form of tennis elbow that sometimes extends to shoulder pain (but not specifically at the rotator cup) and the other is a "click" at my left hip that I feel when I am doing sprints. The first comes, I am sure, from years of continuous practice of an overhand right punch, both to 90 lb heavy bags and to hard surfaces. The second comes from the common 45 degree roundhouse to a heavy bag or training dummy.

I've iced it up, and for the hip, I've been resting it between speed workouts with crosstraining (elliptical, mostly) which is low impact. I don't want to stop working either skill, and obviously, there is little point in practicing either power strike at anything less than full power.

I know that several of you have some decent training in boxing and MMA, and are probably capable of kicking my ass any given day. And there might be trainers out there besides. Any suggestions on how to recover without really having to switch things up completely? Would be appreciated.
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post #2 of 18
5/11/08 at 3:13pm
Not a specialist, just have lots of aches & pains (and lots of clicking joints ). Ice & antiinflammatory medications. If the pain is constant you would be well advised to have it checked by a doctor (seriously). It could be a sign of something more serious, or it could be just a combination of age & wear.

I know people swear on arnaca creams, but with the constant aches and pains I have it did not work for me, so YMMV. I do have a quite old Korean equivalent of a heating balm a Korean chap I practiced with gave me many years ago that does reduce discomfort somewhat, so maybe something like that may help, assuming your problem is with the muscles around the joint and not the joints themselves.

Make sure you also have enough recovery time between practice sessions. For me that makes a HUGE difference.
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post #3 of 18
5/11/08 at 4:14pm
LAG,

I'm 41 so my experience might not be what you need. a few years ago I had horrific ankle pain. I kept trying to work through it, and it kept getting worse. when I finally went to a doctor, he gave me a shot of cortozone, and it disappeared, poof, just like that. I had an inflamation that wasn't going to go away by itself, without months of rest, but the magic shot fixed it up right away.

just a thought
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post #4 of 18
5/11/08 at 4:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by globetrotter View Post
LAG,

I'm 41 so my experience might not be what you need. a few years ago I had horrific ankle pain. I kept trying to work through it, and it kept getting worse. when I finally went to a doctor, he gave me a shot of cortozone, and it disappeared, poof, just like that. I had an inflamation that wasn't going to go away by itself, without months of rest, but the magic shot fixed it up right away.

just a thought

That is pretty impressive and disconcerting at the same time. Now I am concerned about the pain on the side of my foot that has been lingering for almost a month now; maybe it is similar to what you described. Hmm...
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post #5 of 18
5/11/08 at 5:20pm
Cortizone can clear up pains that stem from inflamed joints. A doctor can help you there.

I have clicking in my right knee/ankle, and a right knee that gets sharp pain when used a lot. I generally stay away from a doctor unless I'm bleeding out, but I've found that working out my knees with squats, and taking glucosamine condroitine helps a great deal.
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post #6 of 18
5/11/08 at 9:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by globetrotter View Post
LAG,

I'm 41 so my experience might not be what you need. a few years ago I had horrific ankle pain. I kept trying to work through it, and it kept getting worse. when I finally went to a doctor, he gave me a shot of cortozone, and it disappeared, poof, just like that. I had an inflamation that wasn't going to go away by itself, without months of rest, but the magic shot fixed it up right away.

just a thought

Same thing happened to me when I was 16 or so.
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post #7 of 18
5/11/08 at 10:40pm
Try ibuprofen every 8 hours for a week. If that doesn't work, you might consider seeing a doctor for a cortisone shot, recs for physical therapy, or a referral for an MRI.
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post #8 of 18
5/11/08 at 11:09pm
I started taking glucosamine when I was getting joint pain in my hands while doing Krav Maga, seemed to do the trick.

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/g...ine-000306.htm
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post #9 of 18
5/12/08 at 12:03am
NSAIDs, like Advil (ibuprofen) and Aleve (naproxen), will give symptomatic relief if you take a high enough dose. The "prescription" dosage range of ibuprofen, for an adult person, is up to 800mg 4 times a day. The only problem is that the pain may just come back when you discontinue the medication. You could try taking an NSAID for a couple of weeks and then discontinue it. If the pain is not alleviated, or returns after discontining the medication, I would see a doctor about it. If your insurance allows for it, a MD specializing in sports medicine might be ideal. Long-term use of NSAIDs is not without some risk; I would suggest finding out what is actually CAUSING the pain before I considered long-term use of medications to control it. I had ongoing foot pain that was initially caused by bone spurs. I was able to manage with NSAIDs, but eventially went to the podiatrist. After being fitted for orthotics, I no longer needed the medication.
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post #10 of 18
5/12/08 at 4:13am
The glucosamine/msm/chondroitin combo works though I think hyaluronic acid works much better but is more pricey. Your joints have some inflammation, try taking some Carlson's fish oil to help with that. I've also read that papain found in papaya extract works the same way as arthritis medicines like Celebrex, which is a COX-2 inhibitor. If you think it is caused by punches and kicks, then maybe also visit a chiropractor to re-align those joints. If your knees hurt then also be sure to wear a shoe (or get an insert) that ensures that you don't pronate. I actually consciously walk on the outsides of my feet throughout the day because I over-pronate. It has worked like a charm though difficult to get used to.
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post #11 of 18
5/12/08 at 2:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tiecollector View Post
The glucosamine/msm/chondroitin combo works though I think hyaluronic acid works much better but is more pricey. Your joints have some inflammation, try taking some Carlson's fish oil to help with that. If you think it is caused by punches and kicks, then maybe also visit a chiropractor to re-align those joints. If your knees hurt then also be sure to wear a shoe (or get an insert) that ensures that you don't pronate. I actually consciously walk on the outsides of my feet throughout the day because I over-pronate. It has worked like a charm though difficult to get used to.
+1! I'm 25 and old sports injuries are starting to get to me. I know I'm old now because I sometimes wake up in worse shape than I went to sleep in. I take the above and it works pretty well... but one thing that is often overlooked is your posture. How is it? Are you doing something different, using a different chair/desk setting, what position do you spend the majority of your day, etc...? Buying a new chair all but cured my shoulder pain and clicking. You may also want to work on your flexibility and stability. I used to think Pilates and Yoga were kinda sissy and I almost always skipped warm-ups and and stretching. I got over that, changed up my routine and it's really helped. You should definitely see a doctor, your pain could stem from something more serious, but most of what's been suggested can help regardless. PS. Chiropractors are awesome for alleviating pain, consider Reflexologists too if it's more of a joint thing.
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post #12 of 18
5/12/08 at 2:16pm
there's some new drink with hyaluronic acid which studies show helps to replenish the body's own joint fluid.

googled it-check aquaflexeveryday.com

i've actually gotten some relief from taking it in other forms, so it could be worth a shot.
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post #13 of 18
5/12/08 at 2:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by skalogre View Post
That is pretty impressive and disconcerting at the same time. Now I am concerned about the pain on the side of my foot that has been lingering for almost a month now; maybe it is similar to what you described. Hmm...

yeah, it was pretty impressive.

I am not sure that it applies to every foot pain, though - I broke some of the small inner bones in my foot and they just hurt like motherfuckers for a long time, nothing to do about them.

but I'll tell you one thing - for years I would never go to a doctor about stuff like that - basically if my airway was ok and I wasn't gushing blood, I figured it would pass with sleep. now I figure its worth asking a doctor about.
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post #14 of 18
5/12/08 at 2:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by globetrotter View Post
yeah, it was pretty impressive.

I am not sure that it applies to every foot pain, though - I broke some of the small inner bones in my foot and they just hurt like motherfuckers for a long time, nothing to do about them.

but I'll tell you one thing - for years I would never go to a doctor about stuff like that - basically if my airway was ok and I wasn't gushing blood, I figured it would pass with sleep. now I figure its worth asking a doctor about.

You know, I looked at it the same way... but I figured that I have good health insurance, it isn't going to cost me more than $10 and my doctor works until 9pm, so I really don't have any reason not to go see a doctor if something is bothering me.

It's a big reason why guys die sooner and live in more pain. I'd rather take advantage of my health insurance than deal with pain.
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post #15 of 18
5/12/08 at 2:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeWoah View Post
+1! I'm 25 and old sports injuries are starting to get to me. I know I'm old now because I sometimes wake up in worse shape than I went to sleep in.

I take the above and it works pretty well... but one thing that is often overlooked is your posture. How is it? Are you doing something different, using a different chair/desk setting, what position do you spend the majority of your day, etc...? Buying a new chair all but cured my shoulder pain and clicking.

You may also want to work on your flexibility and stability. I used to think Pilates and Yoga were kinda sissy and I almost always skipped warm-ups and and stretching. I got over that, changed up my routine and it's really helped.

You should definitely see a doctor, your pain could stem from something more serious, but most of what's been suggested can help regardless.

PS. Chiropractors are awesome for alleviating pain, consider Reflexologists too if it's more of a joint thing.

The only problems I ever used to have was with my knees when I used to run a lot at like age 23-24 a couple years back. I was trying to save money by using my old shoes from high school. After a few days my knees killed me. So I went to a pro running store and bought the best shoes for my geometry and walked around in the shoes all day. The pain in my knees went away.

In college I used to wear flip flops and I would get extreme pain in my knees as well from walking miles in those things. Eventually I started walking on my outsole and the pain went away. I've been wearing boat shoes mostly every day for the past couple years and I still walk on my outsole and haven't had any knee problems.

My posture is pretty crappy. I try to stand as upright as possible and this has helped immensely. I should really buy a nice, expensive chair because I am a programmer. I have a bad habit of flexing my stomach too, which my chiropractor called me on when he saw how I was misaligned. I don't do it as much anymore and it has helped.

The whole philosophy of waiting til something is broke to fix it is bad. I thought I was invincible til something as simple as taking Fish Oil made me see how bad off I had become by age 25.

Do you wait for your car to run out of oil before replacing it? Nope. So why do it to your body?
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