Playing with old injuries

[Spartan09]

It's a lot of trial and error, one thing I've found can help is snug neoprene joint & back supports, they don't provide much stability but their brilliant for keeping heat in the affected areas, especially this time of year & it's sometimes good to rub a bit of deep heat in the affected areas before putting on the supports, definitely helps with fluidity. 

Weight obviously plays a massive part, I'm a porker now & short of starving myself it's a vicious circle once you hit a certain age & add injuries to the equation. 

My answer is to change my playing style, change my load carrying equipment & try to stay away from the heavy guns, but it's hard, I'm an airsofter so obviously I have no willpower whatsoever

i have supports for my knee and back, but try to avoid using them unless absolutely necessary (mainly when lifting heavy shit at work)
never thought of deep heat, so will get some to try out.

definately agree on the weight front,  and while im not a whale, i could do with losing a bit of weight.

and i also have zero will power...  its why i splashed out on a VFC M249, and am looking at another expensive pew on preorder...

 

doesnt help that christmas is fast approaching.... and so no doubt my belt will have to bee loosened by a notch before i try (and probably fail) to lose weight as a new years resolution

 

[SeanM]

I'm by no means old (27) but spending the majority of my teens to early adult hood 14-24 training and fighting (Muay Thai) paired with a labour intensive job, my body is pretty knackered already, constant aches and pains, I can't shrug my shoulders without my collar bones clicking, so I'm screwed as I get older ?‍?.

Top tip for you guys.. deep heat is a no go, it heats the surface of the skin giving you a nice placebo of warmth and heat but doesn't really penetrate deep into your muscles. Do yourselves a favour Get some tiger balm instead, they come in red  and white, I recommend to get the red stuff, but try both and see which your prefer if the red is too intense for you, They're only small, but a little goes a long way. I used to swear by this when I was fighting. Also invest in some Thai oil (Namman) and rub this onto your 'injuries' or 'weak' points (for me it's usually legs, knees, ankles, lower back) before a skirmish or exercise, it does wonders in preventing injuries like pulled muscles etc, I used to put this on every day before I trained, be warned it does have a strong smell but it's not a bad one at all, I love it! (smells very similar to deep heat) if you've ever been in a fight gym, you will know exactly what I'm talking about. All very good stuff and a worthy investment for messed up bodies and/or preventive measures! 

Lastly, stretch, stretch and stretch! Both before and after skirmishes. The amount of injuries and niggly pains that can be prevented by getting the muscles warm and stretched out before a game day is immeasurable. Everyone (including myself) often neglects this, but we shouldn't.. We might not realise it when we're out there blasting people with our new little pew pews, but Airsoft is intense on the body! You've got heavy gear, you're running, jogging, crouching, crawling, jumping, Airsoft is a workout in itself, we just don't realize it because we're too busy having fun ?.

 

[Tackle]

@SeanM, I can't comment on what works for you mate, only my own experiences, thing about deep heat is it's not like calamine lotion, wiping a bit on the skin isn't gonna do much, it needs to be worked in to the muscle like a deep tissue massage,applied properly it will last most of the day, so much so that if my lower backs niggly, I'll get the missus to give it a good rub in, much easier than trying to do it myself.

I've tried the tiger balm, yeah the reds just mental lol, but then I've also tried most of the other stuff, the over the counter gear like volterol, or the prescription gear like fenbid (feels cold when applied), or the higher percentage capsaicin creams, much of it is counterirritant based, half beneficial ingredient & the other half annoying placebo, as you mentioned, designed to distract you from your pains, but ultimately its about what works for any one person, not every person. 

Which is why people need to act sparingly with this stuff, especially the atopical gear, throw a load on when your not used to it, then wrap the area in some kinda support made of artificial fibres could lead to some serious skin irritations?, that will definitely distract you from your usual aches & pains. 

As for the the various stretching exercises & warming up, definitely, fill yer boots if your able, unfortunately Ive got 29years on you, if I tried to do the kind of warm up exercises I did when I was 27, I wouldn't make it out of the safezone ?. 

When you start carrying the long term wear & tear, & associated injuries, acceptance plays a big part in enjoying the game, not feeling the need to behave like red rum when the whistle blows, but rather employ a more tactical approach, aka sneaky mofo, & let the young gazelles on the opposite side run in to my occasional well placed BB, it can be very satisfying?. 

It is what we make of it I guess?

 

[SeanM]

@SeanM, I can't comment on what works for you mate, only my own experiences, thing about deep heat is it's not like calamine lotion, wiping a bit on the skin isn't gonna do much, it needs to be worked in to the muscle like a deep tissue massage,applied properly it will last most of the day, so much so that if my lower backs niggly, I'll get the missus to give it a good rub in, much easier than trying to do it myself.

I've tried the tiger balm, yeah the reds just mental lol, but then I've also tried most of the other stuff, the over the counter gear like volterol, or the prescription gear like fenbid (feels cold when applied), or the higher percentage capsaicin creams, much of it is counterirritant based, half beneficial ingredient & the other half annoying placebo, as you mentioned, designed to distract you from your pains, but ultimately its about what works for any one person, not every person. 

Which is why people need to act sparingly with this stuff, especially the atopical gear, throw a load on when your not used to it, then wrap the area in some kinda support made of artificial fibres could lead to some serious skin irritations?, that will definitely distract you from your usual aches & pains. 

As for the the various stretching exercises & warming up, definitely, fill yer boots if your able, unfortunately Ive got 29years on you, if I tried to do the kind of warm up exercises I did when I was 27, I wouldn't make it out of the safezone ?. 

When you start carrying the long term wear & tear, & associated injuries, acceptance plays a big part in enjoying the game, not feeling the need to behave like red rum when the whistle blows, but rather employ a more tactical approach, aka sneaky mofo, & let the young gazelles on the opposite side run in to my occasional well placed BB, it can be very satisfying?. 

It is what we make of it I guess?

Ahh yeah, very true mate in regards to what works for different people. Deep heat will definitely be easier to apply and work into the muscles with a massage as you say as it's more of a cream consistency. With me, I'd usually go home after training and apply some to my niggles, usually knees, shins, ankles and top of my feet but it just didn't do enough for me, perhaps I wasn't working it in properly as you say, or maybe it's better for bigger softer areas rather than boney ones. Tiger balm when I first tried it blew me away and did everything I needed it to with the way I was using it, so I've sworn by it ever since. Have you ever tried Namman Thai oil? It's incredible stuff, You could probably skip the warm up and just use that ? you'll be flying out of the safe zone ??. I do love a bit of sneaky gameplay myself, Nothing more satisfying than doing a sneaky little flank around and objective and just picking the enemies off one by one with a sniper, completely undetected. Or better yet, hiding and waiting on a popular route like an ambush predator for the enemies to walk past you before picking them off haha. 

 

[Tackle]

Ahh yeah, very true mate in regards to what works for different people. Deep heat will definitely be easier to apply and work into the muscles with a massage as you say as it's more of a cream consistency. With me, I'd usually go home after training and apply some to my niggles, usually knees, shins, ankles and top of my feet but it just didn't do enough for me, perhaps I wasn't working it in properly as you say, or maybe it's better for bigger softer areas rather than boney ones. Tiger balm when I first tried it blew me away and did everything I needed it to with the way I was using it, so I've sworn by it ever since. Have you ever tried Namman Thai oil? It's incredible stuff, You could probably skip the warm up and just use that ? you'll be flying out of the safe zone ??. I do love a bit of sneaky gameplay myself, Nothing more satisfying than doing a sneaky little flank around and objective and just picking the enemies off one by one with a sniper, completely undetected. Or better yet, hiding and waiting on a popular route like an ambush predator for the enemies to walk past you before picking them off haha. 

Edit, I should say back in my ice hockey days, freeze spray was "medicine" of choice for everything that hurt, probably helped by the fact that I was lean & muscular, unlike now lol. 

You & I are targeting similar issues, but approaching them from different ends of the age/fitness spectrum, so hopefully all our experiences are of use to other members going through similar stuff?. 

LOL, I've definitely got no shortage of bigger softer areas?, been a very long time since anybody described any part of me as bony?

 

[Egon_247]

I've given my position away a few times after being a sneaky bastard and ending up in the perfect spot, only to stand up, both my knees going "oh no you don't sunshine" and yelping in pain. ??

Hereditary knees (thanks dad! You with your shiney titanium ones) and being a lazy 17 stone engineer has definitely taken its toll. 

Tactical walking, tuned pews so I don't have to get right in amongst the chaos and carnage and a keen eye for watching what's going on help. 

Have to say that other than a fractured wrist (watch me climb this barrier to get to the perfect firing position....clunk thud) I haven't ever broken a bone. 

I let the younglings take the lead and then sweep up when plan A goes to shit. ?

 

[gavinkempsell]

Lastly, stretch, stretch and stretch! Both before and after skirmishes

 

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

First thing any cat does upon waking is stretch liked hell!

Don't forget to stretch down either, it eases anything that you may have pulled without noticing.

Since muscle supports/surrounds joints, staying fit helps a great deal.  Of course my preferred ways of getting fit are what led to the injuries in the first place; probably the same for most of us?  If I hadn't a love for martial arts and bikes, I'd be less injured, but I wouldn't be fit for my age either.  

Written sitting supported by cushions whilst elevating leg/foot due to sciatica, planter fasciitis, arthritis, tarsal tunnel and (re)torn rib cartilage.  Enjoying a very effective muscle relaxant isotonic sport scotch called Bell's.  

 

[Sewdhull]

Yoga, do it.

 

[Tackle]

Yoga, do it.

Are goats optional ? 

View attachment 119877

 

[John F.]

I've got a number of niggling old injuries that would keep me off playing airsoft if I didn't keep them under control through rehab exercises and stretching. The best thing I done was to book a private sports physio to look them over. I would recommend anyone else to do the same. It might not help, but depending on the injuries, it could make a life changing difference to your mobility.

Yoga, do it.

I'd second this if you're able to do it.

 

[Enid_Puceflange]

I've got a number of niggling old injuries that would keep me off playing airsoft if I didn't keep them under control through rehab exercises and stretching. The best thing I done was to book a private sports physio to look them over. I would recommend anyone else to do the same. It might not help, but depending on the injuries, it could make a life changing difference to your mobility.

I'd second this if you're able to do it.

I’ve actually been thinking about this.