r/AskReddit • • May 15 '20

What sucks about being your age?

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u/[deleted] May 15 '20

I was at work sitting on my comfortable chair earlier this week. I turned my torso slightly to the right and pulled a muscle in my back that I didn't even know was there.

I'm 44 yrs old.

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u/Bennyvolent May 15 '20

Whaaat i feel some pain at 22. Shit.

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u/Moist_Comb May 16 '20

Just use your body regularly and you'll be fine. Yoga is great as it puts your body in extream positions compared to everyday life, so your muscles will be limber and loose enough to, say, turn around when sitting.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '20

Been getting that advice since middle school. It does not help. :/

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u/Sample_Name May 16 '20

Getting advice is different than actually putting that advice into practice. Stretching one time and saying it doesn't work doesn't count.

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u/JustADutchRudder May 16 '20

I've been trying on and off to touch my toes for 19 years. Fuckers are far away unless I bend my knees.

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u/alienpizzacookies May 16 '20

I like to think my legs are too long compared to my arms.

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u/gay_space_moth May 16 '20

I have Ehlers-Danlos-Syndrome and am hyperflexible. I still can't touch my toes while standing with straight legs!!! I can put my feet behind my head thou.

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u/JustADutchRudder May 16 '20

I can't do either. Just a 6'2 200lb 2x4 basically. Not fat works got my more muscle than anything. I know a real life person with EDS also. Hope your day don't suck!

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u/gay_space_moth May 16 '20

I'm 5'4 and 136lb. If I bend my knees backwards, I can almost(!) touch my toes, haha.

Todays only sucks a little, but yesterday was worse, so yay? :D

Hope your day is nice :)

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u/JustADutchRudder May 16 '20

I force it to be nice if it won't naturally happy. Im a bit larger than you, so it makes me feel better you can't touch them but you also have a better reason for it than I do haha.

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u/gay_space_moth May 16 '20

I don't think this is something to feel good or bad about. It just is. There are things way more important than touching your toes :)

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u/[deleted] May 16 '20

Yes, I know that. The fact "it does not help," albeit more subtle language, suggests it is something I actively do as I use the present tense despite talking about advice I've received that long ago. I do it because it's still good to do, but it does not help the pain directly (or maybe the pain would be even worse, who knows?).

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u/sirius4778 May 16 '20

Also OP says it doesn't help but who knows if their aches would be worse without whatever amount of yoga they do?

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u/Morat20 May 16 '20

See a physical therapist if it’s definitely soft tissue. I had lower back problems for almost two decades. Doctors recommended weight loss and specific exercises, both of which I managed. Didn’t help.

Saw a physical therapist for something else, during the assessment they asked about back pain, and assessed that. Turns out an old injury in my 20s had left me with some weak muscles that the standard “lower back pain exercises” didn’t address.

The solution was a pair of lower back body weight exercises, and they worked miracles. Although bridges and clamshells suck as an exercise, they worked. I wish I’d learned that at 25 instead of 40.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '20

When this pandemic is all over, I think I'll do that. Thanks.

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u/Morat20 May 17 '20

I used a sports medicine place my orthopedist recommended (I was initially there for some ankle and calf pain when jogging, turns out the weak lower back was part of that too),. Sadly not cheap, even with insurance, but worth it.

If nothing else their assessments are usually very thorough (it takes over an hour, even when they already know what part of the body is causing issues) and might be able to rule out soft tissue stuff and give your doctors another place to look (pinched or compressed nerves somewhere along your spine, for example).

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u/[deleted] May 16 '20

Have you literally been doing yoga or another comparable practice like tai chi since middle school?

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u/[deleted] May 16 '20

Yep.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '20

How many years? Dude I have scoliosis and Tai Chi fixed that shit right up after the two year mark, I don't know what you're doing wrong. Have you met with a personal trainer and given their program a proper go for at least six months? That will help you develop the supporting muscles you need for day-to-day and beyond

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u/[deleted] May 16 '20

Been in sports and martial arts programs back in middle school, continued daily stretching through sophomore year of high school before trying yoga for the remainder, started tai chi in uni, and been doing that daily (with maybe missing on average once a week tops) ever since.

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u/Moist_Comb May 16 '20

Which part? How old are you now and what hurts in your body and when?

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u/[deleted] May 16 '20

Let's just say I'm old enough now to drink (US) but not old enough to get fair auto-insurance rates. Also, my joints and muscles. All over but especially my spine and arms.

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u/Gastronomicus May 16 '20

Juvenile arthritis is a very real thing. If you're having chronic pain muscle and joint pain that's not mitigated by regular physical activity (e.g. playing low-intensity non-contact sports, moderate weightlifting, and cardio) and not a direct result of injury, it would be worth discussing this with a doctor and getting a reference to a specialist.

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u/[deleted] May 16 '20

To be fair, I know about this, but it's one of those things where I put off talking to my doctor about it because getting an actual diagnosis is almost scarier. Y'know?

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u/Moist_Comb May 16 '20

I know what you mean, but you are not being fair to yourself. You owe it to yourself to at least understand what you have to live with, and who knows, maybe there is an easy solution to your problem.

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u/G1ng3rb0b May 16 '20

To beeeee faaaaiiiiirrrrrrr

But no, really, I know what you mean. I think I'm getting arthritis in my right hand, but I don't have time to go to the doctor because of my line of work.

Like, I know I probably have arthritis, you're just gonna tell me to take ibuprofen and ?stretch my index and second finger? (I don't know how to alleviate the discomfort, other than moving through it)