giving up this game...how do you know when..

cubswin

cubswin

Just call me Joe...
Silver Member
I'm currently thinking of quitting this game we call billiards. Back problems just make it hard to play, and have caused me not to want to play.

Currently have the best hitting cue I've ever owned (have had about 200), love it. And its for sale, though I find myself regretting posting it for sale.

Anyone with chronic back pain have any suggestions? I played the first time in 4 months last week, second shot I couldn't stand back up. Spent a couple days at the chiro, one of them a sunday. Spent a saturday sucking down pain pills, and just don't know if its worth all that.
 
Sorry to hear that bro. I'm still getting back in shape from my ordeal as well. I've had some lower back issues - but it is going away, slowly but surely.
 
I have had back trouble for 30 years. There was a period of 6 months when I couldn't play at all. I would throw a couple balls on the table and I couldn't bend over to play. Finally, I found a chiropractor and he had me playing again a month later. I still have bad days where I throw something out and can't play for a week or two. But, I do my upper and lower back excercises daily and pop advil during tournaments. It's upsetting because I really want to play pool, and it is difficult when you're in pain. I've missed some work because of back trouble, but I will not have surgery. No insurance!
I'm not sure one can leave pool forever...I have many interests but, pool is my first love and I always come back.
 
I used to be a personal trainer and had clients with the same problem. Without knowing your physique, age, or other medical conditions, the first thing I would ask is are you overweight? Shedding that unwanted weight takes a tremendous strain off of your back, hips, knees, and heart. Next I would tell you to strengthen your abdominals. You need to have strong abdominals to provide the support to ease the tension off of your back. Think of your midsection as a tree trunk. When it is strong all the way around there are no problems. Cut a wedge out of any side (weakening that side) and what happens? The opposing side takes up twice as much strain trying to keep it upright. I can suggest many easy to do exercises for your abs, as well as your lower back, if you need, just shoot me a pm. Hope this helps.
 
poolhall maven said:
I have had back trouble for 30 years. There was a period of 6 months when I couldn't play at all. I would throw a couple balls on the table and I couldn't bend over to play. Finally, I found a chiropractor and he had me playing again a month later. I still have bad days where I throw something out and can't play for a week or two. But, I do my upper and lower back excercises daily and pop advil during tournaments. It's upsetting because I really want to play pool, and it is difficult when you're in pain. I've missed some work because of back trouble, but I will not have surgery. No insurance!
I'm not sure one can leave pool forever...I have many interests but, pool is my first love and I always come back.
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Year ago next month I was laying flat on my back on my floor crying for three days. Managed to get on my couch at 3 1/2 days, at 4 I called the ambulance to come get me. Spent a couple days on morphine, which really helped. Had to walk with a walker for 2 weeks after that because I couldn't stand on my own. Played pool at week 4, which was a mistake but I was dying to play. Last 6 months I've played twice, for a total of about 2 hours.

Kicker is mri said I'm just fine. Chrio has me doing some things that have helped, but in the last month and half I've had two times of extreme pain. Luckily both on weekends when I could eat some pain pills and not miss work.
 
lights_out said:
I used to be a personal trainer and had clients with the same problem. Without knowing your physique, age, or other medical conditions, the first thing I would ask is are you overweight? Shedding that unwanted weight takes a tremendous strain off of your back, hips, knees, and heart. Next I would tell you to strengthen your abdominals. You need to have strong abdominals to provide the support to ease the tension off of your back. Think of your midsection as a tree trunk. When it is strong all the way around there are no problems. Cut a wedge out of any side (weakening that side) and what happens? The opposing side takes up twice as much strain trying to keep it upright. I can suggest many easy to do exercises for your abs, as well as your lower back, if you need, just shoot me a pm. Hope this helps.
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Yes...I'm a fat man. Know that loosing weight would help. Have been much more active over the last couple of months trying to at least accomplish better overall health. Actually asked one of my coworkers this week if he'd like to do a little get in better shape challenge with me. Starting that after he gets back from chicago next week. Thinking of changing one of my medications that makes weight lost and real challenge. Gained 40-50lbs when I started taking it. Works great for the diabetes, but the one big side effect is weight gain.
 
last year i had surgery on one of my disc's (L5 S1) because it herniated and was pressing on a main nerve. iused to have this pain going down my butt and into my leg where i couldn't sit or lay down without major discomfort. when the surgery was done i can't tell you when i remember feeling that good. i even started taking up the game again and have surpassed my former playing ability. i'm sorry if that sounds like i'm rubbing it in but i'm just saying that all hope is not lost. because of your weight there could be allot of inflammation around the nerves in certain areas that are making the normal tissues and fats press on them causing the excruciating pain. my problem was with the disc itself pressing on the nerve but it could just as well be other softer tissues which i'm sure an MRI can detect. there are tests they can do to find "the" nerves that are being affected by sticking needles into certain areas but they are like shock therapy and not fun but you just might have to tough it out and have them done to get your issues resolved. my doctor was DR. Mark Levin. his main office is in the professional section of Munster Community Hospital in Munster Indiana. he is recognized as one of the top neurosurgeons in the country. anyway i, as a back problem "survivor" wish you the best of luck.
 
Ask your Dr. to get you some Duragesic patches.

You wont feel a thing and play like a champ.
 
skins said:
... I used to have this pain going down my butt and into my leg where i couldn't sit or lay down without major discomfort. ...
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I had the same symptoms, more or less. Once it was so bad that I could not turn over in bed. The doctor gave me pain killer and muscle relaxant. My solution was to take my wallet out of my left rear pocket and move it to my right front pocket. Really. I have not had a recurrence. Maybe I changed something else at the same time, but I read somewhere that a consistent twist on the spine (like being two inches higher on one side, due to my wad of hundreds) can cause this.
 
Winston Churchill said it best, at the darkest hour of World War II.

"Never Give Up, Never Give Up, Never Give Up"

thats what i intend to do.

DCP
 
Bob Jewett said:
I had the same symptoms, more or less. Once it was so bad that I could not turn over in bed. The doctor gave me pain killer and muscle relaxant. My solution was to take my wallet out of my left rear pocket and move it to my right front pocket. Really. I have not had a recurrence. Maybe I changed something else at the same time, but I read somewhere that a consistent twist on the spine (like being two inches higher on one side, due to my wad of hundreds) can cause this.
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That's good advice. I haven't gotten to the stage where it causes chronic pain, but it does make me uncomfortable. So, I take my wallet out of the back pocket when I'll be sitting for long periods of time, like at work or driving.

If you have no room in your front pocket, you could do what George Costanza did; just fold a stack of napkins and put it in your other butt pocket to level yourself. :D

Sorry to hear about your pain, CubsWin. I hope you get better and are able to keep playing pool.
 
I've actually got a lift in my one of my shoes, x rays show that my pelvis/hips are tilted. Prior to last years three weeks of hell, I was waking up for months before feeling crooked. Would have pain at times, and would literally wake up and feel like my whole left side was tilted. Haven't had that problem since adding in the lift, and the hips and knees have felt much better.
 
There's gonna be......

times when everyone has a reason to quit playing pool. I myself have quit a few times due to problems with my back and also pool invading times in my life when I need to be doing other things. One thing is if you love to play its gonna call you back. You can't quit its not possible. Most people that play this game, they play it for the simple fact that they love it. They think about it though out their day and it owns their nights. Back problems I understand. Mine is lower back. As long as I keep the gut weight down I'm fine. I hope everything works out for you cuz. But find a way not to leave something as great as this game.
 
thrasher789 said:
Made me lol whether the 'wad of hundreds' was a joke or not. :)
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Only sometimes. I once had $10,000 in hundreds from a tournament that I had to deposit. I discovered then that you have to fill out a lot of extra paper work for that large a cash deposit. I didn't really keep the wad in my back pocket -- that's what the briefcase is for. But I have seen Bucktooth with two giant carbuncles in his front pockets formed from impacted $100-bills. In his case, they seem to attract players with more greed than sense.
 
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thrasher789 said:
Made me lol whether the 'wad of hundreds' was a joke or not. :)
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That tickled me too. Rather than a fat wallet it's a heavy purse with a concealed weapon and a wad of hundreds. LOL!

Bob I too had a lift in my shoe also because of sciatica 14 years ago.
The exercises are helping me, I don't have as many bad days as I used to.
Hey cubs have you thought about an inversion table? That gives you a nice gentle pull on your spine at a 45 degree angle. That helps me alot too.
 
i used to have the lower back problems, where it runs down the back of your leg. I tried chiroprac's, massage........and the only thing i found that helped me was stretching out my lower back. Once i learned to do this the minute i started feeling my lower back beginning to hurt, it never got bad again and it hardly ever bothers me anymore.
 
If your male, over thirty, and you do not have lower back problems, your not much of a man -- or so my friend a roofer told me.

Your brain runs all the way down your spine. Be caerful who you have twist it around.
 
I have no advice regarding your back. It's way too technical for me. I do know you don't have to make a decision about pool right now. If you can play today then play. If you can't then don't. Tackle tomorrow when it comes. It's way too depressing to start thinking about what might be tomorrow, especially since you appear to project negative tomorrows as being your likely reality.

Make plans for tomorrow. Today is for doing what you can to make those plans come true. Make positive decisions and take action today and then before you retire from this day assess your progress and make plans for positive steps ahead tomorrow.
 
I would definetely stop the sale of your favorite cue ASAP. There are alternatives to your condition. If you truly love the sport, you will find a way.
 
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