Playing with pain

alphadog

alphadog

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Recently had a discussion with a frequent contributor who was complaining of knee pain during and after play. I recomended ibuprofen prior to play,he responded with not liking to take anything,I replied that was understandable.However I have since read that pain that is not treated,only increases in intensity as a defense mechanism of the body.In other words every time you aggravate the condtion the pain will be more intense then the previous time.:eek: Just thought I would share this az'ers.
 
alphadog said:
Recently had a discussion with a frequent contributor who was complaining of knee pain during and after play. I recomended ibuprofen prior to play,he responded with not liking to take anything,I replied that was understandable.However I have since read that pain that is not treated,only increases in intensity as a defense mechanism of the body.In other words every time you aggravate the condtion the pain will be more intense then the previous time.:eek: Just thought I would share this az'ers.
Click to expand...

That is why you need to anticipate and medicate.

Don't hate.

That's great.
 
alphadog said:
Recently had a discussion with a frequent contributor who was complaining of knee pain during and after play. I recomended ibuprofen prior to play,he responded with not liking to take anything,I replied that was understandable.However I have since read that pain that is not treated,only increases in intensity as a defense mechanism of the body.In other words every time you aggravate the condtion the pain will be more intense then the previous time.:eek: Just thought I would share this az'ers.
Click to expand...


This story reminds me of a joke I heard on Hee-Haw. There's a older gentleman on a porch in a rocking chair with a dog laying down next to him that just wouldn't stop howling. A neighbor comes over and asks the old man what's wrong with his dog? The old man tells him the dog is layin' on a nail. The neighbor asks, why doesn't the dog move off the nail? The old man says, "It doesn't hurt bad enough."
 
pretty much a no win deal for many

Playing with pain isn't fun but at the same time any medication may take the edge off of your game. Even aspirin in large doses is a downer. A friend of mine took half an aspirin before every competition to calm his nerves just a hair. I think that was more of a psychological crutch than real but he thought it mattered.

Hu
 
I have always played with pain. I have taught myself to mentally block it out. I know not everyone can do this, but it has worked for me. Consulting your doctor would be the wisest thing to do. I have been lucky not to require pain medication. Becoming addicted to the medication is worse, IMO.
 
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I know a guy who uses pain to focus.. he bites his tongue on every shot and tells me that he bites harder on more difficult shots..

he is a better than average player..

In my own experience.. I broke a couple ribs a few months ago and found that if I froze my body to the point where I couldn't feel the pain and stroked while frozen I hit the cue ball extremely well..
 
I had been playing in pain for years due to a childhood of baseball. On 12/4 I finally had shoulder to repair a torn labrum and bone spurs in my AC joint. I have no idea at this point how I will come out of it, but prior to, after about an hour I would be in some pretty good pain. I slowed down my break considerably, and "jacking up" was a no-no.

I did not medicate. It made me feel like blah and I didn't care about shooting.

Fingers crossed for a 100% shoulder when all said and done.
 
I am playing with pain but I DO take an Ibu or 2 before playing. The pain is in my left hip but is aggravating my knee now too (I think it's time to see the doc). I have no idea what happened but my wife is blaming pool :)

Anyway, we all react different to pain, I need to numb it a bit in order to keep my focus. It's working... the last two times I've gambled I walked away with all of the cash, but I could hardly walk the next morning.
 
ShootingArts said:
Playing with pain isn't fun but at the same time any medication may take the edge off of your game. Even aspirin in large doses is a downer. A friend of mine took half an aspirin before every competition to calm his nerves just a hair. I think that was more of a psychological crutch than real but he thought it mattered.

Hu
Click to expand...


I know some players that would take aspirin to thin their blood... You can concentrate better with thinner blood...That's why alot of league players think they play better with a few beers...The misconception is that the beer relaxes a person but the Newton law that's actually happens is their blood has gotten thinner with a few drinks..but the double edge sword is too many and the drunkawrdness takes over & your game goes the other way...unless you are Scotty Townsend...lol
 
I think the "kind" of pain....needs to be identified.

I recently had some serious left hip pain.
I went to the doctor because it didn't feel like "muscle" pain.
It felt like "joint" or "bone" pain.

They didn't find anything wrong with my joints or bones.

I went to a chiropractor, and he identified it, right away.

I have classic hip flexor muscle problems.
I just need to do excruciating leg stretches, and I feel the improvement, instantly.

My suggestion is....to get your body fixed.
Playing pool in pain can only do one thing......distract you from performing your best.

Blocking out pain may work, but to an extent.
When your body stops functioning, then you will not be able to play.
 
okinawa77 said:
I think the "kind" of pain....needs to be identified.

I recently had some serious left hip pain.
I went to the doctor because it didn't feel like "muscle" pain.
It felt like "joint" or "bone" pain.

They didn't find anything wrong with my joints or bones.

I went to a chiropractor, and he identified it, right away.

I have classic hip flexor muscle problems.
I just need to do excruciating leg stretches, and I feel the improvement, instantly.

My suggestion is....to get your body fixed.
Playing pool in pain can only do one thing......distract you from performing your best.

Blocking out pain may work, but to an extent.
When your body stops functioning, then you will not be able to play.
Click to expand...
OMG, this sounds like my problem exactly!
 
YOLO said:
OMG, this sounds like my problem exactly!
Click to expand...

For the sake of your pool game......I mean...health.....please work on getting your hip and knee fixed up.

Consider this...If you keep playing with the pain, one day you won't be able to stand or walk.......then, how are you going to play pool?

I've played pool for as much as 16 hours straight, and by then, your whole body is aching. But the part of you that should be aching the most, is your feet. That part is unavoidable....unless you're not playing pool, rather than watching your opponent play.

I am assuming that you are shooting right handed. You're left hip will get sore and tight, and maybe start twitching/spasming.

You're left knee will start aching, more so, if you are leaning in deeply.
If your knee is lined above your toes, then you are leaning too far forward.
Try to line your knee above or a little behind your heel. You can do this by placing your foot a little farther forward.
 
alphadog said:
Recently had a discussion with a frequent contributor who was complaining of knee pain during and after play. I recomended ibuprofen prior to play,he responded with not liking to take anything,I replied that was understandable.However I have since read that pain that is not treated,only increases in intensity as a defense mechanism of the body.In other words every time you aggravate the condtion the pain will be more intense then the previous time.:eek: Just thought I would share this az'ers.
Click to expand...

He should either lose weight (only if that's an issue, because weight can cause serious knee pain) AND/OR take 2 or 3 Glucosamine Chondroitin per day - with a meal. It is not a medication or steroid and it helps lubricate the joints. I used to have severe knee pain. Almost couldn't walk. Mom told me to take GC and I only started taking it to prove to her that it doesn't work. I noticed a difference in a week or two, but then didn't seem to notice any more difference. Kept taking them for a year, because she said it takes a long time to work well. I wanted to prove her wrong.

A year later, I went without the stuff for 2 weeks, after a trip. Woke up, went outside for a cigarette and worried that I couldn't get back in the door. I had forgotten to bring the phone with me and was stuck out there for a while, in severe pain. Felt like someone had poured sand in my knee joints! I then realized how much the stuff had helped, because that was the intensity of the pain I had before I started taking the GC. I guess it worked so graduallly that I almost didn't know it was working.

I spent the next 3 days in bed, making sure I took my GC every day, before I could get out of bed without excruciating pain. I didn't go more than a day or two without it, after that little experience.

Another thing that has really helped is exercise... walking on the treadmill or using the air walker. I walked really slow, because I couldn't go fast for a few months, thanks to having heart attacks and knee pain, too. Started out at 5 minutes. Now, I can go an hour and a half, if I take a notion to. Knee pain disappeared more as time went by. Of course, if the pain ever comes back, I'm taking an extra Glucosamine Chondroitin!!

I dont' know of any pain killers that lubricate the joints, like GC does. Makes all the difference in the world. Yeah, it's a little slow and it's not cheap, but it's the best stuff I ever had for knee pain!
 
okinawa77 said:
For the sake of your pool game......I mean...health.....please work on getting your hip and knee fixed up.

Consider this...If you keep playing with the pain, one day you won't be able to stand or walk.......then, how are you going to play pool?

I've played pool for as much as 16 hours straight, and by then, your whole body is aching. But the part of you that should be aching the most, is your feet. That part is unavoidable....unless you're not playing pool, rather than watching your opponent play.

I am assuming that you are shooting right handed. You're left hip will get sore and tight, and maybe start twitching/spasming.

You're left knee will start aching, more so, if you are leaning in deeply.
If your knee is lined above your toes, then you are leaning too far forward.
Try to line your knee above or a little behind your heel. You can do this by placing your foot a little farther forward.
Click to expand...
I agree completely, Doc! I do shoot right handed and have adjusted my stance like you suggested. I get the twitching/spasms more so in the morning. Getting sleep has been a challenge too.

I can't tell my wife it's from playing pool though... even though it started after a long 6 hour grind where there were no breaks... I jumped from match to match for the entire 6 hours.

Thanks for caring AND the advice!
 
GC and MSM

I take the GC and MSM. I don't know if the MSM is really necessary but that was what I started taking originally all in one pill. Now I buy the MSM separately because it is much cheaper that way.

It does typically take months for the GC to work so it isn't real noticeable. Like you though, I notice in a few weeks when I quit taking it.

Hu


QUOTE=JesPiddlin]He should either lose weight (only if that's an issue, because weight can cause serious knee pain) AND/OR take 2 or 3 Glucosamine Chondroitin per day - with a meal. It is not a medication or steroid and it helps lubricate the joints. I used to have severe knee pain. Almost couldn't walk. Mom told me to take GC and I only started taking it to prove to her that it doesn't work. I noticed a difference in a week or two, but then didn't seem to notice any more difference. Kept taking them for a year, because she said it takes a long time to work well. I wanted to prove her wrong.

A year later, I went without the stuff for 2 weeks, after a trip. Woke up, went outside for a cigarette and worried that I couldn't get back in the door. I had forgotten to bring the phone with me and was stuck out there for a while, in severe pain. Felt like someone had poured sand in my knee joints! I then realized how much the stuff had helped, because that was the intensity of the pain I had before I started taking the GC. I guess it worked so graduallly that I almost didn't know it was working.

I spent the next 3 days in bed, making sure I took my GC every day, before I could get out of bed without excruciating pain. I didn't go more than a day or two without it, after that little experience.

Another thing that has really helped is exercise... walking on the treadmill or using the air walker. I walked really slow, because I couldn't go fast for a few months, thanks to having heart attacks and knee pain, too. Started out at 5 minutes. Now, I can go an hour and a half, if I take a notion to. Knee pain disappeared more as time went by. Of course, if the pain ever comes back, I'm taking an extra Glucosamine Chondroitin!!

I dont' know of any pain killers that lubricate the joints, like GC does. Makes all the difference in the world. Yeah, it's a little slow and it's not cheap, but it's the best stuff I ever had for knee pain![/QUOTE]
 
I had a minor surgury on the 10th, nothing to do with pool, but I'm walking around with a 2" open wound about 1" deep. It hurt's constantly. A dull throb like you feel after you been punched hard. I've been out to play maybe 4 times since I was cut, and I have shot some of the best pool of my life for about 45 minutes, and then things go down hill from there. I'm just not strong enough to keep it going.

I'm also prone to migranes. If I start getting a headache and don't do something about it, I'll be puking. If I can keep it to a dull throb, I shoot good pool. Believe me, the difference isn't worth the discomfort, and when I'm feeling well and stroking well I am much more consistent over the long run without pain than I am with pain. It's the kind of thing that plays with your mind. If it's not to intense it can be a focusing influence, too severe and it's destructive to a consistent smooth stroke.

:cool:
 
No Pain No Gain..........yeah right.

I play with pain often. Too many mountain bike crashes!

Broke numerous ribs and busted up both knees. I can tell you when the weather is about to change! LOL.

The car accident (rear ended) caused severe whiplash and recurring neck pain.

I have found that a good physical therapist and/or chiropractor helps me more than anything. Massaging out spasms around my shoulders and neck.

In between visits....... Crown & 7! LOL.

I DO play better when my neck hurts! LOL. Reminds me to keep still when shooting.

Ray
( I could use a Crown & 7 now!)
 
ShootingArts said:
I think that was more of a psychological crutch than real but he thought it mattered.

Hu
Click to expand...
That's what counts "he thought it mattered" to help the mental part of the game.

James
 
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