We’re old.
We hurt.
What do we do to ease our pain?
Hot bath with Epsom salts
Gentle stretching
Intense stretching
Foam rolling with a roller with no contours/bumps
Foam rolling with a rumble roller
Rolling with a lacrosse ball
I’ve listed it from the least invasive to the most intense. I’ll pick the method based on how I feel and how much pain I’m willing to tolerate. If I’m feeling really stiff and sore I’ll start with light stretching to get the blood flowing and go from there if I feel up to it.
Obviously sleep should be in that list but sometimes it ends up being worse if you’re in a bad position for too long or don’t feel rested after sleeping.
I’ll add this bit in as well. I like foam rolling on the back but the only way for me to make a difference with the spinal erectors all jumbled with the traps, rhomboids, etc… is to get in there with a tennis or lacrosse ball. Laser-like precision.
[quote]Crushed_Idiot wrote:
Hot bath with Epsom salts
[/quote]
I try to get one of these a day. My question about Epsom salts is how important is it to have the sore areas fully submerged? With a sore shoulder and a sore groin and a 5 foot bath tub I can’t keep my shoulder and groin underwater at the same time comfortably…so…I’ll have the shoulder under for 5-10 minutes and then switch.
Hope this makes sense.
[quote]sen say wrote:
[quote]Crushed_Idiot wrote:
Hot bath with Epsom salts
[/quote]
I try to get one of these a day. My question about Epsom salts is how important is it to have the sore areas fully submerged? With a sore shoulder and a sore groin and a 5 foot bath tub I can’t keep my shoulder and groin underwater at the same time comfortably…so…I’ll have the shoulder under for 5-10 minutes and then switch.
Hope this makes sense.
[/quote]
I’m not 100% but I’m fairly certain the body part should be submerged. Common sense would dictate local absorption will do more for a shoulder. Plus there’s the heat aspect. The instructions on the stuff I get from Costco says to use the hottest water to best dissolve. How much carry over to the relief of a body part has to do with heat in addition to the magnesium salts?
Epson salt baths are awesome and work great. I switch positions to keep submerged as well.
I cant emphasize how much I spend on this-time wise.
epsom salt baths are awesome
so are ice baths- two bags of ice is like 5 bucks.
yes it sucks but it great.
PVC pipe and an LX ball
lots of band work
there is a TON of info on mobility and stretching work
and dare I say it- cardio.
I recover much better when doing cardio a few times a week.
short bursts of 15-20 mins 3x helps allot.
I also am a big user of curicumin/tumeric and some other basic joint supplements.
Sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll.
Magnesium oil if it’s crampy muscles. Different form to epsom so I like to cover all bets. Jacuzzi, swimming, massage, yoga and some voodoo
[quote]minimaltechno wrote:
Magnesium oil if it’s crampy muscles. Different form to epsom so I like to cover all bets. Jacuzzi, swimming, massage, yoga and some voodoo[/quote]
I’ve been doing a half hour (actually about 25 minutes) of yoga the past 2 weeks. My shoulder has seen huge improvements from just a really, really basic yoga show. It’s on comcast and has Nancy Goodstein. I forget the exact title but you basically touch your toes from different positions countered with leaning back REAL far from different positions.
Do you put the magnesium oil in the bath, or drink it?
Now go do that voodoo, that you do so well !
[quote]Crushed_Idiot wrote:
Common sense would dictate local absorption will do more for a shoulder. [/quote]
That’s the thing I’m curious about…like…does more salt work it’s way into the muscle over time so you have to keep it in the salt water…or does like the initial application of salt water continue to worm its way into the muscle…
Sometimes it sucks being me trying to explain/figure these things out.
[quote]sen say wrote:
[quote]minimaltechno wrote:
Magnesium oil if it’s crampy muscles. Different form to epsom so I like to cover all bets. Jacuzzi, swimming, massage, yoga and some voodoo[/quote]
I’ve been doing a half hour (actually about 25 minutes) of yoga the past 2 weeks. My shoulder has seen huge improvements from just a really, really basic yoga show. It’s on comcast and has Nancy Goodstein. I forget the exact title but you basically touch your toes from different positions countered with leaning back REAL far from different positions.
Do you put the magnesium oil in the bath, or drink it?
Now go do that voodoo, that you do so well ![/quote]
I love doing yoga the day after a lifting session, the muscles get a tingly from it. I’ll check out Nancy Goodstein.
No the oil is transdermal, it was great when my thoracic area would spasm up, I just spray the stuff on. I’ve seen some places where they would even give you a magnesium oil massage, I’m not sure about that as it makes me itchy the first time its applied.
2 stars for the Blazing Saddle reference 
[quote]kmcnyc wrote:
so are ice baths- two bags of ice is like 5 bucks.
[/quote]
How long do you stay in? What’s the procedure for getting in? I’m thinking if you put cold water with the ice and then tried to get in that would be tough to get in, so is it get in, turn on water, add ice? Maybe I’m just a wuss.