War Torn and On The Mend

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

I have crashed and burned and this log will be used as an accountability tool to rebuild from the ashes up.

Injury sucks! If I cannot move I cannot lift, what else do you need to know? How did it happen… A life time of having the universe teach me things about limits. It seems if you wish to know your limits God will tell you the second you go past them. I’ve ridden bulls, motorcycles, mountain bikes, skis, etc. It’s not the riding, it’s the crashing that taught me a few things. I’ve fought in the ring, I’ve fought in the bar and I’ve fought in the street, it seems that losing has taught me a few things as well. Currently I have almost no dorsi flexion in one foot, severe femoral anterior glide in one hip, severe impingements in both shoulders, and lumbar issues. I’ve healed from too many fractures to name, many times more sprains, a few concussions, losing most of my skin on one side and I cannot remember not having a cut or bruise somewhere on me at all times.

Well, I’ve had it! For years of living on the edge I don’t have much to show for it. I have a self assured presence that people mention. I don’t know what the hell they are seeing, I don’t get the benefit of experiencing it. What they don’t see is it hurts to move, that I couldn’t fight my way out of an attack from a grade schooler. I have incredible memories, which seems cool, except that if you can remember how great it has been when at the same time have trouble tying your shoe, it doesn’t make for a happy Roland.

I am NOT accepting it!

I am 36 now, when I’m 40 I’ll be better than I ever have and here is my plan to do it.

First, eliminate all the movement impairments. Eric Cressey is a stand up guy. He’s suggested a great book “The Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes” by Sahrmann. He also recommended Mike Boyle’s DVD Series. Plus he and Robertson have been invaluable here on the forums. All of these have given me a much better understanding of what to do, which is go to a sports med doctor on Tuesday.

In the mean time, I’m doing things from Sahrmann’s book that aren’t hurting, like quadruped rocking. I know I must increase range of motion on my external rotators (shoulder), hams and quads. So it’s a lot of stretching; AIS, PNF and static. When Magnificent Mobility finally arrives I’ll do what’s on it. And I’ll continue to go through Sahrmann’s book, it is higher level than I’m used to and takes some time to get through, but wow, is it good.

Until I see the doctor, I don’t know much else about what to do. I’m in constant pain and need to walk all over a rather large university campus, so my body is saying it is urgent and hurry the hell up, but wait I must.

Until next time, live well
Roland

2

Hey, Roland

You certainly are a T-man. Your resolve is inspiring!

Have you access to a good Physical Therapist? I highly recommend finding one you can get to know. They are almost miracle workers.

In the meantime, slow and steady wins the race. Don’t be in a hurry, just build a solid foundation, and keep us informed on your progress.

3

Thanks John! I’ve read a lot of your posts and have respect for you sir.

I’m going on Tuesday to the clinic at the university. We have access to great doctors and physical therapists, so while I’m a student, I’m going to take advantage (not open to the general public)

Roland

[quote]Iron John wrote:
Hey, Roland

You certainly are a T-man. Your resolve is inspiring!

Have you access to a good Physical Therapist? I highly recommend finding one you can get to know. They are almost miracle workers.

In the meantime, slow and steady wins the race. Don’t be in a hurry, just build a solid foundation, and keep us informed on your progress.[/quote]

4

Sorry, I think that title has been trademarked…

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=960082

:wink:

Good luck on your endeavors

5

I’m changing the title of this thread right freaking now. That was good for a laugh though.

Roland.

[quote]shawninjapan wrote:
Sorry, I think that title has been trademarked…

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=960082

:wink:

Good luck on your endeavors

[/quote]

6

Looks like living “on the edge” sure kicked your ass. I’m suprized you stayed there so long! Best of luck in your endeavors.

7

You’d think I’d learn a bit faster… I think it is strongly related to environment, I hung with extreme minded people for too many years.

Roland.

[quote]Yo Momma wrote:
Looks like living “on the edge” sure kicked your ass. I’m suprized you stayed there so long! Best of luck in your endeavors.[/quote]

8

[quote]Roland Fisher wrote:
You’d think I’d learn a bit faster… I think it is strongly related to environment, I hung with extreme minded people for too many years.

Roland.
[/quote]

Nothing wrong with being extreme…as long as you can survive it.

9

[quote]Roland Fisher wrote:
What they don’t see is it hurts to move, that I couldn’t fight my way out of an attack from a grade schooler.[/quote]

Cool, I’ll be dropping by to mug you later man, I’m broke.

Seriously though, glad to see you are planning on taking control of things. There’s a lot of prehab and rehab stuff around here and maybe stuff like glucosamine-chondroitin could help with joints as well.

Don’t know what you have or haven’t looked into, but looking forward to seeing your progress. You may have taken a shortcut, but we’re all going down the same road.

10

I’m glad you’re in Ontario, with myself in Calgary you’d need to travel a bit for lunch money.

I’ve got a great opportunity for a big discount on some suppliments, I will ask for opinions regarding quality and effectiveness. I was forwarded this:

Name: Glucosamine + MSM Forte, A Dietary Supplement
Manufactured by: Douglas Laboratories www.douglaslabs.com
Ingredients(Per capsule):
vitamin c: amt: 50mg %DV: 83%
Glucosamine Sulfate(From crab and shrimp): 500mg
Methylsulfonylmethane(MSM): 250mg
Proanthocyanidins(red wine): 10mg
Bromelain: 10mg

Other Ingredients:
Gelatin(Capsule), vegetable stearate and silica

I’ll send this to Barr as well, but any comments from anyone?

I’d normally not worry about it and go buy something I know to be effective, but the price I’ll get is really good… I think, I still need to price compare to other stuff.

Roland.

[quote]vroom wrote:
Roland Fisher wrote:
What they don’t see is it hurts to move, that I couldn’t fight my way out of an attack from a grade schooler.

Cool, I’ll be dropping by to mug you later man, I’m broke.

Seriously though, glad to see you are planning on taking control of things. There’s a lot of prehab and rehab stuff around here and maybe stuff like glucosamine-chondroitin could help with joints as well.
quote]

11

[quote]Roland Fisher wrote:
Name: Glucosamine + MSM Forte, A Dietary Supplement
Manufactured by: Douglas Laboratories www.douglaslabs.com
Ingredients(Per capsule):
vitamin c: amt: 50mg %DV: 83%
Glucosamine Sulfate(From crab and shrimp): 500mg
Methylsulfonylmethane(MSM): 250mg
Proanthocyanidins(red wine): 10mg
Bromelain: 10mg
[/quote]
Personally, I’m not sure how MSM compares to chondroitin in terms of being taken with glucosamine.

There are a lot of these on the market now… take a tour into Wally World and look at dosage and pricing and so on. I usally go for a liquid when I can, because the damned pills suck up water, stick to my tongue, and do their best to choke me.

No use having healthy joints if I’m choked to death by a vengeful horse pill!

12

Well, hurrah and keep at it! I’m in the same boat: almost 4 years into multiple debilitating issues that have dropped 20 plus pounds of muscle off me and left me as weak as a noob.

The one major advantage we have is the mentality that comes from pushing the envelope to breaking point over and over again: WE DON’T KNOW HOW TO QUIT!
I look forward to hearing about your progress.

13

Thanks Vroom, I’ll check things out and if the MSM (what ever that is) is good, I’ll report it.

[quote]vroom wrote:

Personally, I’m not sure how MSM compares to chondroitin in terms of being taken with glucosamine.

There are a lot of these on the market now… take a tour into Wally World and look at dosage and pricing and so on. I usally go for a liquid when I can, because the damned pills suck up water, stick to my tongue, and do their best to choke me.

No use having healthy joints if I’m choked to death by a vengeful horse pill!
[/quote]

14

Thanks! And I hear you. I’m down about ten pounds and way fatter. I don’t even want to think about the lack of strength.

And you’re right, I don’t even know what the hell quit means. Guys like us will get better or worse, but we won’t stay the same.

How’s your progress?

Roland.

[quote]Grimnuruk wrote:
Well, hurrah and keep at it! I’m in the same boat: almost 4 years into multiple debilitating issues that have dropped 20 plus pounds of muscle off me and left me as weak as a noob.

The one major advantage we have is the mentality that comes from pushing the envelope to breaking point over and over again: WE DON’T KNOW HOW TO QUIT!
I look forward to hearing about your progress.[/quote]

15

Here is where I was 10 months ago (from http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=874080&pageNo=0 ):

[quote]Grimnuruk wrote:
Great read TC. I find it particularly inspiring at this point in my life where I find myself going into my third year of pain/fatigue/etc. hell.

“And we also know that the universe is merciless enough to give us a few physical challenges that we won’t be, can’t be, prepared for.”

When this challenge started three years ago (after 17 years of training) with a blown lumbar disc I still was working out regularly with the rest of my body and even managed to get my best combination of development and leanness ever at 219. I had a laser like focus on my diet and the training that I was able to do around and through the pain. I would succeed damn it.

Then my neck started doing strange things and the numbness and pain in my arms really shut me down, but I was still trying damn it. Then the disequilibrium, constant myofascial pain, and crushing mind/body fatigue wrapped their writhing coils around me and SQUEEZED. I had to drop out of grad school and move my family across the country to my old menial job where I could still barely function most of the time. Fortunately they trusted me enough from past experience to know that I wasn’t faking all the downtime and poor performance. My boss could see that I was working hard and sweating blood to do the job that I used to dominate and I’ve kept my job damn it.

My doc and physical therapist suggested I find something else to do (besides working out). “Is that a gray hair I see?” they say (I’m thirty four) when I try to explain how much I’d lost in two years of this. “You are one the healthiest people I know,” was the response I got when I had my latest downturn and tried to explain the wreck I’ve become. A good pulse and BP do not a healthy person make, and feeling like you aged 20 years in two ain’t “normal.” But I will overcome damn it.

I research online most days for the rehab I need, for the supplements that help. That’s how I stumbled onto this site. I’ve got my back pain stabilized, the range of motion in my neck back. The pain in my arms is still there but has subsided enough after a year of very limited exercise and a lot of stretching/nerve flossing to allow me to type and hold a book again without bringing tears to my eyes. Being able to work out at all is an accomplishment now, but it’s got to be temporary. I’ll perservere, adapt, overcome. I even had a 6 week period this past year when I was able to do my striking movements (very slowly and carefully to be sure) before my equilibrium went again from my neck tightening up.

One workout a week with a handful of exercises is all I can manage? Fine. I need to concentrate on my diet anyways. I dropped coffee cold turkey and went through a week and half of withdrawal symptoms last month. Today I started on Spike.
The dragon I’m trying to slay may only be a six inch gecko now but I’m still flailing away at it. I may never look like a Frazetta painting but I’m TRYING…

For the inspiration to keep me going,
thanks T-Nation, thanks TC.
The journey IS the reward![/quote]

16

This year I kept at it. Kept the ROM I got back and a couple of times got to regular workouts with gaining some back. But everything crashes periodically: after a few weeks of gain, a few months of pain.

I’ve been unable to shake the EXTREME fatigue, exhaustion, brain deadness,etc. and have been researching both adrenal fatigue and low T as possible reasons for body not recovering/working correctly. Something is NOT right. It seems I have to get those straightened out before I can get any lasting results out of the tremendous effort I’m putting into rehab work.

I looked through Sahrmann’s book today at library. Looks like pretty good stuff. I’ve got to agree with you about Cressy. He is the best when it comes to injury and rehab. I avidly read through each of his articles when they come out.

[quote]Roland Fisher wrote:
Thanks! And I hear you. I’m down about ten pounds and way fatter. I don’t even want to think about the lack of strength.

And you’re right, I don’t even know what the hell quit means. Guys like us will get better or worse, but we won’t stay the same.

How’s your progress?

Roland.

Grimnuruk wrote:
Well, hurrah and keep at it! I’m in the same boat: almost 4 years into multiple debilitating issues that have dropped 20 plus pounds of muscle off me and left me as weak as a noob.

The one major advantage we have is the mentality that comes from pushing the envelope to breaking point over and over again: WE DON’T KNOW HOW TO QUIT!
I look forward to hearing about your progress.

[/quote]

17

Thank you for posting, you sir inspire. I’m rooting for you.

Roland.

[quote]Grimnuruk wrote:
This year I kept at it. Kept the ROM I got back and a couple of times got to regular workouts with gaining some back. But everything crashes periodically: after a few weeks of gain, a few months of pain.

I’ve been unable to shake the EXTREME fatigue, exhaustion, brain deadness,etc. and have been researching both adrenal fatigue and low T as possible reasons for body not recovering/working correctly. Something is NOT right. It seems I have to get those straightened out before I can get any lasting results out of the tremendous effort I’m putting into rehab work.

I looked through Sahrmann’s book today at library. Looks like pretty good stuff. I’ve got to agree with you about Cressy. He is the best when it comes to injury and rehab. I avidly read through each of his articles when they come out.

Roland Fisher wrote:
Thanks! And I hear you. I’m down about ten pounds and way fatter. I don’t even want to think about the lack of strength.

And you’re right, I don’t even know what the hell quit means. Guys like us will get better or worse, but we won’t stay the same.

How’s your progress?

Roland.

[/quote]

18

Roland:

Thanks for your original post. As someone who spent part of the summer sidelined from lifting after a back injury, I can relate to both you and Grimmuruk. It’s taken 3 months to fully recover from it, but you can do it if you keep your resolve and be sure to take things one step at a time. Keep us posted!

Jeff

[quote]Roland Fisher wrote:
Thank you for posting, you sir inspire. I’m rooting for you.

Roland.

Grimnuruk wrote:
This year I kept at it. Kept the ROM I got back and a couple of times got to regular workouts with gaining some back. But everything crashes periodically: after a few weeks of gain, a few months of pain.

I’ve been unable to shake the EXTREME fatigue, exhaustion, brain deadness,etc. and have been researching both adrenal fatigue and low T as possible reasons for body not recovering/working correctly. Something is NOT right. It seems I have to get those straightened out before I can get any lasting results out of the tremendous effort I’m putting into rehab work.

I looked through Sahrmann’s book today at library. Looks like pretty good stuff. I’ve got to agree with you about Cressy. He is the best when it comes to injury and rehab. I avidly read through each of his articles when they come out.

Roland Fisher wrote:
Thanks! And I hear you. I’m down about ten pounds and way fatter. I don’t even want to think about the lack of strength.

And you’re right, I don’t even know what the hell quit means. Guys like us will get better or worse, but we won’t stay the same.

How’s your progress?

Roland.

[/quote]

19

Thanks for the support Jeff. How did it go post rehab? What have you changed training wise as a result of your injury?

Roland.

[quote]JT43 wrote:
Roland:

Thanks for your original post. As someone who spent part of the summer sidelined from lifting after a back injury, I can relate to both you and Grimmuruk. It’s taken 3 months to fully recover from it, but you can do it if you keep your resolve and be sure to take things one step at a time. Keep us posted!

Jeff
[/quote]

20

Well it is Tuesday and I have good news and bad. The good, I’m not having to pay for the sports med doc and coming physio therapy. The bad, I needed to make another appointment with a different doc and couldn’t get it until next Thursday.

In the mean time, I’m stretching everything that needs it and doesn’t hurt when I stretch it using AIS to get the initial range of motion, then twice a week I’ll do a contraction in the stretched range followed by rest then a static stretch. The other five days I’ll skip the PNF style and just do the static. I’m incorporating the drills in Magnificent Mobility DVD as much as I can and I started to roll everything. It takes a long time to go through it all, and it is boring as hell, but I will persevere.

It is helping to affirm the value of the stretching while I do it. If I get distracted I do it half assed and quit earlier than I should.

Man is it hard not lifting…

Until Thursday,
Roland.