No Sir - not bragging - it's the gospel truth. And it's not what you think!

For what it may be worth
 

Hip shot,
One of the members suggested looking into foot wear. That is, do you roll your heel when you walk either inside or to the outside. You can check the heels of your shoes or ask someone to walk behind you. Your heel location on impact however may different when running. As it turns out, I pronate. This aggravates the lower back in my case. I have since got a pair of Brooks running shoes that helps correct this problem.
Some six months ago (when I started publicly whining here about this) I also received alot of good advice.
Stretching, the right footwear and some herbal stuff the wife got me seem to have helped alot. I can now perform "honeydo's" around the house to standard.... a mixed blessing .
Good luck with it!
MM

Heel wear?
 

What does the heel of ones shoe look like if they are rolling their heel when walking or running?

Heel roll
 

JGarcia,

Remember inspecting your boots for needing a new heel by rolling a #2 pencil under the back portion of the heel? Same technique however for the sides of the heel. If you have a good shoe store in your area that sells running shoes or regular shoes they will likely be able to tell you right away.
MM

Those more knowing than I can further elaborate, but generally if you are over over-pronating a lot, the inside of your shoe will me worn down, sometimes almost crushed . You may also be a heel-toe runner and wear the heels out very quickly. Mild pronation will show less wear to the inside portion but it will still be evident that there is more wear there than the other side. There are quite a few good sites out there on how to evaluate your conformance and analyze shoe wear patterns.

Damn! 14 wraps of Detcord?:eek: Guess that means you are still hard as nails COL Jack... 3 would probably be over kill on me.:(

For cutting trees, piles, posts, beams or other timber members using explosives as an untamped external charge, the following formula is used: P = D2/40 or P = .025 D2 where, P = pounds of TNT required, D = diameter of round timber, or least dimension of dressed timber, in inches, and 1/40 = .025 = constant. Adjustment for explosive other than TNT will be made by dividing by the relative effectiveness factor that pertains to the particular explosive being used. The amount of explosive required to cut a round timber 30 inches in diameter using an untamped external charge is determined as follows: P = D2/40 P = (30)ý/40 = 900/40 = 22.50 pounds of TNT.

22 pounds of TNT for a 30" waist, or 16.4 pounds of C4. Note that the numbers are for staning generic timber, including hardwoods, as I suspect that the Colonel is, probably oak or hickory. Pine will fall with half of that charge.

THAT is a lot of demo. I am sure that a troll shot is much smaller.

TR

TR, for COL M, I think we need to use steel cutting charge formulas.

And probably a concrete cutting charge for my head.:D

TR - does the formula take into account the burn rate for Detcord and the accelerated cross energy as focused in the center of the wraps? IIRC, you could reduce the cutting formula when using detcord due to the simulated accelerated shaping of the wraps, esp for wood and other lightweight/porous/low density materials.

Det cord doesn't "burn", it detonates, hence the name, "detonating cord".

If you are referring to the propogation rate of the explosion of the det cord, since it is primarily RDX based, the rate should be in the 7,000 m/s range.

TR

Now I remember why I like this forum......you all can turn almost anything into a discussion about blowing stuff up. :cool: :munchin:

I know you have a LOT more experience with the stuff than I ever will, but I believe it's actually something on the order of 8,700 m/s. At least that's what I was taught in an advanced HAZMAT course I took. However, that was the propagation rate for RDX itself in a confined space.....like I said, you're the expert here, but I would like to know which is correct just out of my own curiosity.

I tend to walk on the outside edges of my feet. It was a real problem when learning how to ski as I kept hooking an edge when trying to do parallel turns. Had a ski shop in Leominster, MA that had a cant machine. Found that I needed a 10 degree wedge under my bindings to get my skis to fit flat on the snow. My shoes show heel wear on the outside edges (left at about 7:00 o'clock position and the right about 4:00 o'clock).

The first set of spinal injections were an experience. When he went to inject my lower back (around L5), I felt a jolt down my left leg all the way to my foot when the needle went in. When he injected the steroid, there was a lot of pressure and a solid jolt down the leg. My leg jumped and I had to grit my teeth. Afterwards, I could get my leg in a certain position and it would almost fold up under me. That wore off by the next day. I've had some relief, but not much - about what I expected. Next round is this Thursday and the last is on the 12th.

Ahh the joys of catching edges on Wachusetts Mountain....especially on "New England Packed Powder", which is ICE anywhere else in the skiing world.

Best to you on the injections. I'll be praying for relief for you.

I had read some things in the past on how over-pronation causes quite a bit of structural issues over time especially joints and spine. That is of course for the average Joe and not for someone who has driven their body like a rental car...

Based on your condition and others I know I realize I have been blessed with as little problems as I have. I started out with a combination of physical therapy and chiropractic adjustments now it is various herbal concoctions (thanks to my wife) an inversion table and a sleep number bed.

Still run and ruck :lifter but I have found that sit-ups are eeevil....

If you are walking on the outside edges of your feet, you are actually supinating them rather than pronating. Look for shoes that provide the appropriate support. This limits some of your choices since most shoes are for some degree of pronation rather than supination. Shoes for pronators will actually hurt rather than help, as you will frequently roll your ankle. New Balance and Nike have some models that will help you, and their website may be of help.

Expect that it will be several weeks before you get the full benefit of the injections. There has to be time for the inflammation and swelling to decrease.

'zilla

You're right about the ice! On a NASTAR slalomn run, I caught a gate pole and went down hard. The blue ski jacket I was wearing left a nice blue streak down the run until I finally stopped sliding.

Does the inversion table help? I've thought about getting one of those but you'd have to hang upside-down for quite a while to see any effects. Same question on the sleep number bed...the mattress I have now is like a rock, but it is also a pillow-top so it's not too bad. CinC House hates it though!

Mount Wachussett - the biggest Ice Pile in New England! Huge crowds on Friday-Sun, mid-day PT on Wed was great there. I still have my thermometer from the Ski Hut in Leominster, the one you hang on the zipper of your jacket.

I've got a mild supination also - it's taken it's toll on my knees, and my lower back - especially if I stand on extremely hard surfaces for long periods of time while wearing uncushioned shoes (topsiders, dress shoes, etc.) I guess I'll try a back cracker to readjust my back and look for anti supination shoes/sneakers.

Thanks for the heads up.

Hipshot,
Sorry for the delay on response....

I have had mixed results with the inversion table. At first I had a doorway hangar, which required a certain amount of acrobatics to get the gravity boots hooked up. The table is much better since you can control the degree of angle rather than going completely vertical. That being said, some days it feels pretty good, other days it causes some increased nerve pain so I take it in small doses. My wife swears by it.

LOVE the sleep-number bed. At the store I tried the test bed with the sensors. The rep adjusts the firmness to relieve "hotspots" on the computer readout. He had my number down to a very soft 40...but was still unable to get rid of all the red. I had been sleeping on a very firm pillow-top and would wake up every morning with pain and had a hard time standing upright when I first got up. With the number bed, I am much more rested, actually can get through a full night now. Hard to believe that softer was better, but it worked out that way. I think it is because the air system fills the gaps much better.
With a king-size the CinC and I have separate controls....mine at 40 hers at 100....It doesn't seem to be getting the groove in it like the old pillow tops...and I can adjust firmness depending on what I did that day.

Note: The dog adds about 5 to the number depending on which side she flops down on.....
:D

You are correct. Det Cord burning is a myth. Once a burn reaches Supersonic it crosses the line from burn to bang.



A DC misconception is that it has the same explosive effect or RE factor as it's base explosive in solid block form. RDX/PTN are considerably weaker in their Granular form found in DC.

I work in a rehab hospital currently, that is until i unass the AO for sunnier and sandier parts of the world. Here's my .02$-

Conservative treatment beats any form of medical intervention. For instance:
1. Corticosteroid injections offer short term pain relief. However, there are some definite downsides. If done improperly, you run the risk of compressing a nerve, or stretching a joint capsule the latter applies mainly to the upper extremity. Anyone who's ever had a CS injection into their elbow or shoulder could probably attest to that. The reason being whenever they inject anything into that capsule, it stretches it, leading to instability.
2. Chiropractors/DO's can re-align/decompress your musculo-skeletal system. Without addressing the root causes IE poor posture, bad shoes, agonist/antagonist muscle instability.
3. NMES/TENS units are often provided to people to control pain, they do that very well, especially if you're concerned with taking drugs to alleviate pain.

My personal recommendation would be to get on board in a physical therapy clinic, they'll be able to advise you best on what you're doing wrong, if there are any above issues. As well as provide you with a good list of exercises to strengthen those muscles as well as stretch and condition your back.

If you wake up stiff, take a medium sized towel, saturate it with hot water, but not dripping. Place it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes depending upon your microwave. Wrap it in at LEAST 2 towels and place it on your back. It will take a little bit of time to find a therapeutic medium, because you don't want to overdue it. don't leave it on longer than 10-15 minutes, because even though it doesn't feel hot, you can get a nasty burn.

As far as the arthritis, if you're looking for a wholistic approach, try poke berries. Remember when you were a kid and your parents told you to stay away from those clusters of purple berries that always stained your hands purple because you'd get sick if you ate them? Yeah, those. Take 4 a day, dried. Before that, please PM me for more information concerning this if you decide to try that route. As with any medication herbal or otherwise- you gotta watch for drug interactions.

I grew up on a farm in WV, way out in the boondocks, my Grandmother has been a medicinal herbalist for over 30 years. When her arthritis would flare up, she wouldn't be able to hold a skillet without both hands. When she takes those poke berries, she's able to type and do any other functional activities with her hands. So i can attest to their efficacy. Has anyone had any experience with appalachian medicine?

Given the number of miles you gentlemen have under your feet, i look forward to hearing what has worked well for you.

-Steve

Given many of you in the SF have humped hundreds of miles over the years with heavy loads on your backs using army boots and jungle boots, I can only ask, do some of you or most of you have problems with your knees or ankles after leaving the army or retiring?

Or do you find you actually have problems with the meniscus in the knees?

I am asking as I usually use old army jungle boots for my work in the jungles here and they are practical to use for the work I do but on long hikes with a heavy pack on gravel roads, they do take their toll on my knees..

I have arthritis secondary to old jump injuries, and dramatically reduced range of motion in my neck, shoulders, and back. I have service-connected VA disability ratings for all of them. Then, we get to knees and ankles. Same story.

Here is what is working for me.

1. I lost a ton weight through strictly controlling my diet. In my case, I eat only Thai food. Lots of green vegetables (colloquially known as "rabbit food"), and lots of fruit (some of which has no known English name, and looks like it is either the result of a nuclear test gone amok or teleportation from the era of the dinosaurs). I cut down on meat, almost eliminated milk, and completely eliminated breads.

2. I got my ass into the pool. I crank laps for an hour every day. It took me time to work up to this. If you do not know how to swim well, for therapeutic purposes, consult a physical therapist or a trainer, and learn. Pool exercise is the shit. It is easy on the bones and joints. My back, neck, knees and shoulders are still fucked up, but I feel a lot better, and my mobility has dramatically improved.

3. I started taking testosterone in gel-cap form. This really helped me grunt through the pain and discomfort barriers as I was improving my physical conditioning. It also facilitated the conversion of fat back into muscle. It also made me a lot more mobile.

4. I married a woman twenty years younger than myself.

:)

Got to go. Heading to the pool now.

Good luck.

Yes. Every joint is prone to damage, from the toes all the way up through the neck. Ankles, knees, hips, backs, shoulders and necks appear to be the most common.

Yes. Many here have probably had meniscectomies.

The stuff you wear out or break while you were younger will hurt more as you get older. I didn't believe it either till it happened. The body is designed to last for normal wear and tear for about 40 years. Good physical conditioning will help it last longer and in better shape, but wear on a joint is damage. The muscles may get stronger, but the structure of the joints do not.

As you can do less PT, you have to change your eating habits or you will gain weight, which exacerbates the physical injuries and damage. Getting older beats the alternatives though.

Good luck, and take it easy.

TR

Update
 

:(
Not much luck with the injections, physical therapy or pain meds. The meds have done a good job of masking the pain, but come with a price. Ultram ER (200mg) and Tramadol (50mg 2/day) are both morphine-based and can lead to physical dependence. Got a second opinion today from another orthopedic specialist. After a long discussion on what treatment I've had and quality of life, they've ordered a CAT scan to look at bone density to see if I'm a candidate for surgery.

The description of the surgery scares the heck out of me! They would put 2 long screws into L5, then pull it back into alignment (about 6mm worth). Two steel rods would be inserted to fuse L5 and S1 together. A steel plate would be inserted in front of L5 to keep it from tilting while everything settles.

I would imagine that recovery time for such a procedure would be on the order of 1-2 months before being able to start physical therapy, then 3+ month of therapy. Does that sound reasonable?

Hipshot:

I am prescribed three Tramadol per day for orthopedic pain, have been for over a year, and I usually take just two per day. I also take NSAIDs.

A couple of times, I have skipped doses or missed a few days when on extended trips, and frankly, I do not think it helps that much, is very addictive, or has any kind of serious effect, at least not on me. The Vioxx was much better, but obviously, COX2 inhibitors are not on the menu any longer.

When the pain is severe (usually about once or twice per week unless I am flying) I take Codeine, OxyContin, or Hydrocodone (each prescribed at various times), and frequently, I cannot even tell I have taken them. Then every once in a while, one of the doggoned things will work as designed and I get a little light headed for an hour or two. Maybe a two beer effect.

I do not think that you have to worry about the Tramadol, and if you are like me, the real narcotics will not do that much to help either.

Best of luck with finding a solution that works for you.

TR

No joke: see if there is an acupuncturist in your area, and pay them a visit.

You may be surprised. The downside: they are typically not covered by insurance plans, nor are there any acupuncturists at the VA.

Seriously. Visiting one can change your entire opinion about the so-called "alternative health" industry, though not about hippies.

I have started getting swollen heels now from long hikes and bush whacking in the jungle boots..have tried adding an in-sole but was told that it may have something to do with high cholesterol (a warning sign). That on top of the lower back pains which are from my aging back and the job.

Having said that, I dont know if anyone would agree with me but reflexology (I get mine done pretty darn often in Bangkok and over here in Kota KInabalu) makes a huge difference in how my feet and legs feel after a long trek or hike especially with a heavy load. I dont subscribe too much to massages as an option but reflexology, if you can tolerate the pain for the hour, some how makes such a big difference..

Not sure if anyone has given it a go..and I dont know how good the reflexology is over in the states,

I have been fortunate; I think my injuries are no way as bad as others so I will just have to suck it up and deal with it. Having said that, I do go for reflexology once a month and that helps quite a bit..

I don't normally advocate complementary medicine for problems that require good old-fashioned western medicine (no voodoo for diabetes or heart disease), but I believe that in your case this may be beneficial, since surgery is the last stop on this train. Acupuncture is certainly worth a try here before surgery. When looking for someone, look first at the acupuncture schools near you. This is 1) to keep you from going to some hack who took a weekend seminar and now calls himself an acupuncturist, 2) to save you some money (usually costs about half if you have one of the students perform it), and 3) guarantee that the "attending" acupuncturist overseeing your care has some substantial experience. If you go with a private acupuncturist, look for one who has a certificate from a school accredited by ACAOM.

I've had 2 "rounds" of acupunture, one from the aforementioned hack, and the second at the NESA. I would do the second in a heartbeat if I lived anywhere near Boston again.

Soulsedition's recommendation for physical therapy is absolutely spot on. Your primary care doc can order this, and the PT will come up with an appropriate rehab plan. If you are still very active, you can consider seeing a sports medicine clinic for your PT, and may get some good recommendations from the sports med docs (some are ortho, some family practice, some emergency medicine) for exercises at home, lifestyle modification, shoes, etc.

As far as the medication is concerned, it is POSSIBLE to become addicted to Tramadol or narcotics, but unlikely. Of patients who are on appropriate pain regimens of narcotics for chronic pain, only about 1% actually become "addicted". This includes folks on fentanyl patches, percocet, oxycontin, etc. Don't let the spectre of dependence scare you out of an appropriate pain control regimen that will improve your pain and quality of life.


'zilla

I'm too much of a pussy to take all those darn needles!:o

Hey Chet:

I got a little messed in Tolz years ago. I went work with the 22d in England and one of the guys there had really messed his bck a few years prior. I told me yoga is the only thing he found that worked for him and he was back to 100%. Anyway, he got me started on yoga and it really did help.

Good luck and yes, this aging thing is not all it is cracked up to be.

Dave

I hope Im not hijacking this thread by asking this but I wonder...

Have any of you suffered a heniated disc (in particular extruded) and still served on teams?

Thanks-

My dad swears by yoga as a possible solution to chronic back problems; he had a slipped disc and has always been an athlete (still is even today; he does his 5 mile runs three times a week and plays indoor soccer and still has what looks like a 4 pack on his stomach-puts me to shame really!) and actually went to see a nepalese gurkha who retired ans settled down over in Brunei many years back who had organized yoga classes and it did wonders. He even tried acupuncture which didnt help but yoga did the trick.

I have yet to go that far with acupuncture.

My team mate on the 1000km raid gauloises in vietnam was in pretty bad shape on the first day of the hike before we even got to any of the hard sections of the race course and he was pretty much on pain killers and half awake for the rest of the 8 days we had ahead of us....we ended up towing him whenever we were on foot as he was in absolute agony..he was no good to us on the kayak sections as he well as he kept falling asleep from the pain and the meds so we ended up towing him then as well...he had no choice on the mountain bike sections and tried his best to keep up which is a credit to him which he did a good job of...we thought he had food poisoning as he kept crapping and was very weak but he kept complaining of excrutiating back pains which puzzled us...

What was worse is he got back home and then found out he not only had a slip disc but also typhoid which was probably why he was skin and bones by the end of the race on day 9....he couldnt stop shitting on the first few days and the black bombers we gave seem to work but didnt I ended up cleaning him up every day...it was a disgusting job but some-one had to do it..he was just to weak and not in sync...we thought it was just food poisoning.

I can only imagine on top of the blisters, lost toe nails, sunburn and lack of sleep what else he went through..I wouldnt wish it on anyone...

Anyone had a discography? I'm scheduled for one on 9-11 and was wanting to know what to expect. I've got 3 discs that are suspect for causing my pain (2 are questionable and 1 is almost certain).

What a bust! The "dreaded" discography (which was supposed to be extremely painful) turned out to be a minor irritation. The worst part about the whole test was the shots to numb the skin where the needles would be inserted into the disc's. My cortisone injection into my shoulder hurt a lot worse than this test.

Looks like the anomalies they saw in my back are not causing the pain. I don't think the fusion will do anything other than make me feel better about knowing that if I fall or twist wrong, the spinal cord would get severed at L5-S1. The doc did have a heck of a time trying to get the needle inserted into the disc (or what's left of it) at L5-S1, since the two vertebrae are sitting almost directly on each other (with L5 about 6mm displaced forward and moving if I bend forward or arch backward).

Besides the acupuncture or just sucking it up and quit whining about it, any ideas or suggestions?

If the doc says o.k., an inversion table may provide relief. I broke my back (fractures in L4, L5) and tried everything. Surgery was next. Had chronic back pain 24/7, and a LOT of nerve pain in the feet. Tried the inversion table and have been pain free for a year or so with only very, very minor discomfort now and then when I over do it. The strongest meds I have taken since then are 2 ea. 325 mg Bayer aspirin about once every 6 weeks. Seems to have helped my neck and knees and ankles for some reason:)

Update
 

:D
Well, if the parachute jump did't kill me, I wouldn't think a little thing like 6 hours on the surgical table, having to be hooked up to a ventilator because I quit breathing during surgery, or having enough titanium in my back to make an erector set for my future Grandson would keep me down.

Friday, Oct 19th was the surgical date. Into OR at 0900; out at 1530; into my room by 1700; and walking by 2000!

Saturday, Oct 20th: First PT session at 0900; Morphine drip removed at lunchtime; catheter removed around 1500; first long walk (100+ feet) at 1600.

Sunday, Oct 21st: 1130 - discharged from the hospital. Total time in the hospital: 52 hours! Not bad for having an L5-S1 fusion at almost 60 years old.

I'm having good days and some not-so-good days, but that's to be expected. If you want to know where to have back surgery done, shoot me a PM. I know a great doc and the hospital with the best looking nurses this side of Beverley Hills are found!

Hope your good days continue to outnumber your bad days Hipshot, take care of yourself and listen to your doctor!

Good to hear you are back on your feet. Now don't do anything stupid unless you want them to have to go back in and readjust some of those erector set parts:D