anybody else sore?
 

achilles tendonitis, both hips hurt, both hamstrings feel like they are one fast break away from snapping...

i stay in pretty good shape, work out a bit almost every day, but have been going since the start of football season with an average of 4-8 games a week.

third year guy. anybody have any secret exercises, potions, stretches, or anything else to help this almost 50 year old body get through 'til mid-march?

/thanks!!!

Advil

My problem was chronic knee pain. Had surgery a month ago, working on the weight that led to it.

Stretch before and after the game. Warm up before you stretch.

I lost 25 lbs. before the season and have lost a few more during it. My knees thank me every game.

Search the web for "anti-inflammatory" diet. Change what you eat, within 3 to 6 weeks your body will feel much better in spite of 6-8 games a week. I changed what I eat ~18 months ago. I no longer live on "ref candy" to survive.

From the end of last season till the beginning of this season, I am carrying 25 less pounds. I might have to hoist a sack of those in the store just to see what I'm missing. That has a huge effect on the knees and ankles. Feeling better this season and Mr. Advil is still a good partner.

Drink a bunch of post-game wobbly pop. You'll be just as sore but you won't care as much.

Also known as hops anesthetic. ;)

Amen.

Just like you get better gas mileage with an empty trunk, lose unnecessary weight and your knees (and the rest of your body!) will thank you.

The more Boos! you get during the game...

The more Booze you have after the game. :D

Many of those 25 pounds were loose, if you know what I mean.

Gross.

Yes - I've found that muscle aches and soreness can be alleviated by using capital letters when posting. :p

Argh! I hate spelling mistakes!

Thanks.

Two words: Oxy. Contin.!!! J/K

The #1 thing most of us forget to do is stretch AFTER a game. It really makes a ton of difference. If I don't post game stretch my back tightens and I move like Mr Tudball's secretary Mrs Wiggins crossed with his "Old Man" imitation. (Carol Burnett reference) I had to rush out of a gym the other day and did have time to post game stretch. Nothing a Skelaxon, Ultram, moist heating pad and whirlpool couldn't cure!!

Also, drink plenty of water after the game. Another all too often missed point.

Since last Wednesday, I've worked everyday but Sunday, totaling 13 games. Off tonight, varsity doubleheaders tomorrow and Friday.

Yes, it caught up with me today. Sore lower back, tendinitis at the base of my right achilles and just tired in general. I turned 50 in back in November, so I'm there with ya.

Bought some 800mg Motrin over the counter on our last cruise in Cozumel. Amazing how well they work and how they help you sleep.

Stretching helps with tired, sore muscles.

Lower back - Lying on my back, I bring my knees up to my chest on hold it there. That helps the lower back.

Hamstrings - Lying on my back, I extend my leg upwards and I have my wife or daughter push on my heel toward my head. Allow it to be stretched until you feel a good burn in the middle of your hamstring. It's amazing how well this works. My right one was very tight last week. Been doing this 2-4 times each evening has helped a lot.

Achilles - I have a knot at the base of my right achilles on the back side of my heel. It's like the pic below, only lower. Achilles tendinitis is not inflammation and is actually called tendinopathy.

While sitting, use a towel to pull your toes toward you. This does a pretty good job of stretching the tendon.


http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/ga...flammation.jpg

I'm with Bob. I think most of us probably don't warmup/stretch pre-game and cool down/stretch post game.

Hope that helps!

Recommended By Four Out Of Five Dentists ...
 

Step Stretch

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg

Step Stretch : Stretching Aids : Heel & Achilles Pain : Footsmart.com

My only pain is in my Achilles, same spot you mention. It started late last week. First 800 MG ibuprofen taken all season the other day.

A few days off this week due to the blizzard hasn't hurt. Now I have 3 days in a row, though, so we'll see how I do.

timely thread, I had an easy girls double header the other night soph/V and broke in my new air max leather 2009's........very cushy, yet rather than turn just my head running down as new lead in transition, I torgued my knee trying to get a look. Hurts like hell, thank heavens with blizzards here, I've been off for two days but it still aches. Same knee as torn meniscus scope in September, so I can't catch a break. With the best part of my schedule coming up in the next few weeks I'm getting hoping it settles down. Ice and Arnica so far..........

Water before and after the game.
I had a physical therapist who was treating me this fall for both back pain and a bad case of plantar fasciitis work up a series of pre game stretches specific for basketball and for what ails me.
Haven't had to take a bite of ref candy all season. Last year for basketball then softball, couldn't move without.

Some of us are just getting older and need more help than stretching alone will provide. I had the old "slice 'n dice" torn cartilage operations 40 and 30 years ago. Over the years, Advil was my "ref candy" of choice before games. More recently though, having had orthoscopic clean out surgeries a few years ago, my regimen has been:
Hyaluronic Acid injections (Synvisc, Euflexxa etx) Down to annually now.
Glucosamine/Chondroitin daily
Celebrex daily by prescription
Arthritis Strength Tylenol before games (Advil is out due to the Celebrex)
Voltaren Gel by prescription before and after games

and for those nagging dull aches from working too many games
"Sore No More" horse liniment. It's a natural product I get at the local Agway farm supply store. The folks there say they sell of ton of it to individuals for personal use, but it is a horse liniment. The directions tell you to apply it in the direction of hair growth. Hey, don't knock it till you've tried it. It works for me.

Equilite's Sore No More Liniment is an exceptional arnica and witch hazel based herbal horse liniment that contains no chemicals or harsh abrasives. Great to use as a massage liniment before and after exercise, or as a leg or bath brace.

Is Dorian Gray A Forum Member ???
 

Some of us?

I've also noticed that your posts are a lot better.

I am 50 years old (about to turn 51) and officiate between 10 to 12 games a week - half of those at the Varsity level, the others are JV. I drink LOTS of water each day, take two advil about an hour before game time, do a lot of stretching prior to the game and some between the girls and boys games. I am seldom if ever sore - more tired after some games than others 9depending on how fast paced the game is) but almost never sore.

I just ordered one. I'll post a review once I get it and use it. I'll take it with me to schools and use it before games.

I've had one for years. I'd let others use it at tournaments and now about a dozen guys have them in their bags. It's the single best piece of equipment I have purchased and it moves from my basketball bag to my umping bag and even in my volleyball bag. (It's great between matches when you are standing on the tower.)

I have not had any achilles, calf, or shin pain at all since using it.

Our state requires that it be black to be worn in a game. :D

had to take the season off
 

My knees were bad enough that I worked a few games in December, then on december 21 had bilateral knee replacements...so since they cut out all the arthritis, my knees will feel good as new again :) (not recommended for most people...I can't make enough game checks in high school to pay for it LOL) hope to be back in another month....also along the way lost 25 lbs which should help as well...

dang. mine too. looks like i'm gonna need another sharpie.

I've picked up some soreness in my left heel and my right knee. having last two nights off has helped. But now my back and shoulders are sore from all this snow removal!:confused:

I know of a couple referees who have had knee replacements, and continued to run the courts. I've been of the understanding that it's not really a good idea though. What has your orthopedic surgeon told you about going back to the hardwood?

ortho advice
 

His advice was this. Just like normal knees the more active you are the more wear and tear they get. Thus the more active you are the faster they wear out. You can sit on the couch all the time and get a few more years out of them but is that really the reason you wanted to get them in the first place? He said limit jarring them, ie jumping etc...but otherwise do whatever I want to, to be active, keeping in mind I may be wearing them out a little more quickly.

After 12 knee surgeries I am putting a Carticel Implant on my To Do list in about 2 years!! Hopefully by then a microfracture won't be necessary.

Rich, don't make the same mistake I made and allow that knot to develop without seeing a podiatrist. I have an appointment next Wednesday. I'm interested to see what treatments options I might have.

I stretched it out well tonight and it feels better than it has in a week. No problems during the game. A little tight after a long car ride, but that's not unexpected.

If the stretching exercises don't make it better in a week or so, I'll head to the doc. I'm not used to pain since I lost a fair amount of weight -- and I'm not liking it. I went without ibuprofen, since I forgot to take any with me.

12? wow...mark schlereth tips his hat to you.

thanks all for the input on this thread. have already tried the achilles stretches and ordered the achilles gizmo. bring on the last month of the season!!!

Hydrate before and after games. I am suffering through achilles, shin splints, and plantar pain. Stretching is vital but a fellow football official showed me a trick with athletic tape. Wrap once around arch for plantar pain and take a strip vertically up achilles and one wrap top and bottom will give you support on achilles. I keep a small piece of theraband to help stretch achilles... Good luck.

I ended up at the doctor last week for my Achilles. He said I had very good strength, probably just a bad case of Achilles tendinitis. He prescribed me a once-a-day anti-inflammatory and I bought some new workout shoes with stability insoles that provide better support. I also took the week off from my usual cardio routine.

Fortunately for me, I was off on a business trip Monday through Wednesday (I didn't have anything scheduled -- my first Tuesday off all season) and my Thursday game was postponed due to a teacher sickout. So I only worked one game last week and had chance to rest.

Back to my usual routine on Monday -- an hour of cardio at lunchtime and a game in the evening. I'd say the foot is at about 80% and once the game starts pretty near 100%. The inserts in my officiating shoes have helped.

Yeah, it's all about the kids!

Well, in WI its sure as heck not about teachers, nurses, EMT's ........ maybe it's a good lesson to learn early in life :(

I didn't lose a single game, though. They're making up Thursday's game. My kid will make up her one day of school at the end of the year. She'll be there -- unless we have something else planned, of course.

Working a juco men's playoff game tonight. I'll need the heel if they run up and down like they did the last time I worked them.