Jean in Newcastle Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 I have trouble with exercising whether it is what you think of as exercise or just doing strenuous things around the house. I realized tonight that it is specifically isometric exercise (holding my muscles in one place) that is what gives me lasting pain and can even trigger a fibro flare. If I am able to move my muscles freely then I seem to handle exercise better. Do you know why this would be and how to handle it? I mean it's more than just saying "Don't do isometric exercise" because today when I was holding the dog so that I could trim the fur on his paws, I was having to do isometric exercise. When I was doing a yoga cool-down at the end of Zumba (which I really liked, btw), I was doing isometric exercise. So I think some isometric exercise is sort of inevitable in life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asta Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Tai Chi helps tremendously. Yoga sucks. a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarfoot Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Do you think it's more muscle pain or joint pain? If it's muscle pain, are they big muscles? Does it seem to be caused by holding certain positions? I notice this sort of thing, too, though I don't have fibromyalgia. The worst thing for me was the year or so after DS3 was born. My arms ached constantly from holding him in the same position for long periods of time while feeding, etc. It was awful. And it did seem to be muscular, as it was the muscles in my forearms. I actually enjoy yoga, and although I can be sore from it, it's different. Here's what I sort of figured out. The muscles that REALLY hurt after this sort of thing are ones that aren't normally "worked out," like my forearms, or a certain muscle in the mid-side of my back. Certain muscles in my hands and the outside of my calves can really hurt, too. Rubbing them really helps me, but remember, I don't have fibromyalgia, so... Heat also helps. Staying active is really important, at least for me, because the stiffer I become, the more likely I am to ache in general. The muscles that do this for me are the ones that regular exercise just doesn't hit. That's my theory, anyway.;) So when I do something that really stresses these "odd" muscles, I FEEL IT!! I try to change positions frequently, use my legs to lift, stretch regularly, which I'm starting to see may be WAY more important than most people realize.:glare: We had to cancel a trip over the weekend because I hurt my back. My Dr. looked at it and said, "Oh, wow! You've got 2 huge spasms! I'm surprised you're not in tears right now!" Ugh. It's so important to take care of yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Tai Chi helps tremendously. Yoga sucks. a I think that could be true, although I love both- i dont have fibro, although I do ache periodically. I love Tai Chi- it flows. It might be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asta Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 LOL - I probably should have worded that better: Yoga itself doesn't suck - yoga for what the OP was discussing sucks. I love yoga. It does not love me back, unfortunately. Tai chi is much better. a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Do you ever watch True Stories from the ER? I got sucked into an episode a couple of nights ago in which a woman from some Caribbean island came into the ER insisting that there were demons in her liver. Someone had apparently put a spell on her. How does this apply to you, you ask? Well, she was in the ER because she had been clenching her abdominal muscles so hard, for 4 or 5 days, that she was killing herself. The clenching (wouldn't that be isometric?) released toxins into her body that were causing her organs to shut down. The woman refused to stop clenching because, of course, she had to get rid of the liver demons. In case you are wondering what happened, an ER doctor of Caribbean heritage suggested the attending dr. call the local Caribbean heritage center, which immediately sent over a shaman of sorts, who successfully performed an exorcism in the ER. It was a fascinating episode, beautifully and tastefully handled, and while I am 99.9% sure it has nothing to do with your issue, the mention of isometrics immediately brought it to mind. Terri Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted May 11, 2011 Author Share Posted May 11, 2011 Do you ever watch True Stories from the ER? I got sucked into an episode a couple of nights ago in which a woman from some Caribbean island came into the ER insisting that there were demons in her liver. Someone had apparently put a spell on her. How does this apply to you, you ask? Well, she was in the ER because she had been clenching her abdominal muscles so hard, for 4 or 5 days, that she was killing herself. The clenching (wouldn't that be isometric?) released toxins into her body that were causing her organs to shut down. The woman refused to stop clenching because, of course, she had to get rid of the liver demons. In case you are wondering what happened, an ER doctor of Caribbean heritage suggested the attending dr. call the local Caribbean heritage center, which immediately sent over a shaman of sorts, who successfully performed an exorcism in the ER. It was a fascinating episode, beautifully and tastefully handled, and while I am 99.9% sure it has nothing to do with your issue, the mention of isometrics immediately brought it to mind. Terri Terri Well, I did wonder if the clenched muscles in isometric exercises had something to do with reduced oxygen to the muscles or increased lactic acid build-up or something of that nature. I don't know how I would find that out, though. I tried googling but only got definitions of what isometric is and suggestions for isometric exercises. The ER story reminded me of one of my husbands (a nurse manager). He had a Asian patient who refused to have dialysis (a death sentence) because they understood the problem to be a curse, not a purely physical one. They had to have a shaman come in too to do his stuff before the person would consent to the treatment. Fortunately the shaman agreed that the dialysis was necessary. (As far as I know there were no clenched muscles involved though!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I have trouble with exercising whether it is what you think of as exercise or just doing strenuous things around the house. I realized tonight that it is specifically isometric exercise (holding my muscles in one place) that is what gives me lasting pain and can even trigger a fibro flare. If I am able to move my muscles freely then I seem to handle exercise better. Do you know why this would be and how to handle it? I mean it's more than just saying "Don't do isometric exercise" because today when I was holding the dog so that I could trim the fur on his paws, I was having to do isometric exercise. When I was doing a yoga cool-down at the end of Zumba (which I really liked, btw), I was doing isometric exercise. So I think some isometric exercise is sort of inevitable in life. Jean, What you are saying makes sense. I know I've read over and over again that staying in one position (especially awkward ones) for long periods of time makes fibro pain worse. Sometimes too much time sitting at the computer causes a flare for me. I always seem to have a flare after rearranging books in the house. I think it's holding those piles of books and keeping my muscles in that position that does it to me. I recently had a bad bad flare after using the hedge trimmers on our front bushes and that required holding the trimmers in position for prolonged period. On that one I had the electric shock type impulses traveling up and down my arms for 2 days. I won't be using the trimmers ever again. Dog grooming used to always cause me a painful flare for a week. We have no utility sink in the basement, so I have to bathe the dog bending over the bathtub or on the lawn in summer. That really does it to me. Then I was blow drying, brushing, combing and clipping (and cutting out mats sometimes) with my Cocker either on the floor or on the couch next to me. Both very uncomfortable and requiring awkward positions. Do you have a grooming table? I recently bought one, so no more weird positions during grooming. It has been a blessing and makes such a difference. I wish I had decided to spend the money sooner. I can be a real cheapskate sometimes! I also have my husband do the bath now and I do the grooming over several days, setting a time limit for each day. Eventually the dog is completed and I avoid the horrible pain I used to have (unless my urge to get done kicks in). I do find if I can at least keep walking I feel better; I think because it loosens up my muscles and releases tension. I find the walking works better if I can get away from everyone else and do it by myself. I joined curves and the constant movement of the exercises there really helps me. I hate the music and am not thrilled at people trying to chat all the time, but often my pain completely disappears while I'm working on their equipment. Sometimes i have to drag myself to get there, but it does help. I've read that the curves machines are designed to be as close to water exercise as you can get on land, so maybe that's why it works so well. I'm glad you posted b/c now I'm starting to think of more things I can spread over days like I do with grooming. I finished grooming my Cocker about 3 weeks ago and he is still mat free. :hurray: I've been making sure he gets brushed every other day or so. Hope I can keep it up this time. All those paragraphs, just to say that I think maybe being more aware of what you are doing daily and seeing how you can limit or spread out isometric activity would help. Shannon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 Sugarfoot - I think it is muscle, rather than joint. And yes, my forearms and my hands tend to be my biggest problem areas. Shanvan - My dh said the exact same thing last night about grooming gradually over a number of days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I have horrible flare ups when I do aerobics. Anything too strenous puts me out. But, the best thing I found is walk, just around the block. It relieves my headaches and I get the exercise I crave w/o the flare ups. I havent found a video that works, even Sansone does not work. I think it is the fluidity thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted May 12, 2011 Author Share Posted May 12, 2011 I have horrible flare ups when I do aerobics. Anything too strenous puts me out. But, the best thing I found is walk, just around the block. It relieves my headaches and I get the exercise I crave w/o the flare ups. I havent found a video that works, even Sansone does not work. I think it is the fluidity thing A separate problem for me is overdoing any exercise whether it is fluid or not and becoming so exhausted that I can't even hold my head up. That might be an adrenal problem more than a muscle problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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