Walking Wounded

Once every few years, I'll do something to throw my back out. The first time was in my 40's when I bent over to pick up a pencil, and couldn't straighten up for an hour  (my face was stuck within licking distance of the dog and I was too impaired to push her away. 60 minutes of 'sit', 'lie down', 'stop it, damn it').

This time I'm able to move, but I've been in pain and had some difficulty standing up from chairs for 3 days. It's gradually improving, but I had to be helped off the ice tonight as I felt fine walking, but couldn't stroke more than halfway round the rink or extend my legs while stroking.  Cruella just sent me home.

The exact problem has always been unidentified but it's probably an iliotibial band problem, plus a chronic case of 'snapping hip'. There's tests to identify the really bad stuff (herniated discs has clearly been eliminated and it's not piriformis syndrome either), so I'm stuck with the 'it will get better with time' treatment. Time for home remedies!

Fortunately, my pain is your gain. Stuck with an annoying pain in the lower back and hip? Here's some stretches that have worked for me.

Although these stretches are directed at piriformis syndrome, I've found figure 18 (below) to be amazingly effective over the years whenever my back pain pops up.

I cross the leg on the sore side over the leg on the good side.
I sigh with relief

Since I also have 'snapping hip' (a popping in the hip when doing certain rotations with the leg while it's in extension) I have to take care of that too. The Army (!) has a whole document on this, which you can download here. (Note the overlap with the piriformis syndrome stretches, those things have so many applications!).

I think this problem popped up for me because of Hurricane Sandy. Since I wasn't on my regular schedule, I neglected my daily stretching regimen, and I'm paying for it. 

The internet is useful in finding these helpful home remedies for problems like this. I've rounded up a few for you to look at, but if you have similar issues, just google a description and root around in the web pages until you find something promising.  At the very worst, if you try a stretch and it causes more pain, you know it's time to stop. At the best, if you find the right stretch---ah, it's wonderful.

Figure Skating for Exercise

I met a woman M.D. last year who told me that she had been to a medical conference at Harvard. One of the conclusions presented was that the best exercises for mature people (me! me!) were figure skating and dancesport.

Yes You Can!

So I've been skating for a few years, and I have some experience that I'd like to write about.

1. Figure Skating burns more calories than aerobics-even more than step aerobics. Someone gave me one of those heart rate/calorie monitor watches for Christmas a couple of years ago. Figure skating, even just for play, consistently beat aerobics for calorie burning by 10-20%. I would struggle in aerobics to burn 350 calories in an hour, and end up with sore knees and hips. Just tooling along working on my stroking and figures, I'd easily burn 400 calories in an hour. Apparently, I'm something of a slacker. According to the Harvard Women's Health Newsletter, the calories burned per HALF-hour for women of the following weights are:

                              Calories burned per HALF HOUR

125 pound person

155 pound person

185 pound person

Ice Skating: general

210

260

311

2. Figure skating improves your balance, helping develop skills and coordination to prevent falls in later life. Lack of muscle strength and coordination are the leading cause of falls in those over 65. A broken hip in an older person is often a death knell. As much as 20% of older people with a broken hip die within a year. Half of all, die within TWO YEARS.  While skating helps maintain those balance and coordination skills, it also helps you know how to fall. This in of itself may help prevent serious injuries.

3.  Improves your endurance. The ability to exercise for extended periods of time is enhanced by skating.  The fact that the rink is cool encourages exercise because you don't get overheated.  Some medications common in the more mature athlete make overheating more likely, therefore a rink is a safe place to work on endurance without having that worry.

4. Skating is a gateway sport.  People who enjoy skating often take up other exercise activities in order to improve their skating. Someone who just likes to stroke around may take up yoga to help get a spiral. Adults who want better posture for ice dance may also do yoga, but also take up weight training. Improving balance may result in going to the Y to use the balance board or a class on improving core strength.

5. Skating improves your grace and movement. Because skating relies on your coordination and balance on ice, you'll notice that your off ice coordination and balance improve too. I actually had one of my doctors comment on this as I hopped down off the exam table.

6. Even with the falls, I've found skating less stressful on the body that almost any other exercise. When I used to do aerobics, an hour class would leave me with sore knees and hips. Skating the next day, would take that pain away.

7.  I took up skating because hot flashes were making it too hot to exercise in the summer. Solved that problem by getting on the ice. Haven't looked back.

I'm waiting to meet this guy
http://www.hivehealthmedia.com/benefits-exercise-elderly-study/

While researching this post, I discovered here, why mature (oh, let's face it--OLDER) women can't build up muscle the way men can (such as the man in the picture above).  Apparently, our bodies are unable to store protein in muscles after menopause. To counter this we need to eat more protein. The researchers recommended more meat and eggs in women's diets. They also recommended resistance training (called weight training over here).

So, no matter how old you are, even if you're no longer testing or competing or taking lessons, figure skating is STILL good for  You!