I broke myself

[Gadget]

Just wondered how you all keep from busting yourselves up on this hobby. I trashed my neck this summer from constantly looking down and from digging. I still get out occasionally, but have had to cool it for the last two weeks to let it all heal up. I took my inline probe off and switched to my little DD coil to take the weight off of the front end.

I ain't that old and just wondered how many other avid Th-ers have this problem.

 

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[Monty]

I have the ill effects of a bad back injury, arthritic knees and sometimes get tennis elbow from MDing. My Doctor says if I don't use it I will loose it. He said I could become an invalid if I didn't force myself to do something to keep my body mobile. MDing seems to do the trick. I hurt and ache and stiffen up after a hard day at MDing but I feel much better in a couple of days and it keeps me going. I already get around better than I did before I started this hobby. Monty

 

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[spez401]

I've been detecting for about 12 years now. Along with that, I've got 17 years of various martial arts training (much of it full contact), 4 years of high-school wrestling, football, volleyball and track, 2 years of college rugby, 7 or 8 years of landscaping in high school and college (thank god i went to law school after), and more general abuse to my body than most people endure. I won't even start with a list of actual injuries... it would take way too long.

For the normal aches and pains, I reccomend alleve and tylenol... they work great for me. For the big injuries (someone mentioned rotator cuff, and back) I go with accupuncture. Most people don't know about it, or its benefits, but trust me, its better than a chiropractor and drugs. Accupuncture kept me from having a shoulder replacment surgery and chronic back pain. Check out the accupunture, believe me it works
steve

 

[BIG61AL]

I get the standard elbow pain and pain in my right thigh from using it to stand up after digging a target.

 

[Michigan Badger]

From now on all metal detector boxes must carry the following warning: WARNING! THIS PRODUCT MAY BREAK YOUR BODY

 

[Born2Dtect]

The answer is to get on a regular exercise program. One that varies the work out and contains stretching, cardio and weight training. We are injured by repetitive motion at weak points. So do what ever is necessary to keep going. Advil, Tylenol, braces or wraps. Me I use "Mind over Matter". If I don,t mind, it don,t matter!



Ed D.

 

[-Jones-]

Who wants to be 80 and still swing the coil? If your under 40, the thought probably has never crossed thy mind. If you're in your 40s, you'll be 50 before you know it! And if you're 50+, you better get started doing some type of exercise program. Metal detectin ain't a physical sport like baseball or football, but everyone who reads this should get on some type of exercise program sooner than later!

 

[Blind.In.Texas]

by the age of 34 i have broken my right hand (two bones), right leg, impact damaged my feet (cant stand in one place for more than a minute before it hurts), injured both of my knees ( 3 - 4 bends and i am in pain. left is the worst i detect withthe right arm), torn something in my right shoulder, had my head split open 2 times, broken the big and little toes on both of my feet, injured the base of my neck and skull in a car wreck a year ago (mild and just a nuisance), inured still a tendon in my right elbow in the front, and still......why do we, who are broken down, continue to do this? I'll never know. It never all hurts at once. Something one day andsomething different the next. I just pray that it doesn't all start all at once when I 20 or 30 miles from the house and a mile or two from the truck.....how much would that suck? one would think that we would have the good sense, or at least the courtesy to ourselves, to find something else to do.

I am personally training my lab like a drug dog. when i find a worthy beep, i will push a treat into the soil next to the target, pull out my folding chair, grab a beer and a smoke, open the umbrella, kick off my shoes, fire up the heating pad, rub on some Vaporub, and THEN...if all goes well have my kid pack up all my crap until i get the next worthy beep.....

 

[Born2Dtect]

Ric,

80 Hell! Iwant to keep detecting until I die, say at 102 years old. I want the undertaker to have to pry my detector from my hand. What a way to go!

Ed D.

 

[spez401]

Exercise program is the best bet. Detecting is like anything else: if you don't use those muscles (the arms for swinging, legs for walking, etc), then 1. you'll be sore the next day, and 2. you're more prone to injury. A friend of mine (self proclaimed desk-jockey and couch potato) couldn't believe how sore he was after 2 hours of detecting with me @ the beach. And he got to work the easy, dry sand! the next day he was complaining that is legs, back and shoulders were killing him. I asked "what did you expect?"

I still am amazed at how much "work" detecting is. When i'm out in the woods with my dfx (which is pretty heavy) and towing the shovel, i can always feel it the next day. Even more so when I am in the surf with a water machine. Asprin before and after are a definite must. Boy I'm glad I'm still in relatively good shape.
steve

 

[rvbvetter]

There's 2 things that detectorists are in a never ending search for.
Treasure and better Meds. HH

 

[sandwalker]

Hello MD'er's,
I am an Occupational Therapist. My daily 'preach' is LEISURE ACTIVITY !!!!!!

This is going to sound off the wall, but is the gospal.... Purposeful movement is the key to pain management.
All of you that have had structural surgeries have been in the presence of a physical/occupational therapist and have heard these words over and over.... What we do is purposeful movement. IMO !!! How we move our bodies is with slow, deliberate, contolled movements.

We, MD'er's, perform repetitious movements for long periods of time. We are in search of "finds" and think nothing about the machine performing the job.... right? I understand the extent of ALL the injuries and conditions mentioned in previous posts.
This is my recommendations for everyone. In my professional opinion:
perform stretching, even if it is simple small movements to warm the joints and prepare for the hunt. About every ten or fifteen minutes,
Stop and stand still where you are and look up, pull shoulders back and stand up straight and tall. take a few deep breaths. Look around where you are (survey the place you stand) Not only does that alleviate 'repetitious stress', it gives you a chance to spot a potential site. Hopefully it will help pop out the kinks and slow ya down to nail the good finds.
Carry a bottle of water. Most chronic pain is aggravated by dehydration. Chapped lips (aside from cold weather) is a sign of dehydration.
Take care of yourselves and HH
Amy

 

[sandwalker]

Hi Beth,

It is good. (I like it too)

I'll even take a mug of coffee with me. Yes, it has dehydrating properties... But,
I believe any fluid is better than nothing.

Plus it gives a good reason to stop, look up and stretch.
When I first started MD'ing last January, I thought my shoulder was broken the next day.. *smiles*
Now, I can stay out for hours without getting sore or tired.

Hoping your sunday is relaxing !!!!

HH,
Amy

 

[Gadget]

Thanks SandWalker for the professional view... I needed that. You mean my coffee is contributing to the problem?

Funny when I was in the ER for my neck pain, the IV made the pain go away for a day or so. Now it's back... I never thought that dehydration would contribute to this let alone the massive amounts of coffee I drink every day. I drink water, but probably not enough to cover my level of daily activity. I'll try that... thanks again.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

=Michigan Badger
Being mainly an office worker I'm not use to getting down on my knees.
**************

Not even geneflecting?. hehe apol my friend

Tropical Tramp

 

[Monty]

I was sitting her at my 'puter instead of out hunting because my back is out this week, can hardly walk let alone go detecting. My back does that often and I take strong narcotic drugs through my pain management doctor. I am never pain free, but the last two days have been doosies. Anyway, when I get to feeling sorry for myself now all I have to do is read back through this thread and I am already feeling better! Wow, what a bunch of old cripples I associate with. Just kidding, I have to get out when I can or just sit here and die and I ain't ready for that yet. Too many fields and too little time to waste it feeling sorry for myself. Heck, I think I'll take a walk...into the kitchen and take some drugs! Now you know why I'm so crazy! But, I've always been crazy or so my wife says. She claims that in a moment of lucidity I married her! She's crazy! Monty