Avoiding muscle injuries \ tendonitis on trail

[avi sito]

Hi folks –

Need some advice on avoiding injuries while on trail. I typically go for several weeks on trail every year during summer. These are mainly in the European Alps, so I’d have anywhere from 1000 to 3000 meters of elevation gain & loss per day. Around 35Km a day on average.

I’ve just hit 50, and I’m noticing that I get injured more easily. Tendinitis in some part of the leg would be typical on the second week of the trek. I’ve been seeing this almost every year for the past 4~5 years. I do take a rest day once a week. These injuries can be pretty painful at times and can even shorten the trip.

I do train pretty extensively for 3~4 months before each trek, with & without a pack, up to 20km hikes, 3 times a week.

I wonder what am I doing wrong here? How can I avoid this going forward? Any tips or guidance you can provide…?

or should I just accept that, the body just can’t handle this level of exertion anymore (?)

thx, avi

 

[DWR D]

Tendonitis is a signal that a muscle, or group of muscles, is being over used.

The body is all about balance with different muscle groups working together, in harmony. As we get older things tend to get out of balance, causing one or more muscles to work harder than the might need to if they were working in balance with other muscles. So the idea would be to get things back into balance… Things like massage, acupuncture, physical therapy, stretching, using balls and rollers on the floor, etc. And remember, it’s all connected… if you have a pain in your right knee, it could be due to a problem with you left foot or left shoe or hip that the right knee is overcompensating for and working too hard. Sometimes taking a ball or roller on a backpack can help… or just stopping for a break and self-massage of affected areas.

Or it could be that one of your legs is very slightly longer than the other… another potential imbalance that might only show up as a problem as we get older.

Anti-inflammation drugs can help, but are not a cure and can be problems in themselves. Trying different insoles of different thicknesses could help this.

Anyway, these are just ideas. Think balance! And maybe see a sports physical therapist…

[DWR D]

Another idea… sometimes meds can have negative effects… Are you on statins? Statins have been known to cause muscle soreness for some people.

[avi sito]

Interesting –

No, I take no medications whatsoever. I’m pretty symmetric as well :-). Though my right side has more muscle than the left one – fairly typical AFAIK, I wonder if this may cause this.

I’ve also seen that anti-inflammatory medication didn’t really do much, other than relieving the pain – which does actually allow one to extend the trek a bit though probably causes more damage.

thanks for the advice – I’ll check these out.

[PaulW]

Assuming you’re in good health, you may not be doing anything wrong. Welcome to getting older!
In my case, after I hit my 60th year I found that I could no longer push myself at high levels of exertion, day after day, without incurring some type of injury. I love to hike fast, far, and not take breaks, but I’ve had to modify that to keep myself going. It took me way too long to appreciate how effective rest and slowing down are to keeping me on the trail. Each evening on trail, I perform a few exercises , stretches, and self massage techniques that I learned from various physical therapists over the years. If I don’t do those before going to bed, I’ll pay for it the next day. When needed, I find ibuprofen to quite effective. I’ve also found hiking poles to very helpful in alleviating strain on my body. Good luck.

[MJ H]

I can’t do downhill without trekking poles and the mountains here are far more gentle than the Alps. I don’t know how much weight they take off my ankles, but it’s enough to add five miles to the day.

[Tom K]

Two possible issues occur to me:  You mention that you train for 3-4 months before your long treks and your longest training hike is 20 K.  Rhere is no mention of elevation gain/loss or pack weight.    I have found that as I age it is better to train year around at a lower level and then slowly increase my training as mountain season approaches, rather than go from no/minimal training to mountain training in a few months.  Older bodies need to keep moving to slow down the inevitable decline that comes with ageing.  Also, you mention your typical trek day is 35 K with 1000-3000 M of elevation gain/loss.  Your training does not apear to come anywhere close to those levels of effort.  I would suggest you work up to at least 30 K hikes as trekking season approaches with at least 2000 M of elevation gain/loss, with a pack weight approaching what you will be carrying on your trek.  The fact that you are experiencing muscle and tendonitis after a few days on the trail indicates, at least to me, that you are probably undertrained.

[Dan]

IMO, it’s quite likely the natural result of aging. Very few people can continue at the same level into their late 40s and 50s. Yes there are a few rare exceptions, but most people hit the point where they are experiencing chronic overuse injuries so frequently that it becomes hard to train effectively. There are many physiological changes contributing to this. More micro-scale soft tissue damage, slower recovery and healing, etc. It’s important to listen to our bodies, and re-evaluate year by year in order to avoid more severe injuries. As you may have experienced, certain types of acute tendonitis can take an incredibly long time to heal.

[SIMULACRA]

Acupuncture was the route I took with a knee injury that was slowing me down. Made me feel 10-15 years younger and put me into high miles with strength in my legs I hadn’t seen in a while. One thing to note, acupuncture does not cure all, as some things just require surgery and modern medicine. They can be the judge on that. In my case it was the route. You will need to find a qualified acupuncturist and go in for several visits. Don’t make a judgement on the first visit. Mine took two before I started seeing results. Some of the medicine is trial and error. They are going off what you tell them about the pain and with their expertise finding the right pressure points. Depending on the level of injury you may need to go back periodically for a re-visit. My pain disappeared for two years before I felt I needed another visit

[Roger Caffin]

I think you may be overdoing the training a bit.

As you get older you naturally slow down a bit, but you get tougher and can go for longer. Just don’t overdo it.

Just don’t stop. Just keep going – within your limits. We were doing 2-month trips in the European Alps in our late-60s and Alpine trips here in Oz in our 70s. Had to stop recently: COVID. I am now 76. Frustrated!

Cheers

[S Long]

Natural anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory supplements may help. Olive oil (I take a couple tablespoons a day), quercetin, resveratrol, etc. are all good stuff. Training For the Uphill Athlete is also an excellent book that will shed more light on how to train effectively and intelligently without getting hurt. Take it easy and listen to your body. I don’t believe aging necessarily causes all the things people blame on it. There are fixes to everything, we just have to hunt for them. Good luck!

[DWR D]

“I don’t believe aging necessarily causes all the things people blame on it. There are fixes to everything..”

I am thinking this was written by a young guy who has not hit the age wall yet… er… you can to some degree work on delaying the effects of aging, but there is not ‘fix’… at some point you WILL bend to that reality…

 

[Arthur]

+1 on DWR D’s comment on aging. i am always amused by the Peter Pan myth. Seriously, i have found that as i age, I can’t “train” for events as much as when I was younger. I need to adopt a constant lifestyle of “training” at a lower level. When I pause activities, I tend to hurt body parts by overuse when I begin “training” again for some event. Steady, lower level, regular activity keeps my injuries lower.

[MJ H]

Everyone has a plan until their Achilles tendon gives out.

[Todd T]

My experience at 61 is that I can still mostly maintain cardio endurance, but the structural issues can’t be trained around and my body simply can’t shed heat like it used to.

[S Long]

Guess I just have great genetics. My 65 year old mom and 85 year old grandma agree with me and are still quite feisty and active. My 60 year old uncle still races road and mountain bikes competitively. YMMV. Glad I was blessed with “Peter Pan” genetics. I still think a well planned supplement, diet, and training regimen tailored to your specific body and metabolism can stave off many of the “aging” related issues. It becomes more difficult as you age, but IME still totally manageable.

[Dan]

Get back to us in 10 years, Peter Pan, and let us know if you are still logging the same mileage at the same pace without injuries.  ;-)

[AK Granola]

I’m 57, and it’s amazing how much age-related s&*t has crept in just in the last few years. Aging friends have come down with conditions and diagnoses I didn’t even know existed. I hate that some of our conversations now revolve around our aches and pains, like “old people.” And it happens in fits and starts, instead of a gradual process. Suddenly, something doesn’t work the way it did! Forever. I woke up one day with a swollen knuckle on my little finger – osteoarthritis. Just popped up and will be there til I die, permanently crooked. WTH

I now have to do more stretching, more calisthenics, more rest, than I needed to do previously in order to stay in shape for backpacking. I also need a lot less food, both at home and on trail.

I do see many older folks out on trails, running, cycling, backpacking, looking like they could be 30, but they are stoic; they have aches and pains too, but just deal with them as they go. My goal is to be more stoic; it isn’t useful complaining about it, just more depressing. An occasional bitch session helps though.

There is no magic elixir, no fountain of youth. Not even perfect genetics save you from the inevitable. And all of the herbal stuff is wishful thinking, imo, probably a lot of the pharmaceuticals too.

You can help slow things down a little, with a healthy diet, sleep, lowering stress, and exercise. Or at least not make things worse by being overweight and sedentary. But the end is near! On that happy note, a glass of Pinot Noir seems the immediate answer.

[DWR D]

Oh, Karen… 57, sooo young!

Aches and pains? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet! :((

[avi sito]

Great stuff Karen :-D. Agree with it all.

Thank you all for the great advice & tips. I’ll see what best fits me.

 

thanks!

 

[bjc]

At 71 I am more conscious then ever about strength training, something as a long time runner I’m not crazy about but I know is necessary to stay healthy, and has a big impact on my balance. I also encourage you to heed Tom K’s advice about year round consistent aerobic training. It will pay dividends. I might add there is significant research to back his view on this topic.

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