Painkillers for the pain

[Unparagoned 0]

I know that everyone suffers from the body ache/pain after any tunnel session of a reasonable length. But I've never herd of people taking painkillers for the pain. Is it something people do? Has anyone tried, does it make much difference.

A quick google search gives contradictory results. I would have assumed ibuprofen would work well, as well as opiate based painkillers. What about acetaminophen (paracetamol)?

I have over an hour of serious 4 way and some freeflying tomorrow, and was wondering if painkillers could make it more bearable to move once I finnish.

[rehmwa 2]

I take Advil each morning of a camp and then late afternoon. But I'm old - and worn out. Lots of water and stretching is also good. We also do multiple days at about an hour of flying time per day. That's the problem with not having a local tunnel, you can overdo it because you don't normally have the opportunity.

An hour a day is a good conservative loading for someone fit. The freeflying will be pretty exhausting on top of the 4-way. 4-way is very athletic with a good team, but the ff you are also dealing with a lot more energy in the airflow. It's fun to watch sitflyers wear out, that's a lot of work when learning.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Unparagoned 0]

Quote

I take Advil each morning of a camp and then late afternoon. But I'm old - and worn out. Lots of water and stretching is also good. We also do multiple days at about an hour of flying time per day. That's the problem with not having a local tunnel, you can overdo it because you don't normally have the opportunity.

An hour a day is a good conservative loading for someone fit. The freeflying will be pretty exhausting on top of the 4-way. 4-way is very athletic with a good team, but the ff you are also dealing with a lot more energy in the airflow. It's fun to watch sitflyers wear out, that's a lot of work when learning.

I know the sit flying is far more exhausting from first hand experience. Last time I was at the tunnel I told my instructor in the last 2min I want to do some formation stuff on my back, but he just called me a pussy and put said we were going to sit fly, I couldn't hold the sit for more than a few seconds before transitioning(falling) onto my back.

The breakdown is only 14min freeflying tomorrow, and I plan to spend most of that working on transitions between belly and back. The hour of time is spread over 12 hours. So it should be okish, but I still know at the end of the day I'm going to be in a world of pain.

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

DOPAMINE...
That's the fix
but seriously ...the only way I know of to get rid of the ache is to FLY AGAIN.
I may not be able to move when I start... but after a minute in the air, I'm fine again.
even more seriously...
I'm an advil user as well, thank goodness for Liquicaps! :)

[diablopilot 2]

As a former instructor I can highly recommend the following:

Stretch. Spend at least 10 minutes stretching prior to entering the tunnel.

Hydrate. Cannot overstate this one.

A little vitamin "I" (Ibuprofen) will help reduce inflammation.

Repetition. Keep tunnel flying ant you'll develop a tolerance.

Have fun!

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[Jewels 0]

I think Icy Hot has an odor-free version out there now. You might want to try some you feel yourself tightening up between sessions.

TPM Sister #102

[rehmwa 2]

Quote

Stretch..... Hydrate........ (Ibuprofen) ....... Repetition. ...... Have fun!

methinks I see a pattern from a lot of the posts

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Chrisky 0]

Dont get burned though, there's a recall...

The mind is like a parachute - it only works once it's open.
From the edge you just see more.
... Not every Swooper hooks & not every Hooker swoops ...

[Jewels 0]

Ouch! Kind of defeats the purpose! Well, when it's NOT all screwed up, Icy Hot is your friend. It also has that added bonus of not sounding geriatric, like Bengay. Doesn't mean I'm NOT geriatric, just means I'm getting to the age where I'd like to dodge that bullet.

TPM Sister #102

[brettski74 0]

As a general rule, I try to avoid using painkillers of any kind as much as possible and have never really used them for sports-related pain.

There are two types of pain that you will encounter during any kind of physical training. There's the pain and stiffness that you get from the build-up of lactic acid in the muscles and other normal fatigue effects of training. This kind of pain tends to reduce and disappear once you start becomeing active again (ie. running, swimming, flying, etc). You shouldn't need drugs to deal with this, since the act of getting back in the tunnel should make it feel better and probably be more effective than an over-the-counter drug would be anyway. Even afterwards, the best way to manage this kind of discomfort post-training is light exercise - walking, cleaning the house - anything that's gets you off your butt and moving.

The other kind of pain is the kind that gets worse once you start becoming active again. That's a surefire indication that you've injured yourself, either by overdoing it and producing a repetitive strain type injury, or from something more sudden like hitting a wall or a "ungraceful" exit. You *could* try to manage this with drugs, however, I would caution against continuing your training if you really feel that drugs are a route you need to take. Your body senses pain for a reason. Trying to mask this with drugs only prevents you from knowing just how badly you're hurting yourself. If you choose to continue, whether it be tunnel-flying or any other sport, I personally would choose to do so without any kind of drug just so I can monitor the injury and know when I really do need to cut my losses and stop.

In terms of what drugs, while I don't use them, I've only seen people use NSAIDs like ibuprofen and aspirin. Acetaminophen (aka paracetamol) is a different class of drug and since I'm not a doctor nor a pharmacist, I couldn't comment on it's applicability or effectiveness.

[mhwag 0]

NSAID's (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen or naproxen are best for muscle soreness, joint pain, and orthopedic injury. Ibuprofen (motrin, advil) is most used, but some people swear by naproxen (aleve). You want to take the lowest effective dose, usually 200-400mg of ibuprofen. When I was marathon training I started taking 200mg of ibuprofen before long runs, and it did seem to help me get through 3 hours of pavement pounding. Caveats for NSAIDs - they can irritate your stomach if you take them without food, and if you're on any blood-thinning meds, you shouldn't take them without consulting your doctor.

The best pain management is prevention. If you don't get to fly regularly, you should at least do lower back and hamstring stretches regularly. And have at least a minimum level of cardiovascular fitness and upper body strength. If you're going to sitfly, don't do an intense upper-body workout earlier that same day or even the day before (I speak from experience).

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. If it's a recirculator, the air is seriously dry.

Fly quietly, which means don't over-input your moves, and definitely don't slam your piece-partner around. Tunnel training is very good for teaching you to fly your own body through piece turns. If people are overly aggressive, there will be wall-slamming, and pain is a good teacher. If you're working intensively on something new, like piece turns with verticals, wear knee or elbow pads until you get so you can do them without slammage.

If you're very sore afterwards, evaluate why. Are you slamming each other around? Is there a large fall-rate discrepancy? The tunnel exaggerates this, so a girl who usually wears 10 pounds to fly with the guys will find that she needs to go up to 14 or 16.

Whatever you are, be a good one.