Do you find that people here, or that h&f-focused people you know in real life tend to be more "in tune" with their bodies and therefore pushing a little hypochondriac-ness? I'm not pointing fingers at anyone in particular, just curious about your thoughts. Maybe I'm a skeptic but I feel like people at my gym are always icing, foam rolling, whining, etc. over the proverbial molehills or referring to phantom "injuries."
'Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body. But rather, to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, screaming 'Woohoo! What a ride!' So every day is a holiday and every meal a feast."
I can totally be a hypochondriac only with sports injuries and mainly because I am terrified of being layed up/in a cast of some sort again. Last time I wasn't worried about things- that's what happened.
I was an ankle ache and pain hypochondriac when I started running real distances again after my stress fracture, especially after I exceeded the distances that gave me the stress fracture to begin with. Normally I'm not so bad.
I do see it a lot on this board (a lot more than IRL), but I try to cut people slack. I figure people are going through the same thing I did.
I was thinking about this today while sitting in the sport's chiro office. My DH and training partner were also there for their appointments. LOL!
My answer is yes, and no. I think the fact there we're usually training for something means that we make a bigger deal out of injuries than the average person. I also think we notice them more. Someone might not notice a pulled muscle during a slow, 2 mile run, but I'm definitely going to notice it while racing a half, or knocking out a 20 mile training run, ya know?
Ex: I have a calf strain. The average person would simply rest it a week or two and it would be fine. I went to a sport's chiro and had ultra sound therapy, ART, Graston, and Kinesio tape done. This seems like total overkill, except I'm in the peak weeks of marathon training. If I have a Dr I know & trust who can get me healed & back to normal faster, why not use him? I think that's the difference.
Post by breezy8407 on Aug 20, 2013 14:44:21 GMT -5
I find that IRL the more non-athletic/fitness-y types complain more. At least the people I am around, which is mostly my co-workers in this example. I sit near someone who is gluten free and has tons of allergies/other ailments, so I hear about it a lot.
I think there are two sides to it. As breezy8407 mentioned, I know a lot of non-athletes who complain about a whole array of ailments. I also know a lot of athletes (mostly runners) who tend to develop various training related injuries. So I'm going to go with not *more* ailments, just *different* ailments.
As an aside, it drives me bonkers when people talk about having "a bad ____". As in my H saying "I have a bad back". Well go get it fixed then. WTH does that mean?
I don't think h&f types are more likely to be hypochondriacs then non-h&f types. I just think that since they are more active then they are more likely to get injured.
I think there is a lot of stuff involved. More H&F-related people who aren't your normal gym-goers are subjecting their bodies to a lot more stress which makes injuries more likely so prevention such as ice and foam rolling is more necessary. Then, of course, if they are in training, do they let something slide because they think it's a little injury which may balloon into a giant injury that knocks you out of the race or do they decide to treat every little thing as a big thing to be safe? Finally, H&F people are very competitive with themselves and when they can't compete at their peak performance because something is off, it does mess with them and can bring them down really quick.
For me, I blew off a groin issue because it was "minor" last fall. Then the ITBS blew up and the doctor was all "no big deal." I wish I had demanded PT then. Maybe I wouldn't have lost 3 months of running and would be running a fall marathon instead of still recovering.
Post by breezy8407 on Aug 20, 2013 14:53:42 GMT -5
I also think it really depends on who you are with. If you hang out with a lot of people training for events, you might talk more about what you have in common, which is the sport and all that goes with it.
I work with a few runners, but IRL I don't hang out with a lot of other runners. I don't talk about running or lifting with people who don't do the same unless they ask me. I liken it to not talking about my kids to non-parents unless asked.
Definitely more in tune with our bodies - my chiro told me once that non-H&F peeps often can't even pinpoint where something hurts. That said - I just don't like not feeling 100%!!
I think people on this board as a group are quick to go to the doctor and 'demand' expensive diagnostic procedures and whatnot. I think this is common for Americans in general though.
I do not think it's a result of being more in tune with your body. when you are in tune with your body, you can tell the difference between a big deal and not a big deal. most of the soreness, stiffness, even pain, I experience is not a big deal. it just comes with getting your body to do what you want it to do. it's going to resist.
but all the 'go to the doctor!' advice is probably due to the fact that you only get part of the story on the interwebz and no one wants to tell the noob with chest pain NOT to got to the ER even though she's probably NOT having a heart attack because what if she IS having a heart attack, and you were all 'naw man. you're cool.' KWIM?
I am a total hypochondriac - but I REFUSE to ever go to the doctor. Everything always fixes itself. The one time I did go to the doctor for an ongoing problem, she was useless anyway and all that came from that was a big bill.
My muscles sure as hell hurt more now that I'm moving than they did when I was couch surfing. That and I'm more likely to repeat an injury than before. Ex - I hurt my wrist a couple of weeks ago tripping over a dog and catching myself on the door jamb. It's been not getting better since then, in part because of the pressure I'm putting on it when I'm lifting weights/doing push-ups. Today I smartened up a bit and did pushups on my knuckles. Before when I wasn't doing anything, I'm sure my wrist would have healed a while ago.
I think people on this board as a group are quick to go to the doctor and 'demand' expensive diagnostic procedures and whatnot. I think this is common for Americans in general though.
I do not think it's a result of being more in tune with your body. when you are in tune with your body, you can tell the difference between a big deal and not a big deal. most of the soreness, stiffness, even pain, I experience is not a big deal. it just comes with getting your body to do what you want it to do. it's going to resist.
but all the 'go to the doctor!' advice is probably due to the fact that you only get part of the story on the interwebz and no one wants to tell the noob with chest pain NOT to got to the ER even though she's probably NOT having a heart attack because what if she IS having a heart attack, and you were all 'naw man. you're cool.' KWIM?
Post by Wines Not Whines on Aug 20, 2013 17:24:44 GMT -5
I'm one of those people who doesn't go to the doctor unless I'm practically dying, and being active hasn't changed that. I'm more proactive with trying to stay healthy, like if I feel tightness I'll foam roll, stretch, etc. But I think I'm the opposite of a hypochondriac. I realize I'm a sample size of one, however.
I'm one of those people who doesn't go to the doctor unless I'm practically dying, and being active hasn't changed that. I'm more proactive with trying to stay healthy, like if I feel tightness I'll foam roll, stretch, etc. But I think I'm the opposite of a hypochondriac. I realize I'm a sample size of one, however.
Im the same way, but i chalk it up to firld hockey/ team mentality for so long- you wave the white flag the whole team waves it with you, so you tough things out. DH practically had to carry me in to the doctor for my mono exam. With my IT/knee tendinitis, it wasn't until I couldn't walk up the stairs with Tough Mudder 6 weeks away that I got it looked at. I try everything myself first before I shell out for medical treatment.
Hmmm....this just made me realize that I'm a bit of both. The two times I've wound up completely sidelined, I tried to self treat for 6+ wks before I finally caved, & even then it was just because I was headed into marathon trainings & couldn't run a mile without pain. It sucks when you look back & realize how much time you wasted dicking around, but we're a stubborn bunch.
I'm only a hypochondriac about stuff that I am really scared of. The more scared I am of the particular thing, the more hypochondriac-y I am about it.
With everything else, I am a reverse hypochondriac (i.e. I think I'm always fine even if something is really wrong).
To make it more H&F related, I am really scared of getting a serious injury that will require months off or surgery or something. So when I start getting pain while running or working out, I freak out a little. Paradoxically, if I think that something is actually wrong, I go into denial and pretend it's fine.
I think it's a combination of everything ya'll have said. For myself, I have a few chronic conditions (migraines--but you know that), so I go to my neuro several times a year. For sore stuff or the usual training soreness, I'm usually of the "give it a week and see how it is" belief. Strong, sharp pain in body parts I've never injured is a different story. That's why I went to the sports ortho the same day that I could not walk on my knee. I don't regret doing it, but it's not going to be a fast recovery.
I think H&F people are just more in tune with their bodies. We just know when something is "off" before it's really wrong.
Agreed. I think some people are just more in tune than other though regardless of fitness. I'm not a hypochondriac but I can tell when things are off. Ex: I knew I had a uti before it showed up in a urine test. Some people don't know until they have a bad kidney infection.
As for H&F people I think we're more paranoid and nervous about injury, especially those who have been previously sidelined
I'm a total hypochondriac and exaggerator, but more about illnesses than injuries. I have been banned from Dr. Google by my H.
But with injuries, I'm usually more of the wait-it-out approach because I figure most stuff will resolve itself with rest. It's the OMG-I-have-ovarian-cancer thoughts that I have to watch myself on because a) I don't, but b) if I did, rest isn't the cure.
Post by katinthehat on Aug 21, 2013 8:43:22 GMT -5
I've learned the hard way now. I'd rather go to the doctor and be told it's nothing than it wait it out and end up in a cast. Ahem. Or with an ear infection. Double ahem.
I've learned the hard way now. I'd rather go to the doctor and be told it's nothing than it wait it out and end up in a cast. Ahem. Or with an ear infection. Double ahem.
This too. I waited it out on my pain last time "stretching, icing, rolling, Epsom salt baths, ART, hot yoga" ETC - guess what I had a fracture, and ended up in a boot for 2.5 months.
Call me a hypochondriac... I call it listening to my body.
When I first started hanging on this board years ago, the constant refrain of "go see your doctor!" irritated the hell out of me. Not every ache and pain warrants a doctor's visit, but I am inclined to agree that this is the go-to advice because internet diagnoses are tricky, if not dangerous.