SAD :(

Stacia0330 started this discussion · 2/13/2016

I'm bummed I didn't find pole earlier (like, um, 10 years ago) when I was more able to jump into stuff. I'm going to be 37 this year, and I am feeling my age!! Pole has been so awesome and challenging, but I keep getting myself kind of injured. First, my wrist, now both of my elbows seem to be experiencing some kind of tendinitis/bursitis?? My left elbow is affected with Golfer's elbow on the inside, and my right has probably got a bit of bursitis or some kind of extensor tendonitis near the back of the elbow. I feel like I'm falling apart. Been taking it easy and trying to do the conditioning. I may have to go back to the PT's office and see if they can help me out too. ARGH. Anyway, I'm going to keep plugging along, but just avoid the moves that bug (split grip anything--so much for being able to get into handsprings any time soon). Bleh. Getting older is the pits sometimes. Just venting here! Thanks for listening :)

10 replies

Runemist34 · 2/13/2016
Hey there! I'm sorry to hear you're sad, and being injured SUCKS. I have totally been there! There are quite a few women around who are much older than you or I, and are doing awesome things on the pole. Their progress may be slower than "normal" (but what is normal, really?), but they are hot as f*ck and workin' it hard. I'm looking forward to being just like them one day! I also wanted to say that... I DID start pole when I was much younger, in my early 20's, and I found myself much-injured and discouraged. I have never really been very active in my life, so I didn't know how my body was supposed to work or move, and I didn't know how much was "too much." And, I took many months off, which was also frustrating. I didn't know how to motivate myself to do something when I didn't feel like it, I didn't get any kind of interest or validation from my husband at the time (now my ex-husband), so I ended up sad and discouraged. I still struggle with huge amounts of self-judgement and negative self talk when I dance. But, I've learned a lot since I was that young, 20something pole dancer! So, even though you are injured and you're having some issues (rest being the best thing for something like tendonitis, and then SLOW rehabilitation, but you can fully recover!), remember that you may actually be in a better place now than you were 10 years ago to dance and feel great about it! You know how to take care of yourself, and that is SUPER important! So... take care of yourself ;) The pole will always be there!
Phoenix Hunter · 2/13/2016
do you feel like certain tricks, grips or spins may be causing your symptoms? split grip is hard on my wrists and elbows so I dont do it too many times in one session. And most spins are just terrible for me so I just dont do them hardly ever. I cant even do some basic spins but I have a mean ass jade and other flexy tricks. I'm learning to go with what my body likes and slowly build up to the other things or dont do them at all. and Im 37 and I believe Veena is too. 37 aint old. I pole with ladies who are 20 years older than me and they are better than me, in better shape too. it gives me hope that I can keep improving. :) but you do have to learn how to work smarter not harder.
Girl On A Pole · 2/13/2016
Well, I am 48. I wish I'd found pole 20 years ago. I work so hard to keep up and in fact sometimes outpace and out trick the younger girls. I hate that I'm older, hate that I am the oldest in my studio by at least 10 years but I'm highly motivated and in this for the long run. To answer the other question, I have found split grip hard for me, but nothing to do with age, just a tendency to ache in my weak wrists. I'm also less flexible. That sucks too. I do envy the younger polers.
litlbit · 2/14/2016
I'm 60, I've been poling now for nine years, I'm not at all sorry I didn't find it sooner, it makes me more careful for training. Conditioning and strengthening the forearms and wrists are critical, and as for split grip, allot of my students will start to develop pain and tendinitis because they are gripping the pole tight with the bottom hand. For spins it's important to NOT grip with the bottom hand, but to push your body away. One thing some people don't realize, is pole is a push pull motion, example, your doing a carousel spin (called something else in other parts of the country), your main grip is your top hand(the pull), the bottom should be pushing your body away from the pole, not gripping, when you grip on the bottom hand, you apply pressure on your wrist and elbow, which while your top hand slides a little, it now bends you wrist and elbow because you are not allowing that hand to "slide" down with a push vs a grip. I hope that makes sense. I worked in OT/PT and sports medicine for years in my nursing career, I used that knowledge to help prevent those type of common injuries. When my students (young), start having those issues from practicing at home, I check them in class, and almost always that's the problem. Veena has EXCELLENT tips for this in her lessons!! I wish you the best!!! :)
Rachel Osborne · 2/14/2016
Hello I'm 45. I have recurrent inflammation in my forearm muscles and rotator cuff and it's always from over training, inadequate warm up and stretch down, not taking critical recovery days and skipping the conditioning. Every time I head back to the physio for trigger point fascia release I am given a set of exercises to do. Lo and behold they are exactly the same as Veena's conditioning routine here. https://www.studioveena.com/lessons/view/528af759-bbfc-4825-9755-47180a9aa0eb 20 minutes, 2-3 tines a week and ta da! So the moral is....
Stacia0330 · 2/14/2016
These are all awesome responses--and I got a lot of much needed perspective. I guess things come to us when it's the right time, and this was my time to discover pole :) I will start going through the conditioning exercises as well. I appreciate all of you for listening.
grayeyes · 2/15/2016
I"m 46 now and started poling a few years ago. I wish I had started pole when I was younger because I've lost so much of my flexibility but I suspect my brain would not have been in the right place to fully appreciate pole so this must be the right time for me. I am much more careful with my body now because any injuries I do get take MUCH longer to heal now so please do pole wisely. I am encouraged to see folks older than me still poling because I really want to know that I'll still be able to pole when I'm retired (hopefully in ten years or so) and finally have enough time for it.
RissK · 2/15/2016
I'm 42 and just started last year! I also started this pole journey with a frozen left shoulder that has yet to thaw and limits all my activities to one side...not easy! When it finally works again, I will have to go back to the beginning and do everything again on the dork side! I'm not as flexible as most, but I am strong and I challenge myself. I modify all my moves and rest and stretch as needed. I also started silks and trapeze and I wish they'd had circus arts when I was in my 30's, when I was fit from jujitsu! I'm getting there again.... just keep plugging along, as you say. The journey, not the destination! At this point, I need to get some sexy into my pole, add the fluidity that I admire in others... like Tropical... 💞... I stopped being comfortable in my own skin so I'm trying to overcome that. I'm stronger now than last year, and I will also keep plugging away...lol! Love yourself, love the journey, and lean on us pole sisters whenever you need to! Big hugs and thank you for sharing your story! 😍
Veena · 2/15/2016
I'm 38, didn't start poling until 2 weeks before I turned 30! As you can see from many of the awesome replies age is just a number, don't let it define YOU!! If you are suffering from injury take a look at how often you pole. Are you using split grips a lot? How long did you condition before you began working on Split grips and do you stretch the forearms after EVERY pole dance session? Do always warm up fully before dancing? Pole can break even 20 yr old bodies if you don't rest and train correctly. I feel too many sites, studios and social media personalities place a strong emphasis on tricks and more tricks!! However, there is sooooooo much more to pole than tricks! You can condition, improve lines and posture and flow around expressing yourself without ever having to invert or use a split grip. This is why I have many routines that focus on these things and I haven't just focused on tricks. A few months ago someone message me on FB saying they used the lessons here to heal their back after surgery. They said they'd been in so much pain and working with the physical therapist wasn't helping. Pole can HEAL if use correctly! Also, I find it's very helpful to cross train so you're not always only poling, you can do a lot of great things that will HELP with your pole dance but not wear out the body. If we only work on pole we can develop overuse injuries from doing the same movements over and over. We can still gain strength by doing other workouts and it's fun to learn new things! Please don't get down about age, if we treat our bodies with care we can have many many years of movement and joy!
Serzi · 2/16/2016
There's not many times I've been able to say this, but I think I prefer my 30's to my 20's...at least when it comes to pole. Yeah, the knees pop more than my booty these days and I'm much more cautious when it comes to my back or wrists but...idk...I feel better than I used to. In my 20's I was so WORRIED about what I looked like all the time and it robbed me of a lot of my motivation. It's funny because when I see my old videos it's adorable how self-conscious I was. All I can think is "Damn! I would have landed that perfectly if I hadn't been worried about jiggling thighs/muffin-top/you-name-the-unflattering-angle-nobody-cares-about." To be honest, my favorite polers are now all in their 30's, 40's, and even 50's. They weren't when I started...how the Hell did that happen? Oh yeah, and most of 'em are just as badass, sexy, and skilled as ever. In some cases, dare I say even more so? ;)