i'm a few years older than you. i went to davis jr high and banning high. welcome.

Curtiss jr high and Carson high.

You guys beat us in 1981. That's the year I graduated. I still remember the pain.

i could not remember the name LOL...we had a pretty good team in the 70s and 80s. Carson was good too, though

Weed is the bomb. I should have tried it sooner.

it works way better than aleve and sleeping aids. great for anxiety too. just overal all great stuff...no wonder the regressives hate it.

My right foot hurts all the time. I think alot of the repubs in my state smoke it. They finally have calmed down now. I always use it for cramps and my attitude problem. It's all purpose.

i've been told i have one too

they have 30-40$ ones on amazon, give a light electrical current that helps get rid of the spasms.
They are really amazing devices.

Truly hope it helps as it has for me!

for seven years until i moved to oakland in 1990. i was born in east la.

Never been to Oakland yet, but east la is well known to me to. Well, the eastside, not the barrio.

which no longer exists, i believe. i liked long beach, but i love the bay area. nary a conservative in earshot, or they keep their mouths shut at least.

It's freaking scary here. The only reason why we moved out here is that the Arizona dry heat helps my back pain. I'm in the process of selling my house, and thinking about moving to Tucson. The Tucson area is a lot more diverse than Phoenix.

Cheech, is that you?????

i don't think i've heard it. a lot of black folks were born there...might have been a segregation thing.

Your frankness is fucking refreshing.

Sorry to hear about your health problems.

I never had back problems until I got pregnant with my babies. Then EVERYTHING went to shit.

Your spine fused, is that other segments go bad and then you need another surgery.
I had L 4 L5 fused and now L5 SI is bad. I'm going to postpone getting another surgery for as long as I can.

I'm not very active, but I do what I can.

My mom is visiting from Mexico and my daughter is home from college, so this is a great time of year for me. And the Marijuana is working.

Glad that at least something is working.

Do you do water therapy? My husband's knees are shot and they keep trying to get him to do water physio (he's had two surgeries on each knee) but he just won't. It seems like it would be the perfect way to get the exercise and build up the strength without messing up the joint more.

I have a pool, a necessity, out here, and I excercise everyday.

It's a cold day today, only 104 degrees.

My mom actually suggested that my husband do yoga. When he mentioned that to his doctor, the man couldn't sputter "please don't do that!" fast enough.

And of course I DO need to stretch and do stuff or it gets worse. They only recommended pain meds and shots- and their pain clinic has a three week waiting list, even if you are bed ridden. Best back docs in NYC wanted me to wait 2-3 weeks for a script when I was hunched over, even though they had a script pad right there. Fuckers.

It's electrostimulation - and yes, feels weird at first!- but the relief is incredible.

And the portable ones are not scary as they are just batteries, although I did shock myself a little first.

My back is so bad, I need more than that, but I would recommend it. Acupuncture works too. I'd do more of that if my co-pay wasn't so high. There is a cream called Australian Dream that is over the counter that really work too. Lydoderm patches, which contain a numbing agent and sold by prescription has literally gotten me back on my feet.

I'm paying $216 for 30. Guess why I can't use them every day anymore? It's for a bad knee.

expensive machine at the physical therapist's office but they feel even better. Not as sturdy, but great you can do as often as you want on your couch!

Tens are little electro-stimulation machines that cause your muscles to contract repeatedly.
They have these silicone pads you put on two places near a muscle and then you turn it on... And up slowly to see how much you can stand. It basically exhausts and relaxes the muscles and stops them from spasms or locking up.
Chiropractors and physical therapists use them but you can get a decent little machine for about 35$ on Amazon. After that you have to just rebuy the little pads. The machines are dinky but work well.
I use them on long flights because I tend to lock up in the booty. It helps a great deal with my lower back and shoulder.
They also sell gloves and socks and I think wraps that can transmit current through them for very arthritic people.
If you put them on your shoulders and crank it way up, it also teaches you how to do the Atlanta bounce!

But would that work on knees??

it won't really build muscle, but helps it eliminate the scarring or whats it called - lactose buildup or whatever so you gain mobility and muscles heal better. I have nerve issues, and the muscles around them get very contracted and painful. So much so I can't stand up straight, put on pants or open doors! If I sneeze when that is happening, I literally double over in extreme pain.
Aside from heavy duty muscle relaxers and a chiro, tens has been the only thing that works to relieve it. And it;s a little battery operated thing you can take with you and do anywhere!

I am sure if you know the exact nature of the injury you can google if electro- stim works, and then where to put the pads, etc. When you start it feels like pins and needles, but if you can get used to it- and find a rhythmic pattern that works for you- just 10-20 minutes helps immeasurably.

I used to get it at physical therapy, but a friend told me about the cheap home machines. Make sure to get one that has different "massage patterns" (some are choppy, some are buzzy, some feel like rolling) and routines that mix patterns so you can experiment a bit. That way, you can increase the intensity more easily.

PM me if you need me to look up the machine for you!

Thanks so much, be.

He's had the cartilage redone on both knees and it still sounds like there's gravel in there. I'll talk to him about the tens!

I'm not certain they know WHY it works, or even why my damn back hurts so much. But it seems it works for some, good luck to you and Mister23!