Long time no post...
So I suspect I'm not the only person here who bouldered pre-pads, and who fell off a lot of highballs in their day. And I suspect I'm not the only older boulderer who is throughly busted-up.
If any of y'all are experiencing chronic lower back problems as a result (oh so much fun), I might have something that can help. I've recently gone through a couple rounds of "Ultrasound Guided Platelet-rich Plasma" (PRP) injections. Some sort of crazy regenerative medicine thing. All I know is that, in combination with Physical Therapy, I've gone from a dysfunctional SI joint (degenerated ligaments on both sides of my lower back) to a functional SI joint. I'm not back to bouldering again (yet) but I'm down to a couple Tylenol a week (goodbye to Tramadol and Vicodin thank god) and being able to sit on a plane without being laid up for a day or two after.
I talked with my doctor about bouldering, my injuries, and the treatment and he says that this is likely a common type of problem for older boulderers - and that PRP is highly likely to help or fix the issue. His success rate with SI joint regeneration like this is over 90% to-date.
Oh... and to anyone who is younger and falls off highballs a lot... Start doing yoga.
Anyway - I hope all y'all are still talking shit nonstop and drinking more than you spend actually climbing and taking sleeping in the dirt on road-trips.
Now go fuck off again, yeah?
❤️