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Old 05-14-20, 01:18 PM  
Vintage VFer
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Exclamation Proper form for coughing. (Learn from my horrible mistake!)

About a year and a half ago I had a terrible cold. Probably the worst I've had in my whole life. The biggest symptom was a horrendous cough. I had to sleep with a cough drop in my mouth as I coughed all night long.

After a few weeks, I noticed pain in my back and around my waistline. Long story short, I had fractured a vertebra from hacking so much. That event changed my fitness life forever. I should have gone to the doctor and gotten prescription cough medicine.

So, when you have to cough (or, sneeze) keep your spine straight. Don't bend forward or flex your spine if you can help it. Maybe pull your shoulder blades together to protect your spine.

I have read of climbers on Mt. Everest coughing so hard they cracked their own ribs.

More about coughing:

https://www.health24.com/Medical/Cou...-body-20170922

Be careful out there!
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Old 05-14-20, 02:18 PM  
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Years ago my mom turned while coughing and cracked a rib! It’s crazy that coughing so much can fracture a bone.
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Old 05-14-20, 05:49 PM  
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Oh my!

Years ago my dad had a terrible cough and repeatedly told his doctor how sore he was. He wasn't believed til a few days later when a really spectacular bruise appeared.
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Old 05-15-20, 09:34 AM  
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Oh my goodness. I think I remember you posting about this.

A long time ago I had a flu that turned to pneumonia, and I cracked my ribs from the coughing. Ugh. I get a flu shot every year since then.

Another dangerous situation is sneezing while driving. It is impossible to keep your eyes open during a sneeze.
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Old 05-15-20, 10:17 AM  
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!!!!! I never would have imagined you could fracture a vertebrae by coughing unless you had really severe osteoporosis. That is awful! Which vertebrae was it?

I crushed T7 in an accident in December of 1999. I rang in the millennia in a back brace. It's half the size of the adjacent vertebra, but as long as I do regular back strengthening exercises, it doesn't get achy. Lat pulls are my magic bullet. On the other hand, if I vacuum for an hour, or slump too much while reading, I'm usually going to feel it. I've had 20 years to learn how to work around it, but I worry about how sarcopenia is going to affect it. And much to my dismay, I can see sarcopenia happening before my eyes.

Thanks for the warning. I will be particularly vigilant when having to cough!

I sincerely hope your pain isn't chronic, and that your limitations won't last.
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Old 05-15-20, 02:56 PM  
bee
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Wow -- ouch! That must have been miserable! Thanks for a very useful PSA.
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Old 05-16-20, 08:55 AM  
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In the past six months my daughter has had bronchitis twice. Both times she had muscle strain and a partial tear along the rib cage from coughing so hard for 3+ weeks each time.
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Old 05-16-20, 11:57 AM  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by warriorprincess View Post
!!!!! I never would have imagined you could fracture a vertebrae by coughing unless you had really severe osteoporosis. That is awful! Which vertebrae was it?

I crushed T7 in an accident in December of 1999. I rang in the millennia in a back brace. It's half the size of the adjacent vertebra, but as long as I do regular back strengthening exercises, it doesn't get achy. Lat pulls are my magic bullet. On the other hand, if I vacuum for an hour, or slump too much while reading, I'm usually going to feel it. I've had 20 years to learn how to work around it, but I worry about how sarcopenia is going to affect it. And much to my dismay, I can see sarcopenia happening before my eyes.
Thanks for the warning. I will be particularly vigilant when having to cough!
I sincerely hope your pain isn't chronic, and that your limitations won't last.
It is the T-12. I do have bone loss. I'm thinking I may have cracked it doing something else in the past and that the severe coughing turned it to full on compression fracture.

I had a lot of pain early on. My ex-doctor thought it was just a muscle sprain, but I insisted on an x-ray. I then dropped her and went to a spine specialist.

I went for 3 months of physical therapy. The PT didn't think I needed a brace. I've worked my a$$ off trying to prevent future fractures. Numerous back and ab exercises, posture work, balance work, etc.

The pain is mostly better. I still have had to give up some types of workouts and activities just to be careful.

I read that vertebral fractures are like chocolate chip cookies. You can't have just one!!!
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Old 05-16-20, 01:35 PM  
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It sounds like you're on the right track. Healing can be frustratingly slow, but as long as you keep working at it, you can do it.
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Old 05-16-20, 02:55 PM  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gibbee View Post
In the past six months my daughter has had bronchitis twice. Both times she had muscle strain and a partial tear along the rib cage from coughing so hard for 3+ weeks each time.
That sounds awful!

I had bronchitis for the first time in my life just before the pandemic got into full gear. The immediate care clinic associated with the large hospital network I'm use prescribed an inhaler (for the wheezing, after I did a nebulizer treatment at the clinic) and a prescription for a cough suppressant pill.

I didn't end up actually using the prescription cough suppressant pills because by the time I bothered to go to urgent care, the worst of my coughing symptoms were over (just mainly had the wheezing going on, and they did x-ray my lungs to check for pneumonia). However, I'm keeping the Rx pills in case I ever get bronchitis again. It was an unusually bad winter for me as far as repeatedly getting sick.
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