Getting Rid of Knee Pain!

Hi, I was diagnosed about a year ago with an irregular heartbeat. The danger is that you will develop blood clots and have a stroke. So, I decided to use exercise to try and ward off a stroke. I began running.
When I started I could only jog about 150 yards before I couldn't breath. With this heart condition,

my oxygen balance is so messed up that I have no stamina.
My son Giffy and I began running on our driveway. Later we started going out on the road. I gradually worked my way up to a KM, then to 5. Mostly I would jog till I couldn't, walk and recover, then jog again. We started shooting for a race, a 10K. But, when we went to register it was full, we had to register for the 21KM!
In the midst of this running, my knee pain completely disappeared for the first time in a very long time.
We ran the race and I completed it. I had to start alternating between running and walking after KM8. For the last 5KM I was on the verge of cramps so I forced myself to walk a lot.
If you are having knee pain.. it may be that you need more straight running and less basketball.
After that I started playing basketball again and lifting. I am still almost pain-free!

55 1/2 - rehab of knee

Hi folks! The knee rehab has gone very well. I am almost pain-free while playing. I get swelling a bit, and rest at least every other day. The key has been the leg extensions before I play with heavy weights. I added to that jogging a lap or 3 with weights, sit-ups, bicep curls, overhead press, push-ups, and finally picking up the heaviest thing I can and walking with it for 50 feet.

If you are having knee pain and want to strengthen your legs, here is a video of what to do. Notice that you want to make the bend very short so as not to strain the knee... about 15% angle. Although this video talks about a 5 second hold when the knee is straight, I suggest 9 seconds, and 8 reps at least. If you can do more than 9 reps, you should add weight.

As a result, I put on a lot of muscle in about 3 months time. I stopped also eating sweets but my weight is still up. The last thing, I believe, that is holding me back from dunking is my weight. I am going to come up with a plan and challenge to do just that, soon!

Hello 55!

You haven't heard from me in a l...o....n....g time. I just celebrated my 55th birthday on Jan. 24, 2018. I am still playing but have been dealing with a knee injury for about 2 years. I am sure I need some cutting. Instead, for the past few months I have been doing some rehab. It involves leg extensions and jogging with weights. At the chinese school where I play, they have a couple of rope stands which are motorcycle tires filled with cement and a steel pole on top. When I started, I could harldly pick up my feet trying to jog. Now I am actually jogging a lap with them. I am much stronger from this. Although I still have the knee issue, it is a lot less and as long as I get enough sleep and don't play consecutive days, I'm good.

Is it still possible for me to dunk again? Not unless I get my knee to the point where I can run sprints.

TIME TO GET SERIOUS!!!

Well, it is past time... I bought myself a safety harness with the intention of pulling a large steel cement barrel around the yard to build up my legs... turned out that barrel was too hard to move... I need to make something smaller with less friction... thinking of a large cement circle with steel supports inside and a hook on the side. When will I do it?

Champions!!!
I was happy to get a call to play on a team in the Nong Khai Tournament. I was even happier when I saw my teammates! 3 of the best Lao players plus some friends from Nong Khai, plus some other Thai guys that were good players...

We swept the tournamnet, winning all games by 20-30 points.
I got hurt again in the 3rd game, errant elbow to the cheek bone left me with a headache, then closeline charge by a big guy out-of-control... serious bruise to the throat. I got off the floor but laid on the sideline a good 5 minutes.. so hurt couldn't lift my head.... good news that I recovered enough to play in the championship game, but still after a week my voice is raspy. By the way no whistle.... though I got ran over and held my ground... ouch!

Lots of playing, not much jumping progress!

I went on a diet and lost about 14 pounds through exercise and eating very little. I also had been taking some medicine for a fungal toe infection. After several weeks of the diet my skin suddenly improved and became soft. I thought it might be from the medicine. I have been battling dry and itchy skin for years. Now I have stopped the diet and after a few weeks the skin condition returned. I thought my eating habits were pretty good but apparently not. I need to make it a permanent change not to eat sugary breads and donuts, eat more salad, and eat very little!
On the basketball front I played in several tournaments this year. The big 1st tournament in Lao I played for the Chinese team. Just before that tournament started I tore my right hamstring and it was black from bleeding. I hopped and hobbled through the tournament and played OK. The second Lao tournament was a nightmare for me. I could not get a shot without being fouled and the refs were not calling them. I lost my temper many times and it was the worst experience I ever had playing basketball. I didn't even show up at the last game because there was no fun in it. In Thailand I played an over-40 tournament. our team wasn't very good but it was fun! I played pretty well. the highlight was the last game when we were getting blown out and the last quarter my teammates asked me to score. And I made some good shots. And finally the 3-on-3 40+ tournament in Udon Thani. It was a star-studded event with big crowds and a DJ.

We lost the first game and I got a bad injury, a sprained thumb (no foul called) which also turned black and yellow. I was taped up for the final a week later not knowing if I could play and had my best game in a while scoring 5 shots and 4 foul shots in 10 minutes.
Now back to the subject... dunking. I bought myself a safety harness for construction workers and chained myself to an old steel cement bucket at my house... tried dragging it to build my legs but could hardly budge it. I am planning to pour a cement weight that is round and will offer less resistance on the ground. I will get a pic out when I do it.... uh finding time...
Injuries? I am pretty good right now.... just the Achilles heal on my right foot giving me some pain.. I have some calcification build up from repeatedly hurting it.
I haven't given up yet even though 52 is a few months down the road. I really would like to end my frustrations with the Lao refs and the fouling by coming out dunking next year.. otherwise no desire to play in that mess again!

It is now the 51 Dunk Project.... out of shape again, and though my knees are feeling good, my left heel is re-injured, from soccer. Nevertheless, I am going to give it another try this month. I've put on some weight and lost some muscle... Joey, my son, is now 12 and getting big... need to build a court at home so he can develop the skills that I never had as a high school player.