Stanks Switch It Up In 2019

[Stunger]

I’ve had to resort to a daily regimen of yoga type stretches which really does help, although so far only to a point. But my discipline is shit.
I did go through a few episodes where my shoulder and neck pinched up. Like I was shrugging but with only one side. I remember the first day I was like - is this really happening? Sort of embarrassing. By day two and three and four I was way beyond embarrassment in bed unable to move. Last year I ended up in emergency after lower back spasms had me on the floor for a whole day screaming.

As best as I can figure out, treating the symptoms is one can of worms, and treating the cause is a whole different one. I tend to look at all these spasm type episodes as symptoms more than root issues in themselves. So far the answers mostly seem to lie in yoga and tai chi type stuff. You know- old people exercises.

Heavenly Hybrid I‘d sure love to hear anything you have to say as well or any links to resource.


Good luck Stank. Hope you can sort it out -and I’m sure you can.

I wonder if you could benefit from some magnesium supplementation, we need more of it as we age, especially if we are experiencing muscle cramps. I take half teaspoon of Magnesium once a week or whatever (Magnesium Malate but there are a bunch of similar such powders out there). And I also have a spray bottle of topical Magnesium spray (listed ingredients are; water and Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate) which has been very useful and effective when I have had a sudden calf cramp, a spray or two has bought very quick relief. Just saying in case it helps.

 

[Heavenly Hybrid]

One last, last bit of information (sorry!) I was thinking about it more, now that my kids aren’t in my face, and there is some missing info that I thought was important to share: ways to treat.
A few tips for when your muscles are in a flare up -
• contrast therapy is alternating between heat and cold. Heat for 15, ice pack for 5 minutes. Alternate 2 or 3 times if possible and always finish with ice.
• if you do not have someone to massage your back/neck etc. for you, you can do pressure point by laying on a tennis ball (my preference) or a racquet ball, which is softer. You can put one or two into a sock to place it around your back/shoulder/etc more easily.
• once you establish the tender area that is the shortened muscle, Google stretches for that area and then do them in the shower (if it’s safe!).

Ok, I promise, I’m really done this time.

And a big YES! to what Stunger said, ^^^ many to most people in US are deficient in Mg.

 

[Van Stank]

I’ve had to resort to a daily regimen of yoga type stretches which really does help, although so far only to a point. But my discipline is shit.
I did go through a few episodes where my shoulder and neck pinched up. Like I was shrugging but with only one side. I remember the first day I was like - is this really happening? Sort of embarrassing. By day two and three and four I was way beyond embarrassment in bed unable to move. Last year I ended up in emergency after lower back spasms had me on the floor for a whole day screaming.

As best as I can figure out, treating the symptoms is one can of worms, and treating the cause is a whole different one. I tend to look at all these spasm type episodes as symptoms more than root issues in themselves. So far the answers mostly seem to lie in yoga and tai chi type stuff. You know- old people exercises.

Heavenly Hybrid I‘d sure love to hear anything you have to say as well or any links to resource.


Good luck Stank. Hope you can sort it out -and I’m sure you can.

Thanks Weasel! I know that Yoga would be a great thing for me to learn and perhaps something I'll start tinkering around with.

Back spasms are no joke. I have had more than my fair share of them. Fortunately they have subsided for the most part this last year. I've also figured out what movements generally trigger them and I avoid doing them at all costs. Of course that has led to its own list of issues from avoiding the use of certain muscles or movements. I find that I create different ways of doing movements so they don't hurt....but that those new ways lead to issues in different areas later on. Getting old sucks.

 

[Van Stank]

I wonder if you could benefit from some magnesium supplementation, we need more of it as we age, especially if we are experiencing muscle cramps. I take half teaspoon of Magnesium once a week or whatever (Magnesium Malate but there are a bunch of similar such powders out there). And I also have a spray bottle of topical Magnesium spray (listed ingredients are; water and Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate) which has been very useful and effective when I have had a sudden calf cramp, a spray or two has bought very quick relief. Just saying in case it helps.

I am sure that I probably am. My dad swears by that stuff. I have been having more issues with cramping since an incident a couple years ago. We were going out to visit my dad for his 80th birthday and I was trying to get all my work on the outdoor garden done, the fence up, the irrigation system installed and I was working crazy hard for about a week. The night before the flight I worked until like 11pm and we drove to a hotel near the air port because we had a 6am flight and we live an hour and some change from the airport. We only slept for like 3 hours before having to get up to make our flight but when I woke up, I sat in the hotel chair and all of a sudden my hamstrings just locked up. HOLY SHIT did I scream. Ms Stank didn't know what the hell was wrong with me. I was flopping and rolling on the bed trying to get the squeezing to stop. Not a fun experience. I don't know what I did to myself but my muscles knot up and cramp up much faster and easier since that incident.

 

[Van Stank]

You hit it right on the head weaselcracker! I wasn’t planning on elaborating more, so if you want me to cut it out Stank, just say the word and I will zip it! But this is exactly the case. The muscles crying out in pain are the victims, being pulled on, stretched beyond capacity for long periods of time and then strained. Shoulder blades are a problem child for so many people because they are held in place by muscles, and not truly connected to other main bones of the body. It is also a very mobile, as needed for movement. Because of this, it is very easy for one shortened muscle to pull it to one direction and cause muscles in its opposing sides to be stretched and thus overworked.

Often what is painful are the overstretched muscles, people rub them and it gets relief, but the pain will come back again because the muscle that is shortened has not been addressed yet.

So here’s the answer - stretch what is shortened and strengthen what is long. Hopefully that makes sense.
Here’s an example, one I deal with personally:

If the muscle near the bottom of the scapula (shoulder blade) is shortened (shown in red) it will rotate the entire scapula in a counter-clockwise direction. The areas circled in green is where you will feel the most pain, because that area is now being stretched and overworked in that stretched position. People will massage that area because that’s where it hurts, and while that is helpful to reduce pain, the real issue that still needs to be addressed is that shortened muscle in red. Until that gets attention, the cycle will repeat itself.

This is one example of the many directions the scapula can be pulled, and cause pain. Yoga is a solid approach because it stretches and strengthens because of the slow, holding of each position. It is also good because it can be modified for things like sore wrists, bad knee, etc.

I’ll go ahead and stop myself here, because I will talk about this stuff all day if anyone lets me. Lol. I hope that helps and I’m happy to answer any questions here, or in my thread too!

One last bit of information, if you are attempting to find a muscle that is shortened - it will be tender to pressure and uncomfortable when pressed on.
When a muscle is sore from being over stretched, you feel relief when someone presses it “hurts so good”. A shortened muscle will feel like it’s being attacked and you want to say “stop, stop! It hurts” even at a very light pressure.
Lol, this seems silly to explain this way, but it’s the best advice I can give for someone trying to address problem issues without me being able to be there.

Thank you very much for these! I will likely need to read and reread these several times to soak it in but I can tell you that I hurt in all those places that you have arrows. I've started adding a lot more thoracic stretches into my routine and things seem to be getting better. I do have a lacrosse ball that I use for working out some of the more stubborn knots as it seems to work better than a tennis ball or racquet ball. Great info and please don't hesitate to share. Seems like the few times I have tried researching stuff related to my issues and I get frustrated with what I come across. Next stop.....YODA.....err....I mean YOGA! Though watching Star Wars sounds much more like my speed when compared to twisting myself into a pretzel.

 

[Stunger]

I am sure that I probably am. My dad swears by that stuff. I have been having more issues with cramping since an incident a couple years ago. We were going out to visit my dad for his 80th birthday and I was trying to get all my work on the outdoor garden done, the fence up, the irrigation system installed and I was working crazy hard for about a week. The night before the flight I worked until like 11pm and we drove to a hotel near the air port because we had a 6am flight and we live an hour and some change from the airport. We only slept for like 3 hours before having to get up to make our flight but when I woke up, I sat in the hotel chair and all of a sudden my hamstrings just locked up. HOLY SHIT did I scream. Ms Stank didn't know what the hell was wrong with me. I was flopping and rolling on the bed trying to get the squeezing to stop. Not a fun experience. I don't know what I did to myself but my muscles knot up and cramp up much faster and easier since that incident.

I reckon you'd see relief with some Magnesium, whether powder, capsules or spray. Getting muscle cramps is a symptom of being deficient in it. I once had a hellish car drive where bad road works made an easy trip into a 5.5 hour crawl, my pedal leg started cramping really bad, man it was awful. Since then before a long drive I try to remind myself to have a dose of Magnesium the night before, plus it also seems to help you get a more relaxed sleep. I am also all for the great suggestions of @Heavenly Hybrid , but for the laziest stop gap remedy of all, I'd say just pop a magnesium dose, as from your cramping it does sound like you'd benefit from it.

 

[Heavenly Hybrid]

I will likely need to read and reread these several times to soak it in but I can tell you that I hurt in all those places that you have arrows.

Honestly, it’s one of the most complex bone/muscle groups to wrap your head around and confusing af. The real take away is just that what is hurting is not usually the actual cause of the pain. You gotta search around the other sides of the shoulder blade to try to find the root of the problem.

Seems like the few times I have tried researching stuff related to my issues and I get frustrated with what I come across.

I will always try my best to help and give any answers I can, if you have a question. Pain friggin sucks and I just hope to help at least a little.

I fell off it currently, but for a while I was taking Mg supplements every day. It’s not only good for the muscles, but also highly used in hormone production, which controls just about everything in the body. So on that note, I’m gonna start taking it again! Thanks for bringing that up Stunger!

 

[Stunger]

I fell off it currently, but for a while I was taking Mg supplements every day. It’s not only good for the muscles, but also highly used in hormone production, which controls just about everything in the body. So on that note, I’m gonna start taking it again!

Thanks HH, I am not saying this as an expert, just on what I've taken in.

But my understanding aside from muscle cramps, is that Magnesium is very important for the immune system, and given that we are living in Covid times there is some extra relevance to this.

When the body is low in Magnesium levels, not only is muscle cramping a likelihood, but low Magnesium levels can lead to a cytokine storm where the body attacks its own cells and tissues instead of fighting the infection. This can create inflammation, cell and tissue damage, narrowed blood vessels and blood clots. As I understand it a big percentage of folk who did poorly from Covid have had Vitamin D and Magnesium levels that were considered too low.

All I know is I feel better taking Magnesium regularly (every few days or so) as now I no longer get sudden crippling muscle cramps in my legs, and if they tell me it is also better for fighting infections then it seems win/win to take it. Remember, we have got to look after ourselves as well as we do for our plants! Otherwise, who the hells going to take care of them, so if nothing else, don't be cruel do it for your garden!

 

[Ozarkian]

Hey stank and ms. Hope all is well with the back issues.

 

[420]

Please pardon the intrusion, maybe you and/or your followers might be interested

420 Magazine's Official Girl Scout Cookies Comparative Grow

Join 420 Magazine's Official Girl Scout Cookies Comparative Grow: Sponsored by Weed Seeds Express Selected cultivators will receive 10 Feminized GSC seeds from @Weed Seeds Express to start a complete grow journal documenting it from seed to harvest. All applicants must be with us for at least...

www.420magazine.com

If so, please apply in the comparative grow thread, as I won't be responding to replies here

 

[Ozarkian]

Hope all is well in Stankville. Your back must really have you down. Sending many good back vibes your way. I mixed up a double batch of the "stank sauce, soil recipe.," yesterday. My back sure is feeling it today. 60 day countdown is on.... hope to see you back soon.

 

[Van Stank]

Hey all.....sorry for the silence. It was a combo of a few things but we are hoping that the break did a little to recharge the batteries.

We went full on trim prison for a bit. Knocked out 12 plants with a couple still hanging so there is a little bit more work.

Then there was the addition of the warmer weather and spring clean up work to do here on the farm. Lots and lots of leaves and downed trees to get rid of once the snow and ice finally melted. The combo of the harvests and the work definitely took their toll on my neck and back area. That lead me to just need to take a week or two off of everything and try to recover some before the work load really picks up. I think I was just burnt out.

Aside from being burnt out and worn down, things are going really well grow wise. I know I didn't post anything for about a month, but I did take a lot of pics that hopefully I will get to post. We just recently chopped down the little 1 gallon Gelato that I ran to see if I could get to harvest in a 1 gallon pot....which went surprisingly well. No weight on it yet as its hanging on the drying rack right now, but needless to say its very doable to grow in a 1 gallon pot in organic soil doing water only. The downfall to her was that she did pick up a little bit of powdery mildew right near the end (she got it from a Blue Dream than picked it up the last few weeks of flower. PM Is something I seem to deal with at the end of the winter grow season for some reason. I was spraying her with H2O2 to keep it at bay, but I didn't get to do it the last 2-3 days before harvest and you can see that it really started to take over down on the lowers. All the plants with any signs of PM will be made into topicals or canna capsules. I am guessing that there is about an ounce to be harvested from the little Gelato.

20210409_130652.jpg

• Van Stank
• Apr 13, 2021

20210409_130631.jpg

• Van Stank
• Apr 13, 2021

I did a massive cleaning of the tents and actually shut down one flower tent and one veg tent for a bit. They will likely get turned back on in a few weeks when I start ramping up for the summer outdoor grow.

I will be trying to get around and catch up on all your journals that I follow! Hope everyone is enjoying their spring!

 

[InTheShed]

Glad your feeling well enough to drop some info and pic here Van!

We went full on trim prison for a bit. Knocked out 12 plants with a couple still hanging so there is a little bit more work.

Holy cow! That's like maximum security.

1 gallon pot....which went surprisingly well. No weight on it yet as its hanging on the drying rack right now, but needless to say its very doable to grow in a 1 gallon pot in organic soil doing water only.

Nice job in that little pot! Proof of concept for the win.

The downfall to her was that she did pick up a little bit of powdery mildew right near the end (she got it from a Blue Dream than picked it up the last few weeks of flower. PM Is something I seem to deal with at the end of the winter grow season for some reason. I was spraying her with H2O2 to keep it at bay, but I didn't get to do it the last 2-3 days before harvest and you can see that it really started to take over down on the lowers.

I didn't get the effect I wanted with straight 3% H2O2 so I came up with a 1% citric acid spray, which does a much better job than anything else I've tried (milk, foliar silica, aspirin, more I can't remember!).

I use it in full flower and it has no negative effect on the pistils or the buds, and it washes right off after harvest.

My recipe is:
500ml distilled water
5g food grade citric acid
8-12 pipette drops of dish soap
Shake well to mix.
(Scale up or down as needed)

I spray everything tops and bottoms and stems. I even pull the buds away from the stems to get where the PM hides.

I'd recommend turning the fans off for an hour to let the stuff work before it evaporates.

 

[Ozarkian]

Hey all.....sorry for the silence. It was a combo of a few things but we are hoping that the break did a little to recharge the batteries.

We went full on trim prison for a bit. Knocked out 12 plants with a couple still hanging so there is a little bit more work.

Then there was the addition of the warmer weather and spring clean up work to do here on the farm. Lots and lots of leaves and downed trees to get rid of once the snow and ice finally melted. The combo of the harvests and the work definitely took their toll on my neck and back area. That lead me to just need to take a week or two off of everything and try to recover some before the work load really picks up. I think I was just burnt out.

Aside from being burnt out and worn down, things are going really well grow wise. I know I didn't post anything for about a month, but I did take a lot of pics that hopefully I will get to post. We just recently chopped down the little 1 gallon Gelato that I ran to see if I could get to harvest in a 1 gallon pot....which went surprisingly well. No weight on it yet as its hanging on the drying rack right now, but needless to say its very doable to grow in a 1 gallon pot in organic soil doing water only. The downfall to her was that she did pick up a little bit of powdery mildew right near the end (she got it from a Blue Dream than picked it up the last few weeks of flower. PM Is something I seem to deal with at the end of the winter grow season for some reason. I was spraying her with H2O2 to keep it at bay, but I didn't get to do it the last 2-3 days before harvest and you can see that it really started to take over down on the lowers. All the plants with any signs of PM will be made into topicals or canna capsules. I am guessing that there is about an ounce to be harvested from the little Gelato.

20210409_130652.jpg

• Van Stank
• Apr 13, 2021

20210409_130631.jpg

• Van Stank
• Apr 13, 2021

I did a massive cleaning of the tents and actually shut down one flower tent and one veg tent for a bit. They will likely get turned back on in a few weeks when I start ramping up for the summer outdoor grow.

I will be trying to get around and catch up on all your journals that I follow! Hope everyone is enjoying their spring!

Good to see you back in the swing of things. Hopefully the back issues will hold up thru spring.

 

[Azimuth]

We just recently chopped down the little 1 gallon Gelato that I ran to see if I could get to harvest in a 1 gallon pot....which went surprisingly well. No weight on it yet as its hanging on the drying rack right now, but needless to say its very doable to grow in a 1 gallon pot in organic soil doing water only.

Thanks, Stank for taking on the challenge! Good to know it's doable.

Of course your skills, knowledge and great soil all came together, but still, it gives a small grower some hope.

 

[Bode]

Highya VS,

Sorry for all the pain! We can 't escape that if we're doing things! But we still carry on!! Hope you don't have to "over do it" again for a while!! Cannabis must dull the pain a great deal!! Oh, do you have any cannabis pain cream? Does wonders for my knees and shoulders. Happy Smokin'

 

[dynamo1]

Good to see ya

 

[Kismet]

Hey just popping again missed you and your baby girls. Hoping all is well in Stanksville.

 

[Rider509]

Good to see another familiar face is still fighting the good fight. Sucks getting older, right? But it beats the hell out of the alternative.

 

[StoneOtter]

Hey Van, I'm glad to see you're back! But gone again now sadly. I'm in the same boat with the spine thing brother. That explains my absence from your journal for spurts of time. Only so much gas in the tank. Seeing your work makes me smile. Always something new and beautiful going on. Keep rockin it!

I have a few in one gal pots flowering with @GeoFlora Nutrients now. So far the test is going good for a small plant. I wanted to breed in the one gals so I gave it a try. LOS to veg and geoflora in flower. More breeding with your Stankberry v.Muffin going on! What a plant that one is!
Be weller friend!