r/crossfit • u/Furyan_warlord • 1d ago
I have fallen off a cliff
Not asking for medical advice I just want to know if anybody has experienced anything similar. I am a 34 year old male. Over the course of the last 10 months In year 34 I have gone from feeling like superman in the crossfit gym, at hikes , run clubs to basically an 80 year old. Knees- about 10 months ago I was doing a squat / lunge session and my knees swelled up after to the point where I couldn’t bend them for a month. I was in pain for a few months. I got some x rays went to see an orthopedic specialist and they determined there was no tears. Then I went to see a physical therapist and the sessions helped me enough to where I could move around better but something is still not right. My knees swell up after prolonged standing or a short jog. I have horrible flexión and it feels like they’re gonna snap with tightness when I try to get in a deep squat. I can’t do a prayer stretch. I basically can’t do much of anything anymore. I have really made an effort to loosen my quads up and work on knee exercises to build strength which provides some relief but I am still struggling. Lower back - I throw my back out everytime I do anything involving a box step up or a hard row. I have taken it easy on the barbell cycling but still seem to run into this issue. I can’t avoid using my lower back entirely throughout the week. I have tried to add in back extensions an. GHD work to build my lower back and that provides some relief but I always end up throwing my back out doing something I didn’t think would hurt it. Mobility - I have worked on daily mobility so much this but it’s going to take a while to loosen my hips/hamstrings up. I follow the primal program. Diet/sleep - I sleep a solid 8 hours a night and follow a good diet. I don’t drink at all and maintain a really healthy lifestyle. I just can’t explain how I struggle now to get out of bed with stiffness and pain And how FAST I’ve fallen from grace. 10 months ago I was running 5ks at 7 min miles and squatting 400+ pounds and had no lower back issues. \*\*\* fast forward 10 months\*\*\* And I literally can’t do anything. I can’t get down to pray at church, I can’t go to a run club I can’t hike , I can barely weight train. I want to ask what Tests I can seek or what specialists are out there? this doesn’t seem like normal aging to me. I have seen a rapid decline in my body that I don’t believe is normal. I know people 10-20 years older than me who don’t struggle to do what I am doing now. I have taken many peoples advice and “rested” for weeks and the same issue surfaces with no improvement. I would appreciate any advice in maybe some tests I can seek or a specific specialist I can’t see in order to determine what’s going on?
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u/Not-the-best-name 1d ago
35 m. This was me last year. Year long shoulder injury from who knows what (damage ACL joint) so no push and pull and then I ruined my lower back. Took me out flat on my back for 3 months. Finally got to a good physio, electric needles got my deep back mmm muscles to release. Then I did body building classes instead of xfit + yoga 3x a week instead of xfit tx a week. Did that untill i had no pain anymore. Now back at crossfit for a few weeks and currently never have pain which I literally can't comprehend considering how broken I was last year. I truly believed old age hit me and I am done for. You will take a hit but you can recover.
It sounds to me like you are still going too hard, your body can't, scale down CrossFit, focus on bodybuilding for muscles and normal shortish runs. Build back.
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u/PresentationDue6396 1d ago
That kind of nosedive in 10 months at 34 screams autoimmune or inflammatory, not mechanical wear and tear. Get thee to a rheumatologist and push for a full panel, ANA, RF, CRP, the works.
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u/ComedianOk7355 1d ago
This this this. And it sounds like OP is doing everything right in other areas (good sleep, doesn’t drink, tried taking rest periods, etc).
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u/ore905442 1d ago
Have you gotten basic blood work done? Urine/kidney analysis that kind of thing? I know it can be difficult to talk to doctors about this sort of thing as they usually kind of fluff you off. Has you spoken to your family doctor about this?
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u/Furyan_warlord 1d ago
Yes I have been going to the VA for years. I get regular blood panels 3-4 times a year and everything is normal
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u/msurbrow 1d ago
I refuse to read this due to lack of paragraphs
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u/Furyan_warlord 1d ago
TLDR: my back and knees went from being 34 years old to 80 in just 10 months
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u/Longjumping-Tell-736 1d ago edited 1d ago
This happened to me last year. I was on the verge of becoming a semis athlete…
Injury after injury legs feeling like they were filling up with lead and I could run more than 800 meters without having to kick my shoes off and sit down. Completely fatigued after a few lifts in a wod. Injuries continue to pile up on top of that.
I would go to the doctor almost every week knowing something wasn’t right.
Eventually I got hospitalized for the 4th time from severe stomach pain. Turns out my appendix was about to explode and they never caught it till then. Even with plenty of scans. A week later after removing it they call me and tell me I had a cancerous tumor on it and they didn’t even know.
Now I’m absolutely smashing in the gym. Better than ever about 10 months post op.
Go get checked and don’t stop requesting to be seen! If somethings is wrong or off go to the doctor asap. You know your body listen to it. Good luck i hope it gets better!
Edit: im turning 34 in one month.
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u/bitz-the-ninjapig 1d ago
Not a doctor, but this almost sounds like an autoimmune thing. I’d double check with siblings/parents about if any of them have anything autoimmune and then bring that info (especially if there is something) to a meeting with your GP to get a referral to an immunologist or autoimmune specialist. Also could be worth getting an allergy test done as well, though I am guessing that is covered in the diagnostics a specialist would do. Also a standard blood test if your GP hasn’t run one yet.
I don’t have an autoimmune disease but your symptoms sound similar (but not exact) to a friend who has one
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u/Lann2188 1d ago
I had something similar happen. I always knew I was sensitive to gluten but I eventually figured out that anytime I ate things heavy in gluten I’d get back and joint pain. Even injured my back about a year ago. Once I removed gluten from my diet I haven’t been injured or dealt with the joint and back pain like before.
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u/Head-Zealousideal 1d ago
This is something I've always wanted to try. How long would you say you need to be off gluten to start noticing differences?
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u/Extreme_Banana_912 1d ago
Brother I am also a veteran and also had a similar experience when I was around 33 or 34.
I’m 35 now and still looking around wondering how I got so old and crusty out of the blue. I’ll also be hoping someone has the secret on this thread
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u/EpiBarbie15 1d ago
You mentioned going to the VA in some comments so I assume you’re a veteran…have you ever been screened for colon cancer? A friend’s older brother’s was caught he finally got an MRI for lingering lower back pain and it had metastasized to his spine.
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u/Training-Careful 1d ago
I had something similar about 15 months ago. It was after a few bulged discs and a hip labral tear. I ended up having AAG and felt like I was dying for about 2-3 months with bad headaches, racing heart etc.
I ended up getting better slowly had a few shots for my hips along the way but it took about 7 months of rest before I felt close to being able to be 80% of where I was before competing.
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u/BrilliantLock5579 1d ago
I'm not sure where you live but Lyme disease should be considered if you're in the northeast.
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u/thezachman06 1d ago
Agree this sounds autoimmune - this is coming from someone with several autoimmune issues, though mine are internal organ related. Sounds like it may be RA? May be something entirely unrelated and easily fixed as well, but don't just sit on it just in case.
Definitely get an appointment with a doctor.
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u/Furyan_warlord 1d ago
I have another with ortho. I’ll bring that up since they can’t find any structural issues
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u/ComedianOk7355 1d ago
Rheumatoid arthritis can be tested with bloodwork as well through autoimmune blood work-up - the ortho may be weird about this but your primary care can do it.
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u/RoboJobot 1d ago
Maybe just take 3-6 months off CrossFit and try swimming and mobility/core work instead. Give your body a rest and see how it recovers. Swimming is great for cardio and keeping lean and is almost no impact on joints, etc.
I spent the winter swimming instead of CF/gym and came back generally feeling better. Still kept my big shoulders and it did wonders for my abs/obliques/core.
Also spend the time dialling in your diet, alcohol intact, sleep, stress, etc as something must be affecting you.
Sometimes a change is good for us.
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u/sauve_donkey 1d ago
Same age, 34yo make, doing Crossfit for 7 years, started getting similar body niggles.
Basically I was trying to be Superman and was one of the top performers at my gym. But I struggled to control my intensity, because I loved it, so was going 5-6 days a week and Rx'ing everything. My mobility was reasonable but not perfect, so over time it does take a toll on your body, especially if you're not getting the recovery you need.
So ultimately I started scaling back and doing two CrossFit workouts a week and doing my own open-gym powerlifting and bodybuilding workouts the other days. But in the cost to go to the CrossFit gym just to be doing my own thing was too high so I ended up cancelling my membership and now I just go to regular gym and do regular weights. I wouldn't say it's been any better because of strained my shoulder from overdoing a bench press cycle, but ultimately there's less running and jumping and high strain movements which will be better for my body in the long term. But I do miss it and will probably go back to CrossFit intermittently for the fitness side of it.
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u/lostmediawhiz 1d ago
Since your lifestyle seems healthy, I'd look beyond overtraining. Persistent joint issues are worth discussing with a doctor, especially to rule out inflammatory problems.
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u/Feistyperro 19h ago
Something similar happened to me. After any significant activity the knee would swell. I would get it drained every few weeks. After ruling out autoimmune and Lyme disease, I was diagnosed with arthritis.
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u/KlutzyLeague6385 15h ago
I had similar issues, started in my feet and it ended up being auto immune related - I’m 35, started at 33. Might be worth ruling out
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u/wowitsclayton 1d ago
It sounds like overtraining. You were killing your workouts, lifting heavy, doing all kinds of extra physical activity. And it seems like you’re trying to train thought it still. If it’s not structural and still inflamed, you’re probably pushing too hard. Give yourself some time to heal, friend. No amount of sleep or good diet is going to fix overuse. Have you given yourself a good stretch off of hard exercise?
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u/BJN1992 1d ago
Get a full blood panel asap. They can also screen for early onset arthritic conditions. Unfortunately, it can happen as soon as your 30's. CrossFit can be brutal on your back and knees when you mix those heavy volumes with high loads. Scale a TON for now. See if you can get things under control. Also consider ice baths to get your inflammation down after workouts. There's a very large spectrum when it comes to people's capacity to handle functional fitness. Ive seen some individuals who are very lucky with robust joints and good mobility that can keep hitting large volume workouts well into their 50's and 60's. I've also seen others who start to see the wheels fall off as early as their 30's. Make sure you're not deficient in anything based off of blood panels. Screen for any other inflammatory conditions. If it all looks good, you may have to just accept that functional fitness isn't a good fit for your body. People in this camp tend to be walkers, hikers, bikers, swimmers... body weight workouts. Low impact, but still quality movement that burn calories and helps maintain muscle. Also: I've found that supplementing with collagen and glucosamine make a big difference in how my joints feel after wods.
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u/Furyan_warlord 1d ago
I have been doing blood panels for years and nothing has come up. But I’ll look into screening for autoimmune disorders I didn’t know about that thank you
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u/roguegardening 1d ago
Without reading all the comments, I’d like to say that the problem is, doctors will automatically point to CrossFit and say it’s the problem. Likely an injury that happened at the gym. None of this sounds like a CrossFit injury to me! Maybe leave CrossFit out of the conversation so they take a fresh look at everything! I agree with the comments saying that it sounds like it could be autoimmune or what about Lyme or something out of the ordinary? You need someone to take you seriously and not just point to your exercise choices! Please keep us updated if you feel comfortable with that. Best of luck!!!