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Mon 30 Oct, 2017 11:05 am
Drs.
I had a situation that I would like to know if I should be concerned about. I am a very healthy 51 year old man. Excellent diet, vitals, exercise history, etc. I’m 6-1 and 192#. Great blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and resting pulse rate. No known health issues.
My question arises from a highly strenuous hike that I had to do on Saturday. I had a heavy (approximately 80#) pack that I needed to bring out of a mountainous location 3.4 miles, all above 8000 ft. The problem was that the pack wasn’t a good choice for the situation but I didn’t want to go out and come back in with the right one. So I took it out on the poor pack which doug into my shoulders cutting off circulation to my arms. My arms would go numb and I would loose grip strength. I found myself sweating well beyond what I would think to be normal based on my experience in this arena. I have done similar trips numerous times in the past. Moreover, I know my heart rate went very high, 160+, as I became increasingly dehydrated as I ran out of water for the last mile and a half. When I got back to the pickup I was so dehydrated that I couldn’t keep water down. I adjusted my intake and rehydrated over the next 8-10 hours. Everything was back to normal the next morning and I returned for a second load the next day, this time only a mile and a half, with the right pack. Similar load, no shoulder pressure, and no circulation restrictions, uneventful hike.
While I certainly plan on not finding myself in a similar situation again, my question is should I be concerned if I do? Namely, does severely restricted bloodflow to extremities for extended periods while dehydrated pose a health risk? I was never short of breath, nor did I have any chest pains or the like. I was highly fatigued and my legs were cramping the final 1/4 mile down a steep slope.
Thank you in advance for your time and help.
Dave
How do you know the bad pack straps digging into your shoulders caused your discomfort? Where specifically were the pressure points?