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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Injury: Where y@?*

Time to add to my injury timeline! Where we last left off, my PT rediscovered my scoliosis, prompting a whole new list of exercises that left me first totally lame, and then remarkably better. 
For a day. Or like 8 hours.
Then I relapsed - in fact, I had so much pain at one point that I couldn't sleep, and I can sleep through a hurricane. True story.
Well, I'm creeping back slightly now. I didn't workout at all during the hurricane (too awkward with the no-power, the staying at peoples'  houses, the traveling), but once we got to Atlanta for the weekend I got in a hilly run Sunday morning. I was enjoying the much cooler weather and feeling a strong sense of déjà vu - until I realized that I was actually running a portion of the Publix marathon course!
I think uphills can be easy on joints, because the loop I ran was mainly uphill and I felt almost ok afterward. Of course, there was swelling and pain, but not crippling. And right now. just standing is painful so no biggie, right?
Then Monday I actually joined the track group for a workout. Boy, am I out of shape! I ran to the track, did their warmup, then started the workout. It was 10x(300meter at mile pace, 100 meter jog), then a 400 meter jog, then 800 at mile pace. I started with the 6-min mile group and should have sailed easily through the exercise, but actually I was winded two laps in! I started to get back into it by my 3rd lap, but by lap five I was feeling mild pain. I knew I still had to run back home (a mile) and I didn't want to push it, so I quit early and jogged home.
That was the right choice, because this morning I did not wake up in pain.

I think I am making slow headway, and it's partially because I've made a few changes to my routine:
- My PTs did not recommend any core work, but I read many anecdotes in which core work really helped. I tend to agree with this, because one thing I dropped last winter (when I got injured) was core work. So I added in some transverse abdominus work.
- I've been alternating heat and cold on the site. I made a heating pad out of a sock filled with oatmeal. I microwave it and put it in my lap while I eat or type, then swap it for ice.
- New rule: if it hurts, don't do it. Period. This means some of my PT exercises, too.
- No running two days in a row (I did Sunday and Monday, but it was early Sunday morning and late Monday night).
- Avoid popping the joint. I know this is probably revolting, but my pelvis now pops, and sometimes I just can't resist it. But that can't be good for it, right?

So that's my status and my plan. Any other advice? Pile it on, people!

* It's a NOLA thing.

8 comments:

  1. I hope you get better soon. Being injured is the worst. I have a similar heat pack, but use rice.

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  2. No advice, though your ice/heat treatment reminds me that I meant to fill a baggie with ice and forgot. My achilles tendonitis is coming back, and surprisingly, my strategy of ignoring it isn't fixing the problem.

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  3. I'm glad you are making progress, even if it's slow. And I totally agree with doing PT only if it feels good. I skip many yoga positions for this reason.

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  4. Ahhh, hate hearing about you injured Gracie. Been thinking of you. Glad you're making progress. I hope it only continues to get better...sounds like you're being smart about this!

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  5. I used to alternate between heat pad and ice pack then one day I just eliminated the heat completely, that's one piece of my adductor injury timeline that I can say it seems I turned a corner for the positive. I think the heat, although it felt good during, caused an inflammatory response that, however small, kept my injury from healing. As far the popping, I meant to ask my ortho that same question. Mine pops too on its own, but also it pops during ART sometimes w my chiro and he's never alarmed by it so it must be ok right? Sometimes it def feels like a joint popping and other times it feels like a suction-cup kind of pop (best analogy I can think of) which I think is scar tissue releasing. Glad to hear you are approaching even PT exercises w an avoid if painful attitude, more people should!

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  6. looks like you have a better plan now. PT exercises at first were not doing anything for me but now i see some results..
    I actually ran hood to coast with very little pain...I started using the tiger tail stick also for my groin...works a lot better than the foam roller..

    I see there is a race on your calendar now!!!

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  7. Well I am glad you have been able to do some running somewhat pain free. But wow, this injury just really really sucks. I hope that you are back to 100% soon!

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