Injuries update (good news!)

[OakLeaf]

I've been posting some about my progress in other sections/threads, but just to pull it all together ...

Had some moderate progress with the cranial osteopathy and sports medicine acupuncture. Still love my DOM who's an all-around sports medicine guy and has really helped me through a bunch of stuff.

But no one was really getting to the bottom of how twisted and out of whack my shoulders and back have been. They'd fix a little something but not the underlying issues, and by the next treatment it would be almost back to where it was. It was just incredibly uncomfortable, and the numbness was frightening - although all along I've had very little motor nerve involvement, all along I've been aware that the motor nerves run right alongside the sensory nerves, and where there's paresthesia, paresis could happen too.

So then last month, by chance, I ran into my old LMT at the natural food store. He was actually the first person I'd called when I got hurt, but I couldn't reach him on several attempts, and no one else I knew could get hold of him either. As it turns out, he'd been in a bad accident himself and couldn't do massages for months, but he's back at work now, so I made an appointment.

And in five minutes on the table, literally, he is telling ME things about my body that I'd been trying to get a total of nine different practitioners to understand for nearly a year. "It's like your front and your back are having a war with each other," he said. No kidding, and I was in the middle! After that first massage I got up from the table already feeling half an inch taller, and I spent the next three days just completely exhausted, he'd broken up so many adhesions. I just wanted to cry, and dance, and hug him, all at the same time.

Four treatments down the road, I still have a long way to go, but I'm so much better it's not even funny. He's getting down into some of the really deep muscles. I have hope of getting all this completely resolved before much longer. And it's bringing up a lot of conflicting feelings - overwhelming gratitude and joy, for absolute sure, but also sadness for the months I've lost that I didn't really dare to feel before now, and plenty of anger at the practitioners who wasted so much of my time, money, energy and precious health, when they were the ones who are supposed to know how muscles, bones and fascia function or dysfunction together.

So yay.

I was able to pick back up running in the fall. Six days to Boston, and with all the training time I lost, I'm not going to have the race I would've wanted when I qualified, but I'm plenty grateful to be able to run at all.

The bike kind of went by the wayside even when I've been in the flatlands, but there have been other reasons besides physical for leaving it on the wall. Staying off the moto has been all physical, but I'm even hoping to try a little putt when we get home.

All y'all, if you have a really good health care practitioner, cherish them with all your heart. I can't understand why there are so few of them, but I am just grateful to the entire universe for putting David back in my path that day.

[Catrin]

So glad to read of the improvement!

Added: Your news was so good that it makes me want to come visit your practitioner! Not that my PT wasn't good, but there was only so much he could do. My shoulder has improved but I may just have to accept that it will never be the same again, or as strong as my other arm. It does, however, feel much better. Now I just need to remember to keep up with the exercises he gave me - especially as I ramp up my riding.

The news that you are running again made me smile, I know how much you love to run! The riding will come as it will

[murielalex]

I like reading this! So happy for you!

I've been equally encouraged after finally getting a good physical therapist (I've had many). He's killing me right now, but not only do I feel that I can recover fully from my injury, despite having the degenerative limitations I had prior, but he's addressing things I didn't even know were the problem (hip issues) that are helping with a foot problem (severe pronation) I'd spent literally a few thousand dollars on over the years with docs. The improvement in just a few weeks has been dramatic for me. I'm both furious with my former docs and thrilled I'm finally getting a seemingly easy fix.

[redrhodie]

Great news! I'm so glad you ran into your mt. That's pretty lucky.

Have a good race tomorrow Oak! Use your visualization. Do your best, within reason! I think the weather is supposed to be good.