Well....as of today, I've completed the 'prescribed' total of 8 months of weekly hydrotherapy. Unfortunately there was no miraculous 'getting better' or even a sense of 'now that's done my muscles and joints will function healthily'. Shame it doesn't work like that, lol.
The RHS groin/front of hip strain/tightness (whatever it is!) was still around and I suspect that any kind of use of the hip aggravates it. I didn't do any walking backwards/forwards in the pool but I did do a few minutes of flutter kicks on my back which felt good. I probably pushed it too far and I guess my hips will complain but I was really struggling to stop myself from 'letting rip' today. Sometimes the urge to get some decent exercise is hard to resist even if it does mean I strain a few muscles in the process. I cannot wait until I can actually do some hard graft cardio exercise!
My left shoulder was pretty sore after physio yesterday. I knew it would be. She wanted to feel what was happening in the joint at the ends of the restricted range of motion. It was excruciatingly painful. At one point I jumped so much from the sudden pain that she practically had to scrape me off the ceiling! Anyways, the new exercise now is one where I'm mobilising the joint myself. You basically stick a small rolled up towel under the armpit and then pull the arm across your body thus levering it 'out of' the joint. Mmmm....
My LHS lower back was very tight/achy yesterday and walking produced pain in the left hip stabiliser. Oh for the day when something actually gets better, lol!
I've decided I will carry on the pool work for another 4 months and then assess injuries/pain/progress.
Wednesday 25 November 2009
Wednesday 18 November 2009
Groin strains still around
Back at the pool this morning. I can't really tell whether the exercises aggravate the RHS groin strain or not but I did the usual set. I avoided the walking backwards/forwards through the water because that seems to put the most stress on the hip connections at the front. When I came out both groins/front of hips were tight/painful but my LHS lower back and left outer hip were doing ok. No significant tightness, which was nice.
My shoulders/arms coped fairly well but I didn't overdo it. They were both twingey whilst showering afterwards.
Once home, I went to get my hot-water-bottle to put on my lower back/hips and discovered it had burst on my bedroom floor....D'Oh. Sodden wet carpet and underlay which wasn't smelling too pleasant, lol.
My shoulders/arms coped fairly well but I didn't overdo it. They were both twingey whilst showering afterwards.
Once home, I went to get my hot-water-bottle to put on my lower back/hips and discovered it had burst on my bedroom floor....D'Oh. Sodden wet carpet and underlay which wasn't smelling too pleasant, lol.
Friday 13 November 2009
A really bad day...
Having a really bad day. Excruciating pain in some muscle or other attached to my 'sitting bones' woke me up this morning. I turned over, went back to sleep and it occurred in the opposite side, again waking me up from dreams in which my leg was being amputated and I was crying in pain!
Both shoulder/scapular/arm muscles are stinging with knots and strains. I've got stinging strains on my ribs. I've still got the groin strains and a painful stinging knot deep in the LHS glutes which I have to be careful not to catch when I sit down. And to top it all, I went to my pottery class this afternoon and I couldn't knead the clay because it hurt my shoulders/ribs too much.
....couldn't hold back the tears any longer. I am just so fed up with the recurring injuries, the constant pain, the lack of appreciable progress, the limitations that all of this places on my life, the total lack of NHS provision to treat severe deconditioning, the fact that no-one seems to think about actually treating the tight, spastic muscles in a way that leads to their return to health! I cannot understand why my obvious rotator cuff 'spasticity' (i.e. it's locked solid in spasm, I think) isn't addressed?! Found this info on the net, which makes me even more worried that I could end up with chronic muscle pain/injuries unless someone actually helps me recondition the soft tissues properly. My glutes and LHS lower back are, as ever, a big concern. They are forever going into tight spasm and I don't think that's going to resolve on its own. Someone actually has to treat the muscles to enable them to heal and function properly.
*sigh*
Just one of those days where I feel overwhelmed by everything, can't stop bursting into tears and wish someone would tell me what I can do to make things better.....I feel powerless and as though there's nothing anyone can or will do to help me. I'm scared my right shoulder is going the same way as my left and I don't know how to prevent it or treat it.
Both shoulder/scapular/arm muscles are stinging with knots and strains. I've got stinging strains on my ribs. I've still got the groin strains and a painful stinging knot deep in the LHS glutes which I have to be careful not to catch when I sit down. And to top it all, I went to my pottery class this afternoon and I couldn't knead the clay because it hurt my shoulders/ribs too much.
....couldn't hold back the tears any longer. I am just so fed up with the recurring injuries, the constant pain, the lack of appreciable progress, the limitations that all of this places on my life, the total lack of NHS provision to treat severe deconditioning, the fact that no-one seems to think about actually treating the tight, spastic muscles in a way that leads to their return to health! I cannot understand why my obvious rotator cuff 'spasticity' (i.e. it's locked solid in spasm, I think) isn't addressed?! Found this info on the net, which makes me even more worried that I could end up with chronic muscle pain/injuries unless someone actually helps me recondition the soft tissues properly. My glutes and LHS lower back are, as ever, a big concern. They are forever going into tight spasm and I don't think that's going to resolve on its own. Someone actually has to treat the muscles to enable them to heal and function properly.
*sigh*
Just one of those days where I feel overwhelmed by everything, can't stop bursting into tears and wish someone would tell me what I can do to make things better.....I feel powerless and as though there's nothing anyone can or will do to help me. I'm scared my right shoulder is going the same way as my left and I don't know how to prevent it or treat it.
Wednesday 11 November 2009
Another week
I had to take it easy in the pool today unfortunately. The recurring RHS groin/front of hip strain is back after I did 27 mins on the exercise bike on Sunday. It defies belief that I can strain something whilst exerting so little effort but there we go! My left shoulder is fairly static - no real improvement and I have to be ultra careful not to aggravate it by doing anything that causes pain. My right shoulder is now chronically painful when I lift the arm. I'm hoping that will eventually settle if I take care of it a little.
I've turned down the offer of help from the instructor at the sports centre. My shoulders aren't ready for swimming yet.
One nice thing from today was that I saw a lady at the pool who had the same build as me - everything long and slender. However, she looked strong and obviously had stable, mobile joints and I essentially got to see what I'm aiming for. It's strange how distorted ones perception of what's 'normal' can become when you're surrounded by people with very different body-types to you. I had visions of big, pronounced muscles but, in fact, my body won't ever be capable of developing those. I will always have long, slender muscles, however developed they become. It helped me to realise that being 'tall and skinny' doesn't mean you look weak and feeble (as I witnessed in this lady today - she looked very strong and athletic). It made me feel better about myself - more accepting of my physical make-up. I don't need bulging muscles - I need to focus on getting everything stable and functional.
....speaking of which, I rang the hospital today to see if the physio who had been overseeing my hips/back/core rehab was still around. Unfortunately, she's moved on. I'd hoped she'd be able to give me guidance as to how to progress rehab over the next 6-12 months but I guess that's up to me now.
Realistically, I think I have to keep plugging away with the pool work. If I'm still getting strains from it and still getting tired out from it, then my body has yet to adapt to its demands. I'm still gaining from it. At the end of this month, I'll have done 8 months of hydrotherapy so I may as well aim to complete a full 12 months. That seems like a good sort of place to then reassess progress. It would be great if I could eliminate these recurring strains around my hips/groins.
I've turned down the offer of help from the instructor at the sports centre. My shoulders aren't ready for swimming yet.
One nice thing from today was that I saw a lady at the pool who had the same build as me - everything long and slender. However, she looked strong and obviously had stable, mobile joints and I essentially got to see what I'm aiming for. It's strange how distorted ones perception of what's 'normal' can become when you're surrounded by people with very different body-types to you. I had visions of big, pronounced muscles but, in fact, my body won't ever be capable of developing those. I will always have long, slender muscles, however developed they become. It helped me to realise that being 'tall and skinny' doesn't mean you look weak and feeble (as I witnessed in this lady today - she looked very strong and athletic). It made me feel better about myself - more accepting of my physical make-up. I don't need bulging muscles - I need to focus on getting everything stable and functional.
....speaking of which, I rang the hospital today to see if the physio who had been overseeing my hips/back/core rehab was still around. Unfortunately, she's moved on. I'd hoped she'd be able to give me guidance as to how to progress rehab over the next 6-12 months but I guess that's up to me now.
Realistically, I think I have to keep plugging away with the pool work. If I'm still getting strains from it and still getting tired out from it, then my body has yet to adapt to its demands. I'm still gaining from it. At the end of this month, I'll have done 8 months of hydrotherapy so I may as well aim to complete a full 12 months. That seems like a good sort of place to then reassess progress. It would be great if I could eliminate these recurring strains around my hips/groins.
Wednesday 4 November 2009
Hydrotherapy - The 8th month
Back from another session at the pool. And, I'm into the 6th month of hydrotherapy since finishing the 2 months at the hospital pool. The exercises felt good today and I did extra walking backwards/forwards. My shoulders remain the sticking point. My left shoulder/arm is still very restricted and painful and my right shoulder/arm is just about coping albeit with pain. My left hip/LHS lower back only ached mildly once I got home today. I'm applying heat as I write, lol.
Afterwards, I felt brave enough to talk to one of the instructors at the centre. I wanted to see if they could give me any direction as to how to progress the rehab. The lady I spoke to was very well-meaning and kind and, like so many people I talk to, she seemed to have a very narrow view of 'what I needed'. Swimming lessons were the answer....
There really are as many 'answers' as there are people I speak to. Some say gym work, some say mat work, some say swimming, some say bigger muscles, some say greater endurance....and so it goes on. It's tricky! Anyway, I'll see how I feel next week. I'm not sure swimming lessons are the way forward with one very restricted shoulder and one that is struggling to keep up healthy function!?!
Generally, I'm sleeping very badly. For the past 3 nights I've taken hours to get to sleep and then woken (or been woken by the next door neighbour's flipping tumble drier! 5:30am?!?! Who does drying at that time of day, I ask you!?) at 4am-ish. I'm getting, at best, 5 hours a night. After the pool work today, whilst speaking to the instructor, I came over extremely faint and had to make for the nearest chair. It took a while before I could stand again and I still don't feel too good - like I could faint at any minute. My body is doing weird stuff this week...
Afterwards, I felt brave enough to talk to one of the instructors at the centre. I wanted to see if they could give me any direction as to how to progress the rehab. The lady I spoke to was very well-meaning and kind and, like so many people I talk to, she seemed to have a very narrow view of 'what I needed'. Swimming lessons were the answer....
There really are as many 'answers' as there are people I speak to. Some say gym work, some say mat work, some say swimming, some say bigger muscles, some say greater endurance....and so it goes on. It's tricky! Anyway, I'll see how I feel next week. I'm not sure swimming lessons are the way forward with one very restricted shoulder and one that is struggling to keep up healthy function!?!
Generally, I'm sleeping very badly. For the past 3 nights I've taken hours to get to sleep and then woken (or been woken by the next door neighbour's flipping tumble drier! 5:30am?!?! Who does drying at that time of day, I ask you!?) at 4am-ish. I'm getting, at best, 5 hours a night. After the pool work today, whilst speaking to the instructor, I came over extremely faint and had to make for the nearest chair. It took a while before I could stand again and I still don't feel too good - like I could faint at any minute. My body is doing weird stuff this week...
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