I don't have much of an update, but I thought I'd make my site more cheerful looking. I've been feeling pretty good. Earlier this week, I definitely had a set-back and pretty severe pain whenever I'd stand up. It also hurt when I was sitting and moved my legs a certain way.
I'm not sure what set it off. I tried a new exercise during Gyrotonic class on Monday evening that I think I might have overdone. But it could have been my shoes...I was wearing heels (though they're comfy wedge heel boots) on Monday. It might have been the fact that I didn't take enough standing breaks throughout the day. Who knows. Maybe it was an extra pound of Halloween candy.
The pain is all but gone now. My Gyrotonic class this morning was pure bliss. But I'm not going to take any of my pain-free moments for granted.
Showing posts with label gyrotonic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gyrotonic. Show all posts
Friday, November 5, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Paradigm Shift
Last night I experienced somewhat of a paradigm shift in how I've been looking at my hip issue.
Until now, I've been trying to exhaust my options of things I can do on my own to heal my hips (or at least the parts that I can heal, such as the muscle tightness and the strength imbalances) so that if and when I need to undergo surgery, I'll be in a good place mentally and physically. I know that, if I undergo surgery, I'll have a long recovery process, but I anticipate that (unless something goes wrong) I'll eventually be "healed." This way of thinking has been frustrating me because I am feeling increasingly frustrated with the pain and waiting around for it to go away. After all, I've been doing so much!
So a wise person asked me, what if there is no "end" to the hip pain? What if I think about "managing" the pain rather than erasing it?
My first reaction was to reject this idea completely. Of course. Why else would I even think about surgery unless I believed that I wouldn't be forever doomed to have hip pain.
But, I thought it through a bit more. From what I've read, it seems like even in "successful" surgeries, there can be some residual weakness and pain that will require physical therapy, stretching, or some other way to keep strong and limber. And not all surgical patients end up pain-free. It's my understanding that doctors consider the surgery a success if the pain goes from a 10 to a 3. So if I were that patient, I'd still be in the position of having to manage the pain long-term.
A life filled with yoga, gyrotonic, swimming, biking, stretching...all to stay strong, increase joint mobility and reduce pain. Is that really so bad? Would I really even want to give that all up if I woke up and found myself "fixed"? (Granted, I'd really love to add the running to that list, and I'm hoping I'll be able to add that back into my routine at some point.)
The best part about thinking about pain management instead of pain elimination is that I instantly stopped waiting for the day when I'm healed, but rather, gained a measure of peace in knowing that I'm making a difference on a daily basis.
I'm definitely not ready to throw in the towel on the possibility that the surgical route could correct the underlying issue that is causing my muscles to be all out of whack. But I'm also not ready to throw in the towel and say I've done everything I can do to manage the pain and I'm ready for someone else to fix me. I am going to focus on whatever pain management I can do now, and cross the surgery bridge if and when I get there. I've realized that the activities I'm doing so that I can manage my existing pain are also going to help me prevent pain from developing in other areas of my body.
Until now, I've been trying to exhaust my options of things I can do on my own to heal my hips (or at least the parts that I can heal, such as the muscle tightness and the strength imbalances) so that if and when I need to undergo surgery, I'll be in a good place mentally and physically. I know that, if I undergo surgery, I'll have a long recovery process, but I anticipate that (unless something goes wrong) I'll eventually be "healed." This way of thinking has been frustrating me because I am feeling increasingly frustrated with the pain and waiting around for it to go away. After all, I've been doing so much!
So a wise person asked me, what if there is no "end" to the hip pain? What if I think about "managing" the pain rather than erasing it?
My first reaction was to reject this idea completely. Of course. Why else would I even think about surgery unless I believed that I wouldn't be forever doomed to have hip pain.
But, I thought it through a bit more. From what I've read, it seems like even in "successful" surgeries, there can be some residual weakness and pain that will require physical therapy, stretching, or some other way to keep strong and limber. And not all surgical patients end up pain-free. It's my understanding that doctors consider the surgery a success if the pain goes from a 10 to a 3. So if I were that patient, I'd still be in the position of having to manage the pain long-term.
A life filled with yoga, gyrotonic, swimming, biking, stretching...all to stay strong, increase joint mobility and reduce pain. Is that really so bad? Would I really even want to give that all up if I woke up and found myself "fixed"? (Granted, I'd really love to add the running to that list, and I'm hoping I'll be able to add that back into my routine at some point.)
The best part about thinking about pain management instead of pain elimination is that I instantly stopped waiting for the day when I'm healed, but rather, gained a measure of peace in knowing that I'm making a difference on a daily basis.
I'm definitely not ready to throw in the towel on the possibility that the surgical route could correct the underlying issue that is causing my muscles to be all out of whack. But I'm also not ready to throw in the towel and say I've done everything I can do to manage the pain and I'm ready for someone else to fix me. I am going to focus on whatever pain management I can do now, and cross the surgery bridge if and when I get there. I've realized that the activities I'm doing so that I can manage my existing pain are also going to help me prevent pain from developing in other areas of my body.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Gyrotonic/Gyrokinesis
I'm taking a moment from my lunch break today to exclaim at the top of my lungs (well, from the tips of my fingers) how amazing even my brief introduction to Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis has been. I started to get sore from sitting at my desk this morning, and so I tried two of the Gryokinesis moves I learned. Bam -- immediate relief. I cannot wait until my full session tomorrow.
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