update on all my broken things
Since yesterday's post was more "wordless," I figured I'd post an update today. Lots has been going on, and I've had my feet pretty firmly planted in denial.
You'll remember (because I'm reminding you) that a few weeks ago, I crashed my bike. No major boo-boos, just a banged-up hip and a scab that's been fun to watch through the various stages of ooze. However, a week or so later, I noticed that my shoulder was bothering me. The same shoulder I had surgery on in March, that I blame entirely for my IT-band injury due to the fact that I couldn't run for 10 days and thus had to cram for the CB10M. There's logic in there, don't look too hard. A bit of a recap: I had surgery because SOMEthing was bugging the crap out of my shoulder, to the point where I couldn't swim, open a door, or pick up anything heavier than a piece of paper. The mystery man Dr. P is "cut first MRI later" kind of guy, and when he went in with his cutter and tiny TV, he discovered 2 things. Well, 3. One was a bone spur pressing into my rotator cuff (youch!!), which he sawed off and probably took home for his kids to play with. One was a massive amount of scar tissue from years of bursitis, which he cleaned out (boogers in the joint!). The last was I don't entirely understand, but he explained that the muscles of your shoulder make a kind of channel, and mine is too big. He said that he could've cut it and re-sewed it up so the channel was the right size, but that a) I'd be in a sling for 3 months and b) it would probably end up growing back the way it was. He said to do lots of the "pushing" and "pulling" lifting, and if it started to bug me, go see a PT. So it healed up and I went on with my life. But ever since my fall, it's been hurting me - to the point where I can't sleep on that side, and sitting at my desk all day hurts, and reaching and picking things up is starting to make me wince. I've been lifting arms/chest 2-3 times a week for 7 months now, so I know it's not because I'm weak. Swimming has been out for a week now, and hunching over a bike for 20 miles yesterday equaled pain for the rest of the day. Failed body part number 1.
Failed body part number 2 is, of course, my IT band. I had a triumphant 4-mile run last Wednesday that left me pain-free and flying high, with dreams of the Army 10M, a winter half and a late spring/summer full twinkling in my little eye. Of course the universe heard me and made sure to send a major smack down on my ass. Friday's run (3.1, 27:40) ended up with some tightness and Sunday's run (3, 27:40 - oooh, that's weird) brought back the OMG WTF IS THAT pain that is so characteristic of an IT band injury. Now, a few things to note. 1. I foam-rolled Wednesday and then not again until Monday night, because I left it here while I was in PA. B. I was running on the really REALLY crappy, old, really bouncy, and worn-out treadmills at my parent's gym, not the shiny new ones here at mine. III. I didn't do any (outdoor on a real bike) cycling between Thursday morning and Tuesday morning - which is something that I feel is a necessary part of holding off the IT band. ALSO. The only ice I had was in the slushy mixed drinks going down my graw, not on my leg. So I took 2 days off, iced/rolled/stretched and offered screaming infant sacrifices to the IT band gods. This morning I decided to run a mile to test things out: am I doomed or not? 1 mile turned into 2 in 17:15, with no pain but some tightness. So I'll continue the extra focus on icing and rolling and stretching for the next week or so and desperately cling to the hope that this is a temporary blip, not a setback that will lead me down the path that ends with a knife.
However, all of this has landed me - for now - directly into the hands of a physical therapist. Things hurt despite being in great shape, so I'm hoping that a the brilliant master mind Kirstin recommended can help me tweak what I'm doing to move closer to a pain-free life. My first appointment is the middle of next week.
You'll remember (because I'm reminding you) that a few weeks ago, I crashed my bike. No major boo-boos, just a banged-up hip and a scab that's been fun to watch through the various stages of ooze. However, a week or so later, I noticed that my shoulder was bothering me. The same shoulder I had surgery on in March, that I blame entirely for my IT-band injury due to the fact that I couldn't run for 10 days and thus had to cram for the CB10M. There's logic in there, don't look too hard. A bit of a recap: I had surgery because SOMEthing was bugging the crap out of my shoulder, to the point where I couldn't swim, open a door, or pick up anything heavier than a piece of paper. The mystery man Dr. P is "cut first MRI later" kind of guy, and when he went in with his cutter and tiny TV, he discovered 2 things. Well, 3. One was a bone spur pressing into my rotator cuff (youch!!), which he sawed off and probably took home for his kids to play with. One was a massive amount of scar tissue from years of bursitis, which he cleaned out (boogers in the joint!). The last was I don't entirely understand, but he explained that the muscles of your shoulder make a kind of channel, and mine is too big. He said that he could've cut it and re-sewed it up so the channel was the right size, but that a) I'd be in a sling for 3 months and b) it would probably end up growing back the way it was. He said to do lots of the "pushing" and "pulling" lifting, and if it started to bug me, go see a PT. So it healed up and I went on with my life. But ever since my fall, it's been hurting me - to the point where I can't sleep on that side, and sitting at my desk all day hurts, and reaching and picking things up is starting to make me wince. I've been lifting arms/chest 2-3 times a week for 7 months now, so I know it's not because I'm weak. Swimming has been out for a week now, and hunching over a bike for 20 miles yesterday equaled pain for the rest of the day. Failed body part number 1.
Failed body part number 2 is, of course, my IT band. I had a triumphant 4-mile run last Wednesday that left me pain-free and flying high, with dreams of the Army 10M, a winter half and a late spring/summer full twinkling in my little eye. Of course the universe heard me and made sure to send a major smack down on my ass. Friday's run (3.1, 27:40) ended up with some tightness and Sunday's run (3, 27:40 - oooh, that's weird) brought back the OMG WTF IS THAT pain that is so characteristic of an IT band injury. Now, a few things to note. 1. I foam-rolled Wednesday and then not again until Monday night, because I left it here while I was in PA. B. I was running on the really REALLY crappy, old, really bouncy, and worn-out treadmills at my parent's gym, not the shiny new ones here at mine. III. I didn't do any (outdoor on a real bike) cycling between Thursday morning and Tuesday morning - which is something that I feel is a necessary part of holding off the IT band. ALSO. The only ice I had was in the slushy mixed drinks going down my graw, not on my leg. So I took 2 days off, iced/rolled/stretched and offered screaming infant sacrifices to the IT band gods. This morning I decided to run a mile to test things out: am I doomed or not? 1 mile turned into 2 in 17:15, with no pain but some tightness. So I'll continue the extra focus on icing and rolling and stretching for the next week or so and desperately cling to the hope that this is a temporary blip, not a setback that will lead me down the path that ends with a knife.
However, all of this has landed me - for now - directly into the hands of a physical therapist. Things hurt despite being in great shape, so I'm hoping that a the brilliant master mind Kirstin recommended can help me tweak what I'm doing to move closer to a pain-free life. My first appointment is the middle of next week.