Today, I am feeling pretty good about the fact that I have been managing to keep up with all of my physical therapy lately. I’m feeling tired, and sore, to be perfectly honest, but accomplished, anyway. If you have to injure a joint, I don’t recommend the Sacroiliac. In fact, I don’t recommend joint injuries. I’ve had a ridiculous number of them in my life, and whenever I point that out to anyone who I think might be in the position to have some expert advice on the subject, they remind me that it’s probably because I am hypermobile, which means I am at higher risk of joint injury. So, then I ask if there’s anything I can/should be doing differently (short of never moving) to better protect my joints…and that’s usually when the crickets do their thing. Basically. That’s not 100% fair. I have been told it is important to build up the supporting muscle structure around the joints to, you know, provide them the support they need in order to prevent injury. This seems sensible. The problem I seem to run in to here is how to accomplish this without managing to injure any joints in the process. I seem to keep stumbling over this same roadblock. I don’t think it’s just because I’m clumsy. I think something is missing here. Some crucial bit of information, or…I don’t know… Maybe I am completely lacking in body awareness. By 51, you’d think I would have learned how to operate this thing safely. I don’t think it’s my fault. It has had some serious malfunctions; and periodically, it just briefly shuts off/reboots, I think (or at least, that’s kind of what a seizure feels like). Perhaps, my software needs updating.
I’ve been told it’s important to be careful not to overextend. I’m sure it is. I’m just still trying to determine at what point I am adequately stretching, and at what point I am overextending. Is what feels like a really good stretch to me overextending? While recovering from frozen shoulder, I remember getting to a point at which my orthopedist and physical therapist were both like, “Wow, that’s great ~ your range of motion is almost completely recovered,” and thinking, “Are you kidding me? I feel like I’m barely moving.” I mean, I could tell I was moving more than I had been when it was completely frozen, but it was nowhere near the range of motion I was used to. Then again, years ago, when I injured my knee, I remember being told that 75-80% recovery was considered a great outcome for the type of injury I had.
So now, I am working on this Sacroiliac Joint. It’s a doozy. I mean, frozen shoulder was ~ and frankly, kind of still is ~ a doozy, for that matter. I’m working really hard on this one, partly because I want to get it right, and partly because I want to get back on track w/ pulmonary rehab. The good news is that I have been told I can pretty much continue doing all of the things I have been doing, as long as I can tolerate whatever pain it might cause. Tolerating pain has never been a major problem for me. It doesn’t hurt that I was given a topical pain-relieving gel, and can take over the counter meds, if needed. In my dreams, I eventually want to actually build muscle, to get to the point at which I might be able to make some inroads toward cardio that feels like cardio, instead of a leisurely stroll w/ laboured breathing… But, for now, I’ll keep taking baby steps in that direction, until I get there. Speaking of steps, I see that I haven’t walked nearly enough yet today, so I can start there.
I’ll keep working at it, and there’s a part of me that wonders if I will spend my entire life doing some kind of physical therapy, and wondering what it must be like not to do that. I think sometimes, “Wow, I must be in great shape considering how much exercise I do!” The thing is, somehow, I’m not. I am, however, still mobile, and able to use all of my limbs and digits, and that’s all good.
And hey, I might complain about the amount of physical therapy I have to do, but honestly, if there’s a Physical Therapist in your life, hug them. I mean, if they’re someone in your PERSONAL life. If you just happen to rely on the help of physical therapists in the same way I do, perhaps, just let them know how much you appreciate the work they do. I might put in a lot of hard work on my own at home; but without the guidance of skilled professionals, I am 100% sure I would be injuring more joints with my lack of knowledge and foresight. I’m pretty sure they are helping to keep me (and my joints) safe.
The Low Life 