snap, crackle, pop
So I had a full set of lower-back xrays done, and it turns out that one of my hips sits 14 millimeters lower than the other. (Anything more than 5mm is considered a significant variation.) This, combined with a visible old injury that you can still see on one of the lower vertebrae, is a good reason for all the years of back pain, the tendency to rest all my weight on my right leg, and the transferred upper back pain, which in turn transfers down my right arm. There are other reasons for the upper back pain, too, of course, but the hip is a, ahem, central one. (Rimshot!)
My Sainted Dead Grandma also had one leg that was shorter than the other, although it also wasn’t evident to the casual observer. I don’t think she ever did anything about it. And that makes me sad, because we started me off with a 5 cm lift this week, and it’s already made a ton of difference. I can’t even tell it’s there, but I feel more ... right. We cast me for custom orthotics on Friday, which should also help correct my overpronation.
So there’s that, plus adjustment twice weekly. I’m a bit achy sometimes, both from the cracking and from the weight distribution being evened up with the orthotic, which is shifting more weight to the repaired ankle. But mostly I feel great. My neck, which used to pop multiple times per day, hardly pops at all. All of the muscles in my back are pliable, which is very strange. I lay in bed last night kneading my shoulders, mostly out of surprise that they were kneadable! The massage therapist was shocked by how little pain I had on the table, and says that there are just a few more spots to deal with (calves, mostly, since we never get to them) and then I can switch to a maintenance schedule.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I’m hoping all of this will make exercise more doable or bearable or something. I know that chiropractic and massage don’t cure laziness, but I also think that everything is better and more fun when you’re not hurting. This summer I’m working about a block from one of the country’s best campus athletic facilities, and Mister Husband and I are talking about getting bikes after we get back from our summer trip next month. I’m rather excited about everything.
My Sainted Dead Grandma also had one leg that was shorter than the other, although it also wasn’t evident to the casual observer. I don’t think she ever did anything about it. And that makes me sad, because we started me off with a 5 cm lift this week, and it’s already made a ton of difference. I can’t even tell it’s there, but I feel more ... right. We cast me for custom orthotics on Friday, which should also help correct my overpronation.
So there’s that, plus adjustment twice weekly. I’m a bit achy sometimes, both from the cracking and from the weight distribution being evened up with the orthotic, which is shifting more weight to the repaired ankle. But mostly I feel great. My neck, which used to pop multiple times per day, hardly pops at all. All of the muscles in my back are pliable, which is very strange. I lay in bed last night kneading my shoulders, mostly out of surprise that they were kneadable! The massage therapist was shocked by how little pain I had on the table, and says that there are just a few more spots to deal with (calves, mostly, since we never get to them) and then I can switch to a maintenance schedule.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I’m hoping all of this will make exercise more doable or bearable or something. I know that chiropractic and massage don’t cure laziness, but I also think that everything is better and more fun when you’re not hurting. This summer I’m working about a block from one of the country’s best campus athletic facilities, and Mister Husband and I are talking about getting bikes after we get back from our summer trip next month. I’m rather excited about everything.
posted by Lulu at 7:49 AM
1 Comments:
Yeah!!! for bikes! I need to get mine, too...maybe we can haphazardly ride our bikes to the farmer's market?
As for the hips--one of my legs is shorter than the other, supposedly, but I can't imagine that much of a difference! It is hard on your body, definitely.
As for the exercise, it is hard to exercise when it is painful, but one thing that has helped me is my weight work. Because of that, I don't have to get adjusted as often with my back and neck because--get this--my "rippling" (ha ha okay not rippling) muscles are holding my back in place. It's wild.
So while it's easier to work out when you feel good, aren't tired, don't have stuff to do, etc., etc., sometimes you have to do it anyway. Which isn't fun but is necessary, you know? I think the trick, though, is a) giving yourself incentive to go regularly and b) adapting what you do to suite your body. If you're tired? Go 3/4 of the normal time. If you're hurting? Do something that puts less pressure on those areas.
Of course, I'm saying this after an extended hiatus from the gym...
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