June 8th, 2010
Just when you think you’ve moved passed it; your injury rears its ugly head. What’s up with that? It frustrates me to no end!
Most recently I suffered from a lower back/hip injury and it devastated me to the point where I thought my life was over. I freaked out and went into panic mode, fearing I would never be able to train again. Additionally, I tortured my friends (i.e. Jodi and Heather) with my own self pity. As I look back on it, I am surprised they didn’t disown me.
But after months of working on it, I got back to a place where I can train as hard as I was before. Does that mean I don’t feel the pain anymore? NO. But it means I know how to manage my injury. I have a stretching and mobility plan in place to keep the joints free and moving. I know the signs that my back (I just say my back for lack of a better word – but it really is my sacroiliac joint – but you just don’t hear people walking around saying “man, my sacroiliac joint is acting up today”) is starting to act up and I know what to do to work it out.
Well, then the weather changed and my workouts moved outdoors. Sprinting, hiking and running all became weekly activities and I started feeling pain in my hamstring (triggered from it being pulled on by an imbalance in my hips). I’ve been managing and working with and through it when finally today my back said NO!
As I climbed out of my car yesterday morning, after a killer track workout, I realized that my lower back angry. It was not the type of stiffness or dull ache that comes and goes; it was an acute pinching with every step I took. After a few steps, that revelation washed over me and this is the moment when waves of panic would normally take over. However, this time it was different.
Someone very smart once told me that athletes’ injuries tend not to be acute but chronic. Yes, a skier may fall and break a wrist (acute injury) but what is more common is the knee pain that comes and goes from her daily endeavors (chronic injury). Other examples include a pitcher’s sore shoulder, a runner’s throbbing calves or a point dancer’s bleeding toes. So that got me thinking, are these athletes doing something wrong? No; not if they are working prehab and rehab and are willing to accept price that comes with the love of their sport. In fact, those of us that have the desire and need to truly push ourselves will likely face some sort of ailment over our career. However, the key is to know how to manage it, work through it and when to back off.
And so as I was walking into the office, I did not panic. I’m not gonna lie, I was and still am frustrated as he!!, but I do not feel the impending doom I would have in the past. I am an athlete and I LOVE what I do. I can also step back and own the fact that I have not been stretching or foam rolling nearly enough in the past three weeks. Yet even if I had, that is no guarantee I wouldn’t be sitting here in pain right now.
But, I decide whether this takes me down or I take it down. I decide whether I am going to let this send me into a tail spin, or whether I am going to keep on trucking. That was the “ah ha” moment of my day. Ironically enough, this “ah ha” moment happened a few minutes before I read Heather’s blog post. But when I read it, I realized that injured or not, I am blessed to be able to do so much activity. Why? Because I Can!.
So with all of this I am left to ask myself; do I want this? That is the million dollar question. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I sound all calm and chipper but it hurts and I’m not happy. But in the end of the day, I LOVE the activity I do. I love being an athlete and I love training. So I will work through it and come up with a new preventative action plan. (i.e. becoming a guinea pig for Heather and Jodi with structural balance). And why will I do all of this? Because I Can!
So with all that being said, I am going to go back and read the blog post I wrote on injuries and how to make the best of them, take my own advice, and not let this deter me.
Tags: chronic injury, working through pain
My oh my have you grown, girl! Oh, and I think if the tongue thing didn’t have you disowned, nothing will. Just sayin’… For the record, I hear “man my sacroiliac joint is acting up today” all of the time. Gotta love the educated chiropractic patient! Thanks once again for the reminder to practice what we preach. Especially when we go put it in writing and splatter it over the net!
I really like this one Amy! I never really understood what “chronic” pain really meant. Of course, I know what the actual word means and I have watched some of my closest loved ones deal with sciatica nerve pain, knee pain as well as a persistent limited mobility from lymph node removal surgery due to stage 3 melanoma. I have been fortunate enough to only recently experience it with my on-ice concussion last February. I still get headaches periodically on and off the ice but after numerous trips and complaints to my doctor, it seems that it is just something that I have to deal with. I’ve actually gotten in the habit of drinking hot tea before it game which seems to help! : )
I agree w/ Heather in the my oh my how you’ve matured comment. Good for you!
Heather and Seanna, wow, thank you! I have been working through this one – thinking I’ve been handling it better than I would have in the past – but its great to hear you both agree!
Kristina, I never understood chronic pain either! It wasn’t until just recently that I realized many people live with some level of pain every day! And I, like you had to come to grips with the fact that it can be something you just have to deal with – and like you said, find what works for you to make your way through it! Great point, by the way!
p.s H, I love that your clients now tell you their SI joing is bothering them!
Who cares about her maturity, let’s celebrate the peace and quiet while she suffers through this! WOOOOOHOOOOOO! Bwhahahaha!
Honestly, though…they are right! You are growing by leaps and bounds, girl. Injuries are par for the course but can be massively minimized by proper pre-hab, re-hab, etc. In the mean time, accept them and work through them and you’ll be A-OK.
)
Holy moly on the concussion, Kristina! WOW! You’re right, though. You may have the effects of that one for a while longer. Soft tissue injuries are the worst b/c they never really resolve themselves…they just fade away over time.:o)