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| Chiropodist Jim Marando giving me a gait analysis. Someone has a weak Glute Medius. |
Most people that cross my path think that I am a very positive and happy person; they would be right for the most part. I'm upbeat and happy until, I'm just not. This winter has been a bit of a tough go for me. Why? It's not like we've had a brutal winter, heck, it was 18 degrees Celsius one day this week! It was February, in Canada?! The reason it's been so tough is because I hurt myself.
Yes, I hurt myself. My coach didn't do it, my training didn't do it, I did it.
How you may wonder? Neglect.
I neglected to listen to my body. It was telling me to take care, not to miss the stretching routine, to go get maintenance from my awesome RMT, Derek Spry, and Chiropractor, Tom Skrinjaric (they truly are awesome). Instead, I ignored my body and let my brain keep pushing me forward into a world of pain. This PAIN that brought me from a happy, positive, chatty, Sheila, to a quiet, easy to bring to tears, sad, and fighting to stay positive, Sheila.
It started after the Christmas Break with my lower right back tightening up all around the SI joint. So I stretched it, a little, and kept going as usual; after all, it was only a tight muscle. As the weeks continued, and training intensified, my back continued to get tighter and now the muscles up the right side of my spine were just as tight as the ones around my SI joint. I went for my usual massage treatment and it helped temporarily. I was still able to handle the workouts even with the pain starting to build in my back.
Work became very busy, the kids schedules were picking up, and training for an Ironman is not for the faint of heart; needless to say time was getting harder and harder to find and I let my usual morning stretch routine slide. The next thing I knew, that nagging back pain became incredibly painful. Rolling over in my bed felt like I was trying to move 200 pounds of lower limbs each time. Tears would stream down my face and it took over 20 minutes every morning to get out of bed. However, I'm training for an Ironman. So once I got out of bed and standing, I would make it to workout and suffer horribly through it. Go home and cry and start the daily routine of making lunches, going to work and making sure the kids got to and from their activities on time.
Two weeks ago I forced myself out of the bed, got to the gym, started the treadmill, and walked. I couldn't bring myself to run, or jog, or anything. If you know me, you will know that I will almost kill myself to not miss workout when I have a goal on the horizon. This was my breaking point. I no longer could will myself through the pain. I am not one for taking medication. Usually I can make it through, as I have a fairly high pain tolerance, without the use of pain meds. Not this time. I was taking lots of Aleve, and muscle relaxers so I could get a little bit of sleep. I would have liked something stronger, but not willing to make that jump. My coach took me off the treadmill. My bike was virtually non-existent, oh I tried, I thought I could muster up the mental strength, I was wrong. My usual crazy week of training went to mostly making it to the pool, the Chiropractor and the Massage therapist.
I've learnt over the years that to keep certain injuries from getting out of control I need to maintain my stretching and core routine faithfully. However sometimes, usually because I'm feeling just fine, or I'm exceptionally busy, I start to let portions of this routine go. It starts with me saying "I don't have time for the whole thing this morning, I'll just leave out this exercise." Then as the days progress a few more exercises get neglected and then eventually all of them.
With a lot of treatments, intensive stretching and core work, and a couple of really low volume weeks, I'm making my way back to having a strong back. It is not even close to good yet. The SI joint is still tight, but not nearly what it was 5 weeks ago, and the sciatic nerve is pinched on my right side. I'm now explaining the pain, to others, as a bad toothache. I can move, I can do the workouts, but the pain is constant and nagging, however no longer debilitating. In comparison to what I was feeling a few weeks ago, I feel like a super star! I'm also making sure I make time for my stretch, core, and stability routine everyday, to maintain strength around the areas that need it...my back.
This was a painful lesson to learn. The little things are important to maintain. Because neglecting the little things can lead to bigger issues down the road.
