365 Days-100 Books: Fascia.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Fascia.

I am so happy right now. So happy. Finally someone who will work with me to solve my leg issues! I was sort of prepared for anything going into my first physical therapy session. But I think I was more prepared for a negative experience. I'm so excited to report that instead of telling me to just stop running or run less their answer was actually more along the lines of, "there is an underlying issue that is causing your pain and just stopping your activity isn't going to fix it." I'm working with a girl named Lauren, she is an intern who will be graduating in a month. I think a lot of people would be hesitant to work with someone right out of school or still in the process, but I feel like they are more likely to be incredibly thorough and everything is so fresh in their brains. And this way I actually get the benefit of working with her and her teacher, Ron.

She did all sorts of measurements of flexibility and strength then explained that while I was doing a lot of the right stuff.... I have a little bit of an arch issue which is causing one of my tendons to be over worked. I'm also stretching only my muscles and not my fascia. I didn't even know what that was or that it needed to be stretched! Apparently it really shows! The fascia is sort of the covering of the muscle and your muscles can be incredibly stretched out and it wont matter if your fascia isn't. She worked on my legs a bit and did ultra sound (which works to heat the muscles from the inside) she showed me a new stretch (that wasn't on the pamphlet given to me by my doctor) and showed me a tool called a massage stick that could be beneficial. I also asked the PT if I should continue taking Advil and Aleve, basically he explained that these don't cure anything, pain is natural it is telling you something and just masking the problem isn't going to solve it (he also explained that inflammation is a natural response to an injury and that it actually is helping the recovery process. He gave an analogy that involved a party and a clean up crew. lol)

I can't even begin to describe how much of a positive experience this was. I go back on Friday and they are going to try taping my arches, watching me run.... FIX ME!

*I'm also thinking about getting a new primary care physician. I shouldn't have to beg for an answer. I'm thinking of going in a more Naturopathic direction. My mom has had a great experience with one that listens.*

Book Update 08: Brida by Paulo Coehlo
"The Alchemist" is one of my favorite books so I sort of had some high hopes for this book. But I never really felt connected to the overall message he was attempting to create. It was sort of a mishmash of his other works with the same ideas.... Follow your path, listen to God, and your life has meaning. Which is great when I believe in the story, but "Brida" didn't hook me. I had a really hard time getting into it and feeling like reading it. Perhaps it was the wrong time in my life to read this. Lately I seem to be reading a ton more non-fiction which I was never interested in before. Maybe my mind had enough stories during my path to 100 books? Either way, now I'm more interested in facts and real-life accounts. I've also been really into following blogs involving food, reading, and gardening!

Speaking of Gardening...

Garden update!

I showed you photos of our raised beds at Carly's, well here is a photo of my garden! On Sunday morning before I baked and made almond butter, I worked outside cleaning out all my pots and doing some weeding. Almost ready to start planting away I just need to get some soil and a plan going!

This is what happens when you leave pots out all winter and
they fill up with water then freeze and unfreeze!
Next year I need to be better about my pot care.
It happened to a couple more but I think I'll be able to use them for at least one more season.