Why I love My Physical Therapist…
Tuesday I had a great workout. I did some strength training, 35 minutes on the bike and a good stretch session. When I left the gym I was feeling pretty optimistic about where I was and looking forward to PT after work.
Fast forward an hour and I’m on my way to work. All of a sudden my right foot started hurting. Like really hurting. With every step. I’ll admit it, I kind of started to panic. All day it continued to hurt and I talked to my PT about it that evening. She took a look, iced it, and we modified my exercises a bit. She thought it might just be one of those freak aches and pains that come and go. So I was to ice it at home the next day and let her know Thursday how it was feeling.
Wednesday, the pain was still there when the alarm went off so we skipped the gym. Later I realized the pain had moved from the base of my toes to the top of my foot. It hurt all day. I stretched Wednesday night and iced it. Thursday I was determined to get back to the gym and while it didn’t bother me on the bike too much, I was walking really slowly and deliberately. All of my leg muscles were tense. It hurt all day Thursday.
I got to PT and told my therapist what was going on. By this point I was feeling pretty helpless with my mind going directly to thoughts of another stress fracture and not understanding how in the world I could get a stress fracture from walking to the subway! My PT was not happy to hear it was still hurting but thought it was a good sign that the pain had moved, as a stress fracture wouldn’t do that. She confirmed the only cardio I’ve been doing outside of PT has been the bike and after checking out my swollen foot and poking around the muscle along my right shin, she determined that the muscle had tightened up because I went from hardly ever riding the stationary bike to riding it nearly every day and the circular motion and up and down of my toes were tightening the muscle. She worked on it for at least 5 minutes then worked on the muscles on the bottom of my foot as they had also tightened up. After about 10 or so minutes I tested it out and while the pain wasn’t completely gone, there was definitely less of it. We did alter my exercises a bit but I got through the rest of my session and left with a few extra stretches to do and orders not to get on the bike for a few days. Because I’ve been doing well on the elliptical during my sessions, she gave me the okay to do 15 to 20 minutes on the elliptical instead.
To say that I’m relieved is beyond an understatement. Thank goodness I’m in PT now and she was able to determine this without me worrying like crazy for days and possibly going to a doctor just to find out I need to switch up my cardio and do some stretches!
It did hurt a bit this morning when I woke up, but I spent a few minutes massaging the spot and stretching before heading to the gym. I also did a lot of stretching while there, and it seemed to help!
Other musings….
I am not working today, yet we still woke up at 5:30am to go to the gym. Something is wrong with us.
I am in denial that Christmas is in two days. Perhaps it is because I’ve been so busy at work these last few weeks. Or maybe the fact that not only is there no snow, but it has been over 50 degrees the last few days. It’s felt more like Easter than Christmas.
My mother-in-law is known for her sugar cookie recipe which she used to make for team gatherings when my husband and his brother were in high school. Woody even admits to splitting up the batch (and a batch is about 60 cookies) and keeping half for himself and taking the rest to the team cause he liked them so much. Well, the first time I tried making them I quickly realized my bowl wasn’t nearly big enough and my little hand mixer broke. We had to go out and buy new of each. Once I finally got things set it took me a whole day to bake an decorate the cookies. No joke. I haven’t made them since. She’s bringing some for him today when she arrives. Some things are just better when they come from your mom.
The rest of my family is in Minneapolis at my sister’s house. It’s always an off Christmas for me when I’m not with them. I’ll be thinking of them though.
The heat in our building went out yesterday. Apparently a steam pipe blew. We still have no heat. Thank goodness it was 56 degrees yesterday but it’s getting colder. At least we have hot water though!
If you aren’t following @30RockTree, you should be. It’s hilarious!
I wish the holiday season was more about showing people how much we care than just buying stuff to buy it. This video is a little hilarious and a little disturbing. But the little girl who likes her mom’s cooking… has the best line of all!
And on that note…. I hope you all take some time to relax, have fun and just enjoy life over the next few days! Live up the last days of 2011!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
************
Today’s workout -
- 3x15 Pulley ab twists
- 2x17 weighted side bends
- 10x10sec wobble board balancing
- 2x18 seated row
- 125 ab exercises
- 17min elliptical
- 2x35 sec planks
- 2x15 back extension
- stretching
9 comments:
So glad your foot is feeling better and I hope your heater gets fixed soon!!! Yikes!!!
That video is HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so glad it wasn't another fracture!! our bodies are crazy things.
merry christmas!
Whew on the foot! That would have freaked me out too. A little bit of elliptical will feel great, too!
Gotta go watch that video. Merry Christmas to you..wishing you health, happiness and heat!
Sorry to hear about the foot and the heat :-( Hopefully both will be better soon!
I am weird like that too, I still wake up the same time every morning, whether I have to or not. I've been up forever today. Only 1 person, my mom, is up. Everyone else is still sleeping, probably until my sister's dog wants out
Dan told me about that video, thanks for posting, I hadn't seen it yet. Funny, yet kind of sad.
Do you have heat ? Management should put all of you up in a hotel. I believe there is a law about how warm they HAVE to keep the building. No heat is illegal. Hope it's back on by now.
Missing you , too. Christmas isn't the same. No snow here in Chanhassen, Mn either. We must be a weather jinx. Brought you a blizzard last year and here, no snow for the first time in 30, yes, 30 years for Christmas !
Hope you have a Merry Christmas!
I'm glad the foot is better, how weird! I had to laugh at your cookie story, this is the first year that I made cookies based on my mother in law's recipe, talk about labor intensive! Happy New Year!!
That video was HILARIOUS!! I'm so glad I watched it! Great thing to wake up to on a Friday morning :)
I'm happy to hear the foot pain has subsided, and not turned into anything worse. I can't imagine having a stress fracture in my FOOT! Yikes. I hope you are enjoying your holidays, and you have a nice Christmas.
A tightened muscle is definitely better to hear than a stress fracture. Good thing your PT figured out what was wrong with your foot immediately. It’s really nice to have a very good PT, isn’t it? It took only minutes for your aching foot to feel better!
http://proclinixny.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/manage-your-chronic-pain-with-pleasantville-physical-therapy-sessions/
Post a Comment