Incremental with a small reversion

[bill_schubert]

I took Zoe out yesterday to our usual walk.  Down and up hill.  On an uphill my right hip flexor tightened up and I did not immediately stop.  Old tapes in my head told me to just power through and the muscle will stretch itself back out.  The new tape that said 'your muscles are 68 years old' did not kick in until the sharp pain of a strained ligament or muscle or whatever it is kicked in.  THEN I stopped.  

The upshot was that no real damage but no up and down hills for a day.  I did go around the block on flat sidewalk today and it feels OK.  I'll go out tomorrow and try the usual walk again.  Should be OK.

Lying around for a week is not, apparently, conducive to flexible muscles.  Must remember.  I never had to consider that before.  I've always been one of those that stretching is running slowly for the first half mile or spinning in a low gear for the first 10 minutes or so.  Annoying to actually have to think about what my body is doing.

Meanwhile the shoulder is doing well.  This morning is another Tylenol only one so far.  I'll likely try to stay off anything stronger until bed time and then only because I want to ensure I sleep well (a major criteria to a good life for me).  I'm amazed that I'm 10 days after having my freakin' shoulder opened up and it has already healed enough that I can mostly depend on Tylenol for pain.  Likely I could live without that too but no reason to find out.  It is nice to not be afraid of Oxy.  I've never been addicted to it and don't want to start now and REALLY appreciate what it does when I need it.  So being able to just stop after a week of taking it and not have any adverse effects is pretty nice.  

Comments

[siglinde99.livejournal.com]

Good to hear. Is the tight hip on the opposite side from the shoulder? When I broke mine, I compensated for it and ended up very tight on the opposite side.

[bill-schubert.livejournal.com]

Hip and shoulder in the question confuses me. I've now had both done.

In 2018 I had my hip replaced. For about a year before that it had deteriorated and I was in near constant pain. It definitely affected my gait. I was compensating. But subsequent PT did not address that. The PT was not very good where I received it for my hip.

A year later I had the opposite knee replaced. This PT was very good and the guy said I was going to have more problems if I didn't fix my gait. So he worked with me some on it, not strictly in line with the knee but he expanded the PT some and we covered it. Since I walk every day it became kind of critical and, I think, made a big difference to me. I sometimes revert back to the rolling gait I had developed but I'm aware of it and try to stop and walk correctly. It is hugely different.

I've got really good insurance. Retired military. I suspect that were to go back to the PT and have them look at something like my gait they would have done the PT in network so it would not have cost me anything. Separate from any joint replacement. They have advertised a bunch.

I'd say if it is bothering you, follow up with a good therapist. Things have changed so much just over the past few years. Wars will do that. Wounded soldiers result in huge medical advances. Just the way it is.

[sleepybadger.livejournal.com]

Glad things are healing well, and ouch on the hip flexor! I had a really hard time when I went to physical therapy and they kept telling me that if it hurt, I shouldn't keep doing it. I was like... but then how am I going to get through it? I need to push through the pain! And they were like yeah, no, that's not how this works.

[bill-schubert.livejournal.com]

Yeah, when I was young it was more like 'broken leg? take a lap, run it off'.

Getting my hip replaced taught me to be more aware and responsive to my body. I still push too hard but, really, that is good as long as I know where the limits are. I used to ride my bike out into the Texas back country (before phone gps) with only a paper map. I'd get lost all the time and eventually learned to navigate by water towers since all the roads look the same. But now I accept some limitations of age even as I push them much as I can.

The hip flexor is still a little achy. I can feel it when lifting up my leg to put on my pants. Such a small thing that just takes a long while to get better.