Physician Heal Thyself...Notorius-ly

I love riding my bike, but always struggle to find time to get out on it regularly through the week. Last weekend I had a great bike ride. I went further and a wee bit faster than my previous ride. I was psyched.

I also was clipping in and out of my pedals more than usual because of traffic. (I have issues with staying on the bike while stopped and still clipped in). An hour after my ride I felt the inside of my left knee starting to complain. It got progressively worse throughout the evening and the next day I opted out of my ride because I couldn't lift my knee without pain.

Being a fan of corrective movement, I started testing out what motions hurt and what felt better. I found flexing, abducting and externally rotating my hip didn't feel right. I started poking about my knee and finding that I was sore from the inside of my knee up to mid thigh. I could tell that there wasn't any structural injury from the positions that helped and hurt: worse when it was hanging free and mid stance(suspension) through to push off (propulsion) of the gait cycle.

Eventually with some massage and then some weight shifting in different phases of the gait cycle, I was able to walk more comfortably. When I got in my car Monday morning I realized my knee pain was gone completely.

I'm a PT and am always learning about ways the body moves and recovers. I know I tweaked my Sartorius ( muscle when coming out of my clipless pedals by flexing, abducting and externally rotating my hip while internally rotating my knee. I know that the lack of ankle mobility on that side, the fit of my bike shoes, and the fear of traffic fed into my knee pain. I am SO lucky that I can figure out movement deficiencies to help me move better.

In this video, Dr. Kathy Dooly, from Immaculate Dissection, talks more about the Sartorius (since meeting Kathy I now sing Notorius every time I say "Sartorius" :) ) and how to effect a change in medial knee pain.

I wish she had posted this last weekend...but then, I am always learning. Playing with my movement and palpating skills provided me with a whole lot of insight into my own body.

It is important to get assessed by a qualified professional if you have pain. It's also important to be aware of what aggrevates and what makes you feel better. It's important to know what doesn't feel right to touch, yet makes you feel better when it has been released. When something persists, find someone who uses movement to analyze where your pain is coming from. When you can make it feel better by working into those "good" pain motions, allowing yourself to move through those patterns, being aware of those painful vs non painful positions and allowing yourself to rest,  you just may note a decrease in pain and return to full mobility.

Tim Ferris- 4 hour Body at Google

I may be late to the rodeo (this book was released in 2010), but I am a huge Tim Ferris fan. His book the 4-Hour Work Week has given me motivation to put my energy where I really want to focus. If you haven't already started following him, check out the blog website for a ton of amazing tips on how to live your best life, or follow him on Twitter. Then seek out the information for the books.

I haven't read the 4-Hour Bodyyet, but I have read the Tools of Titans and The 4-Hour Work Week and am a huge fan. Right after I post this I am going to hit send on the 4-Hour Body and the 4-Hour Chef.

This video is a great synopsis of his 4 Hour Body Book. It touches on diet, cardio-vascular health, body fat, muscular gain, diabetes, and reproductive health among other topics. (Caution..listening encouraged me to hit send at Amazon. :))

I also like the reminder that a positive, encouraging, open and learning environment is out there. Kudos to you Google for encouraging learning, bringing in speakers and allowing your employees to gain from it vs punishing them for wanting to learn.

"Why not help one another along the way?"

As we celebrate our country's independence today take a moment to remember that because of our founding fathers, we have a choice. To believe in what we want. To chose our own goals in life. To be free and treat each other equally. To act as we choose ourselves.

What you put out you get back. Vibrate positivity and you get back positive. Hold onto to the anger, frustration and hate that is brewing in our country now and that is exactly what will continue to grow.

I choose to believe in a higher good. I choose to be of help to others. I choose to work hard and play hard and to enjoy my time here. I choose to see everyone as equal with a right to express their own beliefs. I choose to send light and love to those who seek to cause me (or the world) hate. I choose to be positive.

I hope everyone has a safe, happy 4th of July filled with laughter and hope. Eat, drink and be merry. Put on some favorite tunes and celebrate your freedom to choose how you see the world. I know I'll be chillen with some reggae later today.

As Bob Marley so eloquently puts it "Make way for the positive day".

Reboot

Today was a day when my patient's took care of me. When I arrived at her home my shoulders were in my ears, my breath was shallow, and I could barely make eye contact. Clearly trying to keep up with it all is starting to make itself visible in my posture, stability and overall function if the moment I arrived this patient told me to relax and let my shoulders out of my ears.

At one of my jobs we recently switched our medical records system. I am behind a bit in getting started and have had only 3 visits so far on the new system. I enjoy being on the cutting edge of technology and like the convenience of electronic medical records, but when I'm learning I tend to freak out a bit. Did I do it right? Did I miss something? Why am I not okay with holding a tablet thru the whole treatment when every other medical professional does too?

I am finding a rhythm as I learn the system which will make the whole process easier. That helps my brain for the long term, but not so much for the short term angst which my patient was seeing as I started her treatment. 

Of course, just as I was about to have her sign and close the note, I hit a wrong button and then couldn't back out of it. In a panic, I called my manager. At the end she suggested I reboot the tablet. We weren't sure if all I previously entered would be lost, but luckily everything transferred over and all was right again.

This amazing patient and I breathed a collective sigh and then realized that really all that to fix all that ails us we need to remember 2 major things. 1-Complete that exhale, and let your shoulders come out of your ears and 2- When all else fails, find a way to re-boot. What is important will be saved. What isn't will go away.

I felt much better leaving my patient than I did when I started. I was reminded (once again) how important it is to take a moment to catch my breath between the stressful points in everyday life. I was also reminded that sometimes chaos erupts but when you reach out and ask for help it is there. 

I was also reminded that sometimes all that is needed is a re-boot. Shut it down. Take 10 seconds. Re-start. Time away from any situation can put a new perspective on the angst and pain...and any frozen moment we encounter in life.

Laughter is the best medicine.

I am trying to take my own advice. I am bummed that I am not with my favorite guy, at my favorite spot, for my favorite holiday. Sometimes being a responsible grown up stinks.

I am reminding myself that I still have lots of summer left. Even though I'm exhausted from paying attention to more than just myself, I am grateful I had the time with my mom and my nephew this weekend. We laughed so hard sometimes that our bellies hurt and we almost peed our pants. The time we had together created a bond that will never be broken.

Today was really hard because I knew we had to leave to come home. Most of the weekend was rainy, and I wanted my mom and nephew to have as much fun as possible today. As a result, I was anxious, grumpy, and downright bitchy. On the way home, my nephew found a way to change my thoughts. Again we giggled deep belly laughs. We acknowledged all we are grateful for. We said I love you.

I get limited time with my nieces and nephews because they have their own schedules and lives to live. My time with mom is limited. I do not want to waste the time I have with them on being angry, sad, or bitchy.

I am much more calm now. My back is less sore and the anxiety I had thru the day is gone. Perhaps if we acknowledge the angst and find a way to let it go, some of our aches and pains will go away. Perhaps if we take a moment to give thanks for what we do have, and for the people in our lives, we will feel much better about changes in our routine. Perhaps if we listen to the wisdom of our babes we can let go of anger and instead use our abs and our diaphragm for the ultimate core stability exercise with a big huge belly laugh.

Life is what you make it

As I'm sure you can tell from my recent posts, my nephew recently had a spiral fracture of  his tibia. This happened about a month before school ended. He has been in a cast for about 5 weeks so far and the end is in sight. As a young kid though, he feels like it is forever and that this is the worst summer that ever was. 

Sometimes life hands us obstacles we must grow past. What is the absolute worst to one person one day will be the best thing for someone else another day. We can either look at the absolute worst in the situation or we can try to find the beauty in the misery. 

Having a broken leg is NOT fun, especially in the summer when your favorite thing to do is to play in the water. However, there is SO much you CAN do even though you have a physical disability. You just have to look at the situation differently.

It rained all day today, and most of yesterday. Tomorrow we head home. We're not sure we'll get to hang out again at our lake house this summer. From where I stand, hanging out with my nieces and nephews makes it the best summer ever. 

In addition, we have decided to look at all the fun we do have. With a cast on your lower leg you can swing; you can walk on the docks; you can sit on the boat; you can fish; you can laugh; you can have S'mores; you can be present with your family.

My nieces and nephews teach me so much. I only hope they take away the fact that life is just what you make it. Good times and not so good times.