The hardest thing I do in any given day is sit in a
chair. I know that doesn’t sound
challenging, but there are consequences to sitting. Within 30-45 minutes, a quiet ache settles
into my left hip. I’ll start to squirm a
bit. I usually don’t notice, but my
darling husband has begun to pick up on it.
When we go out to eat, booths are the worst!
If I don’t notice or even ignore these warning signs, the
ache deepens and grows. Sometimes it
will ooze down the outside of my thigh.
I learned quite some time ago that this ache follows my sciatic nerve
down my leg. At my worst, it goes all
the way to my foot! I avoid that state
at all costs!!
Have you ever noticed how much we sit, as a society?
I don’t deal very well with being less-than-functional. I get crappy.
Grumpy. Snappy. Every little thing gets under my skin. Do you know the feeling?
I discovered that horseback riding usually made me feel
better, even if it was only for a short period.
I can’t take off from work to go ride a horse when that
feeling settles in, so I use a few other strategies, instead.
Stretching
I have been through physical therapy at least 3 times now,
and I get something new every time.Prone-on-Elbows is a pain relief position I have used for 12 years, now. I lie on my stomach and prop myself up on my elbows. It can take 10 or 15 minutes for this position to reduce my pain, but it has always helped to some degree.
Most recently, I learned an active stretching method to
reduce, and even remove, my pain. It’s
called centralization. The idea is that
if the extend of the pain decreases, or if the pain moves closer to my
core/spine, then I am improving and doing something that will make me better. I start in that prone-on-elbows position to
let my spine figure out where we are about to be moving. Then I do what I think of as “cobra push-ups”. I lower my upper body to the ground. I place my hands under my shoulders, and I
push up as high as I can comfortably go while I leave my hips on the floor (or
at least, near the floor) in a Cobra position.
At the top of my push up, I take a moment to “sag” my hips. I just relax everything in my middle and let
gravity pull my pelvis toward the floor before I lower myself back down. I do this in rhythm with my breathing. I inhale as I push up, exhale to drop my
hips, and continue to exhale as I return to the floor.
Seriously, I’ll do this at work in my cubicle. I may look silly, but I can’t do my job if I’m
trying to sit through pain!
Heat
I have little pillows (complete with covers) filled with
corn. I warm them in the microwave and
apply ‘moist’ heat. I keep one at work,
and I keep one at home. If the heat
fades and I need just a little more, I shift the corn around inside and
reapply!
My last round of physical therapy, we would start my bad
days with this warm clay pack wrapped in a towel. The heat would sink into my back and dissolve
the stiffness in about 15 minutes. My
corn pillows let me recreate that same affect at home.
Usually, I’m not a fan of the cold. Icing in the winter doesn’t feel good to me. Sometimes, however, there is distinct inflammation that can use my attention, and icing it will help. My same corn bags can be put in the freezer and act like a bag of frozen peas (without the wetness and squishiness that inevitable follows the pea thing). Bonus, the corn is reusable!
My husband keeps 3 neck wraps I mad for him in the freezer
to put on his neck after a tough day.
There is always a wrap or two ready to go in the freezer. Inevitably, one is left in or next to the bed… But, hey! It’s a system that works!
Medication
I’m still on a prescription nerve pain blocker, but my dose
is decreasing. One day, I will be able
to do without it. In the meantime, I
continue to work from where I am. Small
steps will eventually lead me to where I want to be!I still supplement with Ibuprofen on worse days. I might take it once or twice a week.
I use these tools.
They might not be right for you.
I list them to share what is working for me. If they work for you as well, that is
fantastic!
I love to hear from you, so please tell me in the comments
how you cope with your pain…
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