If you play, or have played, a wind instrument, or have had voice lessons this will not be a surprise to you. It's not a surprise to me....but it is a new discovery. It isn't quite the same as the last time when the improvement was sudden and unexpected.
My physical therapist taught me a technique which she calls her "internal brace." As I am working on that technique I discover if I can do it at the beginning of a longer passage, I can sustain my air longer. Totally cool.
It is a hard thing to describe in text, and I will make an attempt on my flute blog, but here's a brief effort:
- Place your thumbs just in front of your hip bones
- Point the fingers down and press in with your index finger
- Take a breath and expand this area, without pushing your gut out
- Breathe in and out while maintaining the pressure
- With practice it can become automatic
Good luck!
I think the pain in the back if my knee is finally gone! I have been focusing on stretching that area. My therapist had explained to me that the spot where it hurts is actually part of the hamstrings, and is tight. This strikes me as weird, because I have very flexible hamstrings after years of teaching yoga. The hamstring group of muscles affect two joints: the hip and the knee. What I have discovered is that the part near my hip is very flexible, but the part near my knee is not.
I have used self-massage to soften and stretch this area, and it has not been uncomfortable in the last few days. However, a new frustration has developed: pain medial to the incision. Sometimes it is severe enough that I cannot straighten the leg to walk. Arrggh! After having this happen 2-3 times, I finally decided that it is brought on when I sit where my knees are too deeply bent, such as our couch, or the porch steps, and some chairs. The spot that hurts is the place where the doctor explained they go through the joint capsule, and it just takes time to fully heal..months.
The hardest thing right now Is that my energy is much improved, making it hard to rest as much as I should. However, once I figured out that this "new" pain was being caused when I sit without elevating my legs, I took a day and spent it sitting on the day-bed, where I have spent most of my days since my surgery. It felt much better after that.
In the past 2 weeks I have taught line dance twice..it feels so normal, so nice to dance and not have pain, or feel unstable. I went to Zumba Gold last week, and that was fine. Next week, I will substitute teach the Zumba Gold class.
I still find the most difficult movement is to straighten my leg after having the knee bent. "Heel slides" are still impossible to do when I am lying down. If I sit up, I can do them. I expect that once the joint capsule is fully healed I will be able to do this exercise. Until then, there are plenty of other things I can do.
Six weeks. I am so very tired of sitting, and eager to start getting back to my normal activities. I have some worries, though, and am glad to have time to sit down and discuss them with my doctor. He takes a positive, practical approach and that soothes my worries.
My left knee, the one that is now 7 months post-surgery, has started making grinding noises as I go up the stairs..I fear it will deteriorate and I will end up needing a full knee replacement. My doctor's answer: "Don't worry about it! Living with arthritis means we adjust our behavior to avoid pain. Is there a way to keep it from grinding?" Answer that I have discovered if I lean forward a bit more, and put more of the lift come from the glutes it doesn't grind. He tells me to keep doing that.
Next worry: the pain behind my knee as come back. It is worse after sitting in a chair, and when we go for a walk, it hurts at the beginning, then goes away, and comes back again as I become fatigued. He tells me he wants me to get on a stationary bike. Ugh. I will do it, but it don't want to. I ask if I can swim, or get in a hot tub, and he says yes, that may help, too.
With my fitness background I want to go "all-out" and ask when I can do that. He grins and says "Never. You have to listen to your body, and be reasonable in exercising." OK. I can do that. One thing I have learned in this process is the importance of mindful exercise. My doctor's favorite statement on exercise is "if it hurts, don't do it." Wise advice.
Now I begin my own physical therapy program. I am on my own to rebuild my strength. I have almost full flexion in my knee. I fatigue very quickly. In a few days I will teach my Lind dance class for the first time in 6 weeks. I am excited, and a bit nervous.
Pain update: My therapist feels the pain is overworked and unhappy hamstring muscles, due to lazy gluteus medius.
OK. This spot has hurt for at least 3 years. It isn't going to stop hurting overnight. I have my work cut out for me, and fortunately, with my training as a fitness pro, I can do it...but I know it will take a while. At some point, I may have to deal with re-training my brain to not send out pain signals because it remembers that spot hurt.
Not thrilled. But at least I know what it hurting, and why, and what to do about it.
THE GOOD NEWS:
When I selected the surgery date that would mean no Thanksgiving, I decided I wanted to spend New Year's Day with my 94-year-old mother. So my husband and I made the 130-mile trip to spend the evening before and the day with her. Sitting in the car for the 2 1/2-3 hour trip was a very big deal. Last time around, I could not have managed it at this point in recovery.
Not only did it go well, but I drove the first 45 minutes! We had a lovely day, and had turkey with the trimmings. I was tired enough to not try driving on the way home, and my knee got pretty achy by the time we got here. It was well worth it, we had a lovely time.
This process of healing seems to be and "up and down" thing. Now it hurts again. In the same old place, behind the knee, just above the joint on the inner (medial) side. My insurance changes on the 31st, so I just have today and tomorrow with my physical therapist to figure this thing out.
And I seem to have developed a negative reaction to both the pain pill (hydrocordone acetaminophen--digestive distress); and Tylenol (exacerbates the tinnitus that has plagued me for the last 4 months). I see my doctor for my 6-week check-up in a few days, so I will "tough it out."
Sigh....
BIG DAY! I did a whole bunch of things I haven't done for a month!
- First dancing: a song came on the radio, which is a favorite line dance. Just to see if I could....yeah, sweet. Nothing hurt, and I did all the steps..gently.
- First time I've styled my hair and put on makeup In a month.
- First trip in the car driving myself.
- First time back in church.
- First time playing my flute in church services--(not the first ever, but first performance since the surgery).
It feels good to be doing the "normal" things.
Now, for some rest!!
