My lower back is often tighter than I realize. My massage therapist kindly reminds me to keep walking, lifting and stretching. It usually keeps things decent.
My last physiotherapy appointment I asked Emily if we could assess my right hip. It was very painful after swimming last week.
Emily asked me a bunch of questions then set about assessing my hip and back. I stood on one leg, then the other. I did side bends. She then had my lay on my back and put my leg in various positions asking me to press or pull.
“Ok. Now I want you on your stomach and just go into a baby cobra as relaxed as possible.”
The pain went away. Yet another moment of “what I go in for is not the issue”. Translated pain is the name of my game.
So I’m on a tummy time routine with hourly baby cobra. It’s definitely working.
No more hip pain but WOW is my lower back screaming day and night.
It’s frustrating as I continue to chase one petty injury after another.
Looking back there have been many things to irritate my lower back.
My fall in December , walking in snowy conditions, less strength and cycling and, oh yes, shoveling a shit tonne of snow the past month.
It’s the injury of desk jockeys, those of us with extremely sedentary jobs.
“But Natalie!” you exclaim, “you are a very active person!”
Not farmer active. Not contractor active. I’m active around an 8 hour day of sitting. So I’m using the standing option as much as possible. I change up where I’m meeting. I use stretch brakes. Walking commutes.
While I am frustrated at always being in physiotherapy for something I’m grateful I can access expert care.
It’s tempting, laying here writing to just stop doing everything. But I know it will only make the pain and my quality of life much worse. So. Baby cobra and being kind to my back it is.
Right there with you on this one. I have three sets of daily mobility exercises I try to do. Knees, hiatal hernia, hips. Bah. Bodies! But beats the alternative, as my dad used to say.