Physiotherapy - Session 2

Yesterday I had the second session of Physiotherapy for my hip, provided free (so far) on the NHS. It was a bit of a shocker for me but I'll come to that in a bit.

Most of the first half hour session was more administrative, but Rachel had left me instructions for stretches which I mentioned on the last Physio post, and which I have done pretty much faithfully.

I wasn't sure what I'd be in for, but altogether it wasn't that different in approach, just less admin. I showed her the stretches I'd been doing so she could correct my technique, telling her how I'd found it easy to engage the piriformis in my left buttock but couldn't find my right ("It's like I've got half a bum", I told her). A bit of wiggling around to try to engage the muscle did the trick so I'll carry on with that one.

Pleasingly I've got a bit more flexibility in both hips when I have the ankle of one foot on the other knee, but it's still not that good (what's happening to me, I'm not that old yet!).

Then to explore the problem areas more, she held each leg in turn, manipulating my limbs away from, down, up and across from my torso as I lay on the therapy table in a state of calmness alternating with gasps of pain or odd looks as it wasn't quite pain but definitely wasn't quite 'right'. She seemed to register these with a knowing sense of, I dunno, something, experience maybe? Learned knowledge? Anyway, then she had me laying on my back and keeping one leg flat while moving the other knee as close to my chest as she could (which is pretty close!), she asked me what stopped it moving further. I responded very naturally (as I do) by just saying "Fat". Well, I could do with losing a bit of weight and it was an accurate answer!

That got us both laughing!

The bit that had the biggest impact on me though was when she had me laying on my side and lifting the top most leg in the air, feet pointing towards the wall, like the old 80's aerobics classes used to do. I thought "No problem, I can do these in my sleep!" I couldn't have been more wrong. I bet I lifted it all of 3 inches when a) I couldn't lift it any further and, b) I yelped! Houston we have a problem. For my own sanity I turned on to my other side and tried the same movement. No problem. My leg could go up and down til the cows came home. It dawned on me that actually it wasn't a titchy problem that I was making a big deal out of. Honestly, little old ladies could do that better than me (no offense to any little old ladies who may be reading this). She wont even let me do that exercise as homework either, instead I have to just keep my pelvis towards the wall and to open from my knees like a wall-facing clam shell. Oh my God! All my life I have been pretty flexible and taken it for granted pretty much. I was often the strongest, even at school. I can sit and reach waaaaay past my toes. It always puzzled me when people could only reach to their ankles; I'd ask myself, "Why?".

And now I'm in that situation and I don't like it one bit. It scares me a bit to think I could be walking and be 8-12 miles from the car and be struck by the pain I felt when I went walking in the snow before Christmas. Every single step had shooting pain. I am sure back sufferers have something similar.

Well my commitment to getting better is there 100%. I'm charting that I do the exercises, not overdoing it, not doing an at home yoga class unless it's dead easy. I just can't afford to over do it and besides which the pain my body sends my brain will tell me to stop anyway. This is definitely not the time for Chopper Reid and his HTFU approach. I'm seeing her again in two weeks time, same time, same place. Therapy for the body instead of the mind, but like my mind, it's surprising me!