First off, I did have my foot x-rayed. There was no break. Although there's not much that can be done for broken toes (other than taping, usually), my doctor was concerned that the metatarsal may have been broken based on the level of bruising and swelling. Although everything ended up being fine (well, "fine" as in, "not broken"), over two weeks later, my left foot is still swollen and my second toe hurts like a bitch all the time. I imagine that constantly walking on it with a body weighing 240 pounds doesn't give much rest to tiny toesies. I have another doctor's appointment this week and will probably start icing the foot to get swelling down. I just barely got over my last foot problem (other foot, at least). I don't need to go through this again.
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| One creepy, bony foot; one swollen foot |
My doctor said that most likely I ruptured a disc when I fell and it was swollen and pinching a nerve. He said to be careful about my arms (potentially indicates ruptured disc in neck) or legs (potentially indicates ruptured disc in lower back) falling asleep, because that could mean we have a larger issue (or worse injury than we thought). At that point, maybe I will need an MRI?? Well, I'm sure its psychosomatic like the previously reported increased pain, but suddenly this weekend, I had several instances where my arms or legs went to sleep. In fact, when I got up on a massage table yesterday, there was a pillow under my feet and the angle almost immediately put my legs to sleep. I had to move it and shake my legs out and I was fine within seconds. It was scary though. And I'm still wondering if it is mostly in my mind.
Apparently the next six weeks are critical (well, the next four weeks since two weeks have already passed). I am supposed to be taking it very easy in the workout department. No lifting of heavy things, which means no spotting during pole class. I also need to be careful about back bending. I haven't been to yoga in a couple of weeks (mostly because my toes hurt in positions like downward dog) but did do a very gentle Fly Gym class with Ginger last week, which felt great. My doctor said this type of injury is usually too deep to ice but I have been icing my back and hip on occasion anyway. I did a lot of walking and sitting while driving this weekend, and have low pain this morning, surprisingly. This morning, in fact, my left hip is completely pain-free for the first time in years (thanks to the myofascial release). The rest of my leg is slightly throbbing, however.
I feel like I will never get ahead. As soon as I'm ready to start kicking ass and taking names, I get pushed down in the dirt. I have another doctor's appointment this week. I will mention the sleepy arms and legs, but am still feeling a little crazy that I didn't notice it until he mentioned it. My goals at this point are to figure out how to be kind to my body without letting all my progress go by the wayside.
How do you deal with injuries? I don't want to injure myself permanently, but if I stop exercising every time I'm hurt, I will essentially never exercise. If you have any advice, please leave it in the comments below!
