Sometimes the healer needs healing.
I really don't remember when my knee started to hurt. Whenever I walked up stairs, I thought I was going to have to CRAWL or invest in a real cane. Then, it progressed, and my knee would hurt going downstairs. I limited my number of trips to the second floor of my house or into the basement. I was consolidating tasks. I would have the boys grab things for me when they were at home. This is when I realized that we have ALOT of stairs. I started wondering how I became a 90-year-old woman overnight. When asked how I hurt my knee, I have NO idea!
I did some research on exercises I could do at home. Then, I stopped myself. My life is hectic. My brain capacity to develop a protocol for myself was at a ZERO. And...this type of work is not my thing. If you reach out to me and I think you need any physical holistic therapy, I GOT YOU...with a REFERRAL.
I sent my acupuncturist an email for a referral. My guy I like moved to an office on the north side of Chicago. It was just too far to have weekly appointments and to manage around my work schedule. I made an appointment for physical therapy followed by acupuncture at our regular office. Over the course of 6 weeks, I have been twisted, turned, re-aligned, needled, and cupped. I was given strengthening exercises to do daily at home. My son insisted on bike riding. We would come up with our bike route and he would leave me in the dust while I gingerly biked to our destination.
After a few sessions, my chiropractor switched. Normally, I probably would have been annoyed. But, the new guy was GREAT and explained everything. He told me that the brain can be confused by where the real pain is originating. In my case, my knee pain is back pain. This is where I had my A-HA moment. My back had been TIGHT. It's TIGHT now as I'm typing. My life had been so hectic over the past year that my poor pups don't get consistent daily walks. I haven't been doing yoga and stretching regularly. Frankly, I was taking care of everyone and everything other than myself.
That prior weekend, I met a Naprapath. No, it's not the same as what I studied...Naturopathy. This is a person who specializes in connective tissue to bring the body back into alignment. Like chiropractors, they use hand manipulation to decrease pain or resolve physical ailments. She spoke about how every part of your body is connected to your spine. EVERY SINGLE PART OF YOU IS CONNECTED TO ANOTHER PART OF YOU. I already knew that my knee pain was not an isolated situation. It was just confirmation of the connection to the back. I also had to address multiple areas: stress, hydration, movement, and inflammation. Of course, my personal training was in the back of my head saying..."you gotta do better chica!"
My chiropractic manipulation is consistent of re-aligning my hips and lower back. Physical therapy is consistent of strengthening my quadriceps, abdominal, and gluts. Lastly, acupuncture is to help energy flow at and around the impacted area.
Everything else is on me. I have tools to get myself rebalanced mentally and physically. I just must do the work...CONSISTENTLY. I'm detoxing to reduce any inflammation in my body (hello liver cleanse and mostly raw diet). I'm walking with the dogs. I'm meditating and clearing my mental space before I start my day. I'm doing something for ME at the end of the day. I'm going to bed early. My knee feels great. After a few days (it took me a second to finish this post!), my back feels at ease.
I am aways reminded that I have to lead by example. My children are watching and learning through me. Plus, my own experiences might help someone in the future.
Thanks for sharing.