Living Life – After the fall Part 3
Oops I did it again…….
It’s Thursday, 8/18, and I get up ready to start the day. My sister Laura and niece Emma will be here Saturday , 8/20, for a few days. Can’t wait! Been a while! As I get up out of bed, my left glute muscle is so painful I can barely stand up! What? I went to bed with no pain and wake up in excruciating pain from what?
And here we go again. My body worked it’s magic on my sprained right thigh muscle and it’s completely healed Now my left glute is screaming in pain. So back to the muscle healing rabbit hole on the internet and I find a couple of options. I go with the muscle has been weakened from non-use over the past month and that muscle was the piriformis. Next up finding out how to heal and relieve this pain!
I found a couple of YouTube videos which seemed like they would get this muscle healing going. I’m listing them below if you’re interested. These worked for me, you’d have to decide if they are good for you. My new program is now foam rolling, a stretch routine for the piriformis to stretch and strengthen and a yoga practice for the hips and lower body. If you know me, you know I’m going to search until I find something I can do and I think will help me. My new loosen up my butt muscle program seems to be in place! And on a side note, did you you know there is something called dead butt syndrome? It does exist! 😉
I started out with the stretching program and that hurt. But it seemed to help. One thing I noticed is almost every exercise program for this muscle had, was the figure four stretch. It is a yoga pose I am very familiar with so easy to do. The first group starts out doing it in a chair, then on the floor on a mat. A few other stretches and on to strengthening! Funny note, two of the exercise he shows to help strengthen the muscle are part of my aerobic routine. Up next the yoga practice. This practice includes the figure four and pigeon pose A bit painful but the only way to heal a tight muscle is to stretch it.
So the next three days I am hanging out with both my sisters and my niece. So fun but still a pretty painful glute. I am using the walking stick, which really doesn’t help but it does oddly give me a comfort zone. The girls head on into the city on Tuesday and I’m back on my program which seems to be working slowly.
Long story short, this process continued over four weeks! I did the same workout every morning and slowly my glute/piriformis began to heal. By week two I was off my fabulous walking stick as it really didn’t help this issue. Stairs will always be a problem with any mobility issue but I did work myself back to one step up and down normally. Week three I was feeling mostly soreness more than pain. I stopped the extensive stretches and kept my routine to yoga and foam rolling now just once a day. In between I was still using heat twice a day and the tennis ball for days the muscle felt extra tight.
Week four has arrived, last week, and I am just about healed. I started walking again with a mile or so each day. No issues. I hadn’t stopped by Oscar in over two months so he was happy to see me.
Friday, 9/16 was week nine! What a non-summer it has been. I fell on July 15th, three weeks into summer. No real activity for four weeks, four days and healed. Two days later my glute/piriformis acts up and there’s another four weeks gone. Thursday 9/22 begins Autumn. The summer is now over. But the positive in all this is I broke no bones and have healed pretty much back to July 14th body status!
Thanks for joining me on this unusual journey. As with most things in life, there are takeaways. Here are mine:
-Don’t fall.
-A walking stick can be your new best friend at any age!
-Listen to your body and rest when it causes you excruciating pain!
-A healthy lifestyle will help your healing process!
-Research on the internet is general and be careful what you choose for your injury and body,
-People react differently when you have a walking stick/cane. Interesting.
-Be happy for all the little advances you make towards healing. Mental attitude plays a role as well!
-Don’t fall.
I hope you found my blog entertaining and maybe a bit informative. Take care of you and your loved ones. Leave a comment here if you like. I’m going to blog on the interesting things which may come up from time to time. Be sure to check back. Happy Autumn all! 😉
*Disclaimer:
This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Kim Gerhardt, Certified Health Coach, does not take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.
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Living Life – After the Fall Part 2
Let’s talk walking sticks! I had never used one before my fall, but I will after. The walking stick acted like a crutch for my right leg, therefore helping me walk with some less pain. I used it up and down the evil stairs, in and out of the car and on all my dog walks and watering of the plants
On a side note, stairs are the enemy of anyone with mobility issues. Kim speak. I never had an issue before and these past six weeks have been a challenge navigating them through my recovery and re-injury. I now understand why my mom moved so slow when going up and down them because of her dropped foot. I never rushed her and let her take her time, but now I have a better understanding of her fear of falling and pain.
I say get a walking stick! No age restrictions, it’s great for hikers and maybe for you if you’re injured like me and need walking assistance. I love mine!! Check them out here on Amazon if you’re interested
Okay over the next eight days I used ice on my thigh muscle instead of heat. I liked it the way it felt and it made it feel better for a minute. At the two week mark, I was in a lot of pain and almost every person I knew wanted me to get it checked out and see if I had fractured my hip. So I went to an Urgent Care, the doctor could not see me until September 19th, the date was July 29th!! Long story short, they told me I had indeed sprained my inner thigh muscle and he asked me my age. When I told him, he said I needed to get an X-ray because of my age and the chance of any type of hip fracture. So I asked if he could take it there since they advertised X-rays. Nope, they had a machine but no one to read them. So I was given the name of another Urgent Care with X-ray capacities and saw them. They had me walk and then X-rayed my hip from three angles.
Diagnosis-I had severely sprained my thigh muscle from the fall, but good news my hips had normal age erosion. No fractures anywhere! This was important for me because my mom had degenerative hip disease and two hip replacements! She also had arthritis in her hips and luckily not me! I was to use heat 4-6 times a day and Motrin as needed. If not better in two weeks, see an Orthopedic. Yikes. Seems the cold was constricting the blood vessels so they did not allow the flow to come through and heal the sprain. I started on the heat and Motrin immediately and the next day felt improvement. Amazing. I am vegan so I could not have extra animal protein to aid in faster healing. I found a ground hemp with 12 grams of protein, add to my shake and a complete protein, yay, at Adams! Let’s interject here how painful walking around food shopping was. I used ShopRite’s food delivery the second week. Loved it, so easy and they had all my food. I tried walking around the next week, thought the cart would help me. A big fat no on that. It’s good for balance but not my issue. A fifteen minute shopping took me almost an hour walking around. So anyway….Fortunately my supplement regime and foods I eat were necessary for healing faster. Whew. I continued to barely move, eat healthy and use the heating pad 4-6 times a day. I needed the stick to get up and down the stairs to water my plants, the plants around me and of course my mom’s garden. My leg improved daily I think and by week 4 and 4 days I was able to walk around Cold Spring with my friend all day and no pain issues. Yay. That was a Tuesday. No orthopedic necessary! Wednesday was a good day, my thigh muscle had no pain at all and I was ready to get back slowly to my workout routine-three mile walk, hour and fifteen minutes of aerobics and half an hour of yoga. Not all at once but start with half the walk. Sounds good. Well then I woke up Thursday morning and……stay tuned for Part 3
*Disclaimer:
This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Kim Gerhardt, Certified Health Coach, does not take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.
Read MoreLiving Life -After the fall August 30, 2022
Hello blog peeps! Welcome to or back to my blog posts. Been a minute but I thought my crazy summer might be a good start. Check out all the info below, it’s in three posts. If you like it, leave a like in the comments. Or what you’d like to say. Only positivity please!
I plan to start my weekly blogs again soon. My take on whatever! Stay tuned for more info! Thanks again and happy reading!
July 15th started out with my usual morning routine. I had just finished my three mile walk and was on the way home to get ready for my hair appointment with the wizard! I heard my friend’s dog barking and I went by her house to say hello instead of heading straight home. Funny how one little change of plans can impact your life so greatly. But I digress. I walked by the back porch and he wasn’t outside. There is where change wasn’t a good thing. Normally I’d go to the left and home. That day I decided to go to the right and say hi around the front of the house. He wasn’t out so I said hi and bye to him inside and off I went down the driveway. Second change, I always look down to walk or run. This time I did not and as I stepped down, at the end of the driveway where it meets the road, I hit a little depression or hole and I tumbled to the ground. Hard. I landed on the road on my right side flat out. That was painful. My right hand stopped me from crashing my head on the ground but as I fell on that side, my right leg splayed open all the way to the right. Yikes. I sat there a minute or two in shock. It was 8:15 am and not one person had heard me scream out. But who was listening for me? 😉 Luckily I was able to get myself up slowly and limp home, which was two blocks away.
Once I was home, I had to get ready for my hair appointment at 9 am, priorities, so I put some ice on my inner right thigh muscle for 20 minutes. Helped a bit but I was pretty shaken up literally and emotionally. I had never really fallen so hard ever. I’ve had the normal spills, got up and was on my way. This fall was different and it would show me that as the days went on.
Off I went to get my hair magic and share my tale of the fall. After that, I headed out on my usual three store food shopping weekly extravaganza. Because I was taking care of my mom, I had to shop at specific times. During the pandemic I would shop everything early one morning a week to save time and being exposed to Covid for myself and my mom. I like getting it all done early and in a few hours so I kept that routine even after she passed. xo I hit the big three-Adams, ShopRite and the wrap-up at Walmart that day. Didn’t feel horrible at the time but as you may know, muscles take a few days to give you that intense searing pain of a sprain.
I’m in pretty good shape and considering my turns around the sun, have taken good care of this body. I keep myself physically fit and mostly healthy. All vegan. I’ve never smoked and limit alcohol. I exercise 2.5 hours a day – cardio and yoga. So in my mind this was a blip in the day. The next evening I went to a birthday party , limped around but nothing horrific. Sunday I tripped on my dog, which is a pretty usual experience, but this time the pain was intense from the sprained thigh muscle. By Monday the pain started to fire up and I had difficulty walking. I had been using ice on the leg as per the instructions everywhere. After two days use heat and or ice if you like it. That was a mistake. More on that later.
Tuesday, I was walking my dog Kookie very gingerly, slowly and with an actual stick to help me walk. My friend saw me, as he was walking the doggie I was going to say hi to, and said he had a walking stick I could borrow instead of the tree branch I was using. I said sure and about 15 minutes later, I was home, and he dropped off this beautiful, swirled light wood walking stick to use as I needed. How kind was that? I told another friend about it and she asked what a walking stick was. I sent her a picture and later that day I received a text I would be getting a delivery from Amazon the next day. What? Yup, she got me a beautiful pine walking stick. I am blessed for the people around me. I got it on Wednesday and it’s been a lifesaver from that day forward.
Stay tuned for Part 2……………………….
*Disclaimer:
This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Kim Gerhardt, Certified Health Coach, does not take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.
Read MoreLiving Life July 21, 2022
Happy day, or night, to you! It’s been a minute since my last blog. The Pandemic rose and fell, Zoom became the new at work, masks came and went. For now anyway.
The one constant in all this change is your health. That should always remain paramount in your life. Remember you can’t help anyone else in your life if you can’t help yourself.
Today is kind of a special day for me….it’s my seven year anniversary of becoming a Certified Health &Wellness Coach!. Thank you to the Dr. Sears Wellness Institute for your guidance, support and never ending information on my coaching practices!
I started with this first certification and now have 42 certs and always one or two pending. I have been lucky to have worked with great clients, friends and family these past seven years and I’ve learned so much. In that time I went from a Pescatarian, to Vegetarian to Vegan. I am now fully plant based and added plant based fitness chef and Vegan Nutrition Health Coach to my certifications. Putting my real life experience and lifestyle into all my practices keeps me sharp and cutting edge in the health world.
I am working on updating some programs and hoping for a fall return. Keep you eyes open to my Facebook page Kim Gerhardt Health & Wellness Coach or email me here for more info.
Here’s to a healthy Summer! See you soon!
Coach Kim
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The Wellness Corner March 2020
Hello all it’s finally March! Spring is on the way……..
With the shedding of heavy clothes, you may want to do the same with those extra pounds. Did you gain some weight over the winter? A more sedentary lifestyle and heavier foods can cause weight gain. Statistics show an average weight gain in the winter can be five to seven pounds!
Here are some ideas that may help you on your way to losing weight and avoiding weight gain:
- Eat more fruits and vegetables
- Focus on getting more natural fiber into your diet
- Eat more complex carbs such as fruits and veggies, whole grains and whole grain products instead of simple, sugary junky carbs
- Plan and make your meals and snacks
- Practice mindful eating-meaning eat to enjoy your food and satisfy your hunger
- Keep your body hydrated
- Move that body
Need some help navigating the food stores and markets to find the healthiest choices? Sign up for my Improving Lifestyle Personal Coaching sessions and let’s get your program started!
You can learn how to life a more balanced, healthy life. 🙂
Coach Kim
Certified Health & Wellness Coach
Certified Nutrition for All -youth to seniors
Certified Personal Fitness Chef-plant based
*Disclaimer:
This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Kim Gerhardt, Certified Health Coach, does not take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.
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The Wellness Corner January 2020
Hey thanks for stopping “The Wellness Corner” Once or twice a month I’ll be blogging about what’s new in health coaching, fitness, healthy cooking and improving your lifestyle! If you like what you read, please leave a comment!
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