Friday, April 13, 2007

Status Quo -- Ouch!

After Tuesday's class, I wrote about a nagging Shaolin sword injury that has plagued me for the last few weeks. To detail it better, I've found that the Shaolin sword appears when I'm extending my right leg out straight and at an angle, so a little pain comes when i'm doing caijiao, lunbi caijiao and zhengtitui fully, and during cetitui, waibaitaui and lihetui, cos they involve some kind of rotation/angling of that leg, but it is most apparent during pubu, most likely because I am actually putting my weight on it. I am frustrated because if I do pubu and dip to my left, I can extend my hand to my foot quite easily now, but going to my right, I cannot dip down all the way and am hesitant to shoot my palm past my knee. Gong bu seems okay. The actual pain itself? I feel like some fingers are digging into my leg just under my right buttcheek and pinching really tight. Curiously enough, when I am just walking around, I feel no trace of my injury.

So during yesterday's training, I once again struggled a bit with finding the right balance of training to build up my chi versus being careful not to injure myself further. Not easy! I deliberately got in line last for basics to force myself to slow down so I wouldn't feel the pressure of anyone at my back. I started out doing kicks with my right leg at half mast, but then for the later kicks, I opted to work only the left leg, forgoing any further lifting of the bum leg. During stretching, I did what I could by myself and tried to do a little with my right leg. For forms, I did what I could as well, avoiding dropping into a full pubu on that side during yiluquan and doing a full kick, which must have looked a little funny to those who might have watched me.

It's not easy because I love training and putting my all into it without thinking too much about whether or not to go full chi, whereas now, I have to be careful not to let my right leg fly. Focus and control are even more key. Also, being last in line means slowing down significantly as I am behind people who started training after me. And while I do not consider myself fast by any means, even in my injured state, I am able to go faster for some of the basics and have the endurance to use more of the carpet, so it's caused me to be even more mindful of others who are training near me.

All this slowing down has made me appreciate the fact that I have indeed progressed in the fifteen months or so that I've been training. It also forces me to know my body and listen to when it's going OW! I guess it's another instance where I've got to be patient and allow myself to progress at a pace that's right for me.

3 comments:

  1. Hi,

    I know I said I would never post here, but I started an e-mail so if you really must you can e-mail me.

    One you have to figure out whether you have a muscle injury or a tendon or soft bone injury. Now your butt doesn't really have any bones inside so I'm assuming it is a muscle injury. Perhaps it is a very bad tear.

    According to the NY times, it is actually okay to exercise through injury and exercising does help promote healing. But it all depends on what you do. If you feel like your muscles are tight it is good to massage it out. You can put a hard ball, like a tennis ball, under your butt and sit on it. Roll the ball with your butt. It will help get the knot out of the muscles in your butt. Also you may try the pigeon Yoga stretch. Look up pigeon stretch for details. This will also stretch the muscles in your butt.

    Now if its a deep muscle pain and it is not tight then it could be a tear. In the case of a tear, you do not want to strain it. I would suggest actually using a hot water bag or a hot blanket to help promote circulation around the butt.

    I am not exactly sure how you got this certain type of injury. It is one of the first I've heard of. But from what I hear of it, definitely sounds like a tear. Make sure to stretch often, keep it warm and take it easy.

    ReplyDelete
  2. hey KFW,

    thanks for the excellent comment and welcome back.

    my guess is it is a tear of some sort because it is not constantly sore. only when i do certain movements does it feel like a really sharp pinch, and it is not on the surface.

    i think something popped when i was doing three way stretch against the wall, and someone was pulling my leg out towards them. maybe i wasn't warmed up enough for the tug, and something felt funny all of a sudden and i couldn't reach my foot anymore.

    it's not so horrible that i'm constantly in pain or can't walk or run around. like i said, it's only during certain movements.

    i'm gonna take it easy on that leg for a while and cross my fingers. and then see a doctor if it really is a problem.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think it's best to be mindful of that leg. Although, I hear you girl~ that it's hard trying to be mindful but at the same time you want to train hard. :) I hope that it will help by resting and training a bit. :)

    ReplyDelete