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Gauging Progress
I usually gauge my progress by how I feel on a good day. On a bad day, I can still have quite a bit of pain and it can be pretty discouraging. Time goes by so fast, a month's worth of work is nothing, and I usually don't notice that much progress in a month's time.
The discouraging thing is, even after all the progress that I've made, I can still only do a small fraction of what a normal person can do. That's just the way it is. Like Dirty Harry says, "A man's got to know his limitations". |
A Pretty Good Day Today
Today was pretty good, as far as my movement, and pain levels. One of the best that I've had in many years, so that's encouraging, but I won't get cocky, because it never lasts very long. A good day, is what keeps me going, though. I try to always look for the positive. I've had so many negative people in my my life, and I've done so much better since I've distanced myself from them.
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Myofascial Release
I've been able to get pretty aggressive with the self-myofascial release. Mainly using a lacrosse ball, a spikey ball, and a rake handle. Over time I've been able to get deeper and deeper into the fascia and my movement is gradually improving. This is a long haul.
When I first started this, I found a girl online that reversed her fibromyalgia pain, and she said it took about five years. I'm at about 44 months myself right now, so five years probably sounds about right. |
45 Months of Joint Mobility
I'm at the 45 month mark now of working on my mobility, and still making progress. The mobility in my shoulders is starting to get pretty darn good. Probably the best I can ever remember it being. In general, the more mobility I seem to reclaim, the less my pain levels are. I'm not pain-free, but it sure beats how I used to be.
A physical therapist I once went to, told me I was one of the tightest people she had ever seen. If that's really the case, when it comes to reclaiming mobility, I guess that means I know more, from experience, than most people on the planet. One thing I do know, is, most people don't seem to understand what I'm talking about. I'm going to try and keep beating the importance of mobility into people's heads. Most people don't get it, or simply don't care about it. |
Great to hear, Coop! I have stopped all exercise for now because I flared myself pretty badly with some attempts. Seeing the doc on Wed.
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Posture and Movement are Everything
The longer I work at this, this is what I see. Good posture and good movement seemed to go hand in hand. The better my movement gets, the better my posture seems to be.
Reversing chronic pain takes a long time, though. It's getting close to four years now, in my case, and it's a roller-coaster ride. There's a lot of ups and downs. I think people expect a quick fix for this stuff, and it takes time. Whole body movement is key, in my experience. All of the people that teach functional movement say that. Pain-free movement is number one. Strengthening only comes when you move well without any pain. I don't do any strengthening, still working on movement. Most people don't understand that. That includes therapists. |
Mid Back Bain
My shoulders are starting to move pretty good and my hips are starting to move pretty good. I am having some mid back pain, however. I think that my spine is still tight in that area and it's one of last things to start loosening up. I'm working on it daily, trying to restore the curve to my spine. I'm starting to get pretty stoked about the progress I've made. There's no doubt in my mind that the things I'm doing would help many people, but you have to be pretty obsessed to make it work.
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Quote:
My pain in the upper arm was drastically reduced with the pec minor release. Sensitivity around the elbow sounds like it my be ulnar nerve compression. A neurologist can do a nerve conduction test to pinpoint this and I hear that surgery is relatively minor one to three week recovery. |
Movement before Nutrition
I've tried many different diets and nutritional supplements over the years, but I never noticed much difference in my pain levels. In my experience, movement is number one. Joint mobility exercises, self-myofascial release, and vacuum cupping are what have helped me the most. It's a slow process, though, and the pain gets worse, before it starts getting better.
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Another Flare
Having another flare at the moment. I guess I'll never be smart enough to completely figure this out. Even though I've made a lot of progress, when I have a flare, I still feel like crap. Pain is pain.
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