Which comes to today's topic - stretching. Obviously, if you have read this blog you know I am a yogi. I love it! I love how it detoxes my body, the feeling of accomplishment after finishing a class and how stress free I feel once I am done with a flow. There are so many benefits to yoga!
What I don't love is the stretching....which means that's what I need to do the most! It's true. Leg flexibility is not one of my strong suits. I have always wanted to be able to do splits but the pain in my groin and hamstrings never allowed it.
This past winter I (unfortunately) found out that I have pelvic floor issues. You can read more about it here HERE. From what I understand, many women are affected by this but are afraid to talk about it. I can understand the silence once you read the link above. Some women may find it embarrassing to regale you with the symptoms. But not me....
My symptoms started after a hot vinyasa class. I came home, started to cook dinner with Frank and then turned to get something from the fridge. It was at that moment that I felt a severe pain on the inside, to the point where taking a minor step felt impossible. It felt like Norman Bates was shoving his knife in me (eeh! eeh! eeh!) and I could feel it in my stomach all the way down to my feet. Frank had to carry me to bed as I was unable to move. It was a pretty scary experience because I had no idea what was happening to me. I thought that I was going to hemorrhage but there were no external symptoms. I saw my doctor the next day, still feeling massive discomfort, but everything from her perspective seemed normal. A week later the pain was gone as quickly as it came. I thought I was going out of my mind!
Less than two months later I was 5 minutes into a yoga class and the same stabbing feeling came back. This was even worse since I was alone, I wasn't home and I somehow had to get myself back. It took me about 40 minutes just to get my bag and walk down to my car that day. I had no clue what was going on just that I wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemy!
I talked to my sister, who is a physical therapist, and she was the one who brought pelvic floor disorder to my attention. She advised that I speak to my doctor and possibly meet with a specialist. Thankfully, my doctor knew a physical therapist who worked with patients like me. Sure enough, I was diagnosed with pelvic floor disorder after my initial visit.
This is how the condition was explained to me; your muscles are all connected and interlaced in your pelvic floor. So if they are too tight or too weak they could cause pain in the pelvic area (obviously this is a very shorted version of the diagnosis. I am not a physical therapist or doctor so if you want more information please feel free to research the topic!).
In my case, my pelvic floor muscles were so wound up and in knots that it caused my hips to misalign, my pubic bone to separate and my tailbone to twist. Thankfully, this is a disorder that can be fixed with extensive physical therapy (as long as you do the exercises everyday). Unfortunately, the "cure" was not going to happen overnight.
"So my tailbone and groin pain are not normal???" "Ummm, no"
A haaaaa, A haaaaa
I have complained about my tailbone and groin pain for years! I thought one was the result of arthritis and the other from years of running and playing soccer, respectively. What I didn't know was that these aches are common signs of pelvic floor disorder.
My therapist said that this is where I hold my stress.....who knew?!? To boot, it was compounded by years of not recognizing that I was building tension in that area. With all the sports I was involved in you would think that stretching my legs and hips were a part of my daily schedule. I just didn't realize I wasn't doing it right. That and I always took the stretching portion of our practices as a time to socialize because I did not find any point in it. It was just boring and a waste of time in my opinion. Oh what the 32 year old me would tell the 12 year old me!
Now, doing moves that most people find easy are so difficult for me. My piriformis and psoas muscles are super tight!!!
The key to overcoming these aches is stretching. A little bit everyday and you will see how much it helps! You have to listen to your body and do what is available to you but each day you will see an improvement. Practicing will only make it better. And I know it may seem monotonous but you need to stretch! It will only help in the long run! Here is another article that I found interesting; it answers the questions in regards to time of day, how long to hold stretches and how often you should stretch.
Below are the exercises that my physical therapist made me do every day. These all helped tremendously in my recovery....
Clams - slowly turn the entire top leg outward so that the kneecap rotates upward slightly. Don't let the pelvis or trunk move; the motion is at the hip. Do 20 -30 of these on each side
Pigeon pose - try to slide the shin so that it is parallel to the front of the mat; keep hips aligned and lower down until the stretch is felt. Hold stretch for 60 seconds; do 2-3 sets on each side
Happy Baby - lying down bring knees up to your chest and out. Hold for 60 seconds. Do 2 sets of these
Leg lifts with band - start standing straight and lift leg to side. Keep hips aligned and do not jut opposite hip out to the side. Do 30 on each side.
I hope that everyone reading this blog stretches everyday! It's amazing what 20-30 minutes a day can help with and more importantly help you avoid! Listen to your body because it is most likely telling you what you need to do!
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