"Oh My G-d!! Are You OK? Here... Sit Down."
It's a habitual response to injury, to ask someone to sit. To NOT move.
Today I had a "little" accident at home. I was hot and tired after lunch, and so I had a short nap (or so I thought) before 4pm yoga class. I overslept. Didn't hear the alarm and woke 90 mins later in a pool of sweat on the sofa. Missed the yoga class. Damn. So I grabbed my soup bowl and plate in one hand, and my glass in the other, and headed downstairs for a drink.
I tripped on my longish skirt and missed my step on the 5th last step and HEARD myself bounce painfully down the last 4. On my coxyx and my butt, scraping my back on the solid teak stairs and banging my recently healed elbow. I was, and am, home alone.
I shall spare you the fetching pics of my right butt cheek, which is already coming out a nice rich red-purply colour, and my elbow. 🤣 Seriously, how did people assess thier injuries before selfies? 🤣
I lay at the bottom of the stairs for at least 5 mins in screaming pain. Elbow and coxyx thumped down the stairs together? Wow - it's been a while since I had such sharp pain. The nice thing is the slo-mo way the mindful brain watches itself at times like these.
"Move. Try"
"No! Something might be broken!"
'Ok. You can move your fingers? Turn your head?"
"Oh no. That was my favourite soup bowl. And I knew I should have changed into shorts when I got home."
Swimming through sharp, strong pain like a mermaid emerging though sticky molasses.
And then I heard her. My inner healer. She's such a tough and heartless bitch sometimes.
"OK. Now get up and move. Stretch. Twist. Tell your body she's OK and it's all just superficial. C'mon. Enough feeling sorry for yourself"
And so I did. I stood up slowly and stood for a full 5 mins in a complete forward bend - both palms on the floor, and straightened my knees. I felt my spine straighten and pain shooting around faster than a 5 year old on red kool aid.
I bent my arms - nothing broken.
And then I sank into a deep Asian squat - knees out - and oh my sweet Buddha did that hurt at first. And then I breathed into the sore spots. And had a dialogue with them. TOLD myself that healing is already started. And it started to ease.
I was able to stand. Bit wobbly. Walked around the downstairs of the house for 5 mins. Sank back into a deep squat for a full 5 mins more. Painfully stood up.
"Get upstairs!" she barked. "Don't let that fear of stairs or that feeling of "can't" solidify! Move!! Your body KNOWS what to do!! Keep it all Flowing.. And so I did. Up, down, up, down. Holding the rail. Feeling stronger each moment.
For nearly 2 hours since I fell I have walked, stretched, squatted, twisted, and held a running, constructive, healing dialogue with myself.
Only now I am allowing myself to sit for 30 mins. Needing some pillows 😆 and pretty sore, but moving almost normally.
After I have sat here and "FELT" into my bruised bits while I write, I will migrate to the sofa and apply Near Infra-Red Light. Mindfully sitting now for a little while only and feeling into what still hurts after the movement tells me exactly where my Flexbeam light needs to be placed.
Recently, low level light therapy (LLLT) with near infrared light-emitting diode (LED)-based systems (LED-LLLT) has attracted attention in acute and chronic pain relief and in many aspects of wound healing, particularly for pain control, blood flow enhancement and relaxation of muscle spasm. Source.
I know the almost 2 hours of gentle movement immediately after the accident has stopped swelling accumulating in one spot and has enabled my body to mitigate the worst of the brusing already. Mentally, moving has given me a different mindset - a more fluid one - about what could have been a lot worse.
Will I ice it? No!!!! NOT recommended for injuries anymore.
"..a 2008 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine, which looked at multiple studies on cold therapy’s effect on acute soft tissue injuries, concluded there is “insufficient evidence to suggest that cryotherapy improves clinical outcome in the management of soft tissue injuries.” Similarly, a 2012 paper published in the Journal of Athletic Training, which reviewed multiple, peer-reviewed studies, noted that the practice of using ice to treat sprained ankles “is based largely on anecdotal evidence” and that “evidence from [randomized controlled trials] to support the use of ice in the treatment of acute ankle sprains is limited.” Source
Even the doctor who coined RICE no longer promotes it. “It’s perfectly fine to ice if you want, but realize it’s delaying healing,” Gabe Mirkin said, “[Icing] is not going to change anything in the long term.”
I will alternate tonight and tomorrow between Near Infra Red Light treatments on various sore spots and gentle yoga at home. Magnesium footsoak tonight and again tomorrow, colloidal silver applied directly to the broken skin and Magnesium Chloride sprayed liberally, most places that hurt. Tomorrow when any internal bleeding has stopped, I will gently massage in warming Phlai Balm to begin to dissipate the bruising and speed healing.
I just enjoyed an anti-inflammatory evening cocktail - freshly squeezed orange juice, freshly squeezed turmeric and ginger juice, a squeeze of fresh lime and topped up with sparkling home made lychee-pomelo kombucha. Surprisingly delish, cool, thirst quenching and yum!! I will be making that again!!
Feeling grateful. Moving. Healing.
Contributed as part of @naturalmedicine's MOVE IT Challenge.
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Thank you for sharing.
It's when we first awake it is easy to stumble.
There is a time to lie silent and a time to move. Therapy is like a continued movement of our body inside to signal the cells to regenerate. The movement inside is key to healing. Ice slows that movement inside preventing swealing but delaying the healing. Do you apply anything to open wounds for disinfectant?
I spray a little colloidal silver mixed with oil of oregano and pure ethyl alcohol for broken skin. I don't usually bother unless the would is typically "dirty" to look at - that's what immune system are for. 😊
!ENGAGE 15
ENGAGEtokens.Ouch!!!
I bumped / injured my tailbone a couple of weeks ago and it hurt for about two weeks when I sat down / lay myself down or stood up from a chair or my bed. I'm happy it recovered and it isn't sensitive any longer.
Sounds to me like you're an expert in dealing with pain. Where did you learn all this and why do you have this infrared light lying around? Are you in a lot of accidents? I hope not.
I hope you feel better soon. Part of healing is definitely a believe that we can, something that seems to disappear when we get older. Kids are quick healers.
P.S. When I got older, I stopped walking down stairs carrying stuff in two hands. I rather walk twice these days. I had my stairs incident in the past and learend my lessons.
Knuffel,
Vincent
I was part of a clinical trial for nerve pain with the Near Infra Red Light and I was gifted a device as a thank you. I had shattered my arm in a car accident.
I think you're RIGHT about using only one hand for carrying dishes etc downstairs. I'm thinking today a pretty wicker basket might work... leave it upstairs here and can hold with one hand - and use the other one for the rail.
I'm learning SO MUCH from Wayne Dyer via Hay House Unlimited Audio and the biggest take-home so far is the need to believe in the outcome of healing.
Feeling very tender today - moving slowly and steadily and appreciating the gifts. Much love and safe travel. x
!ENGAGE 25
Oh my goodness @artemislives! So happy you have that strong inner healer! It seems she helped you break through that poor me stage and on to getting over it and on to healing!
I will keep that in mind the next time I have an injury and I'm feeling a little helpless.
Thanks for sharing your experience and I hope you are all healed soon!
Thank you my dear. It seems so many of us get stuck at the "poor me" stage - in our Thai household we call it "learned helplessness" - the IDEA that sitting and complaining will generate "empathy" and help us feel better.
Moving OK today - pretty darn sore and had some fever overnight after the fall, which I'm reading about to understand.
Hugs and hope the adjustment to having family living on-site is smooth and incredibly productive for you all.
!ENGAGE 15
Ouch! I took a similar tumble back in the winter down our well-worn wooden stairs at about 6am one morning as I was leaving to go to my first session of the day. I fell so hard and cursed so loudly that my boyfriend was up and out of bed faster than I could blink to check on me! My first thought was, "oh no, am I of the age where I'm falling down stairs now?" Luckily the recovery was quick, as I was up and moving around after the first few minutes of shock and taking stock, though no infrared device to aid in the recovery here. I believe I had a nicely bruised left cheek for the week myself. My mistake was putting on my socks before going down the stairs. I generally know better, but I think it was a cold morning. In the future I'd rather have cold toes and an intact coccyx, haha. Hope the scrape and bruising go away quickly!
Socks and slippers can be deadly. It's a Thai thing to wear "house slippers" (think hotel scuffs) and yes I WAS wearing them yesterday. Today is the day to start wearing only bare feet in the house and move up a level in grounded connection.Upstairs and on the stairs we have thick teak wooden boards - downstairs parquet and tile.
My butt cheek? Oh my sweet buddha it is sore today, as is the top of my right hamstring where it connects to the pelvis. VERY GENTLE yoga, red light, more Magnesium. Luckily the scrape is uncomfortable only.
!ENGAGE 25
ENGAGEtokens.This publication teaches me a lot that I no longer have to stand still when things like this happen to me (I am usually very clumsy when walking and my ankles always pay the consequences🤣) but it fills me with peace to know that you are feeling better and, thinking about all your healing and constructive dialogue fills me with a lot of energy to start building and practicing mine.
I didn't know anything about not applying cold, I used to put ice on everything hahaha. But now that I am learning a lot about natural medicine and now I know this, I know that I will change many things. I send you many blessings. 💚
So good to know that our experience helps and teaches not only US, but others as they read it. LOVE that about @naturalmedicine community. I read somewhere eons ago that clumsiness is a result of hormonal imbalance and the two hemispheres of the brain not coordinating well. I'm thinking something like the alternate nostril breath (nadi shodhana) would be really helpful in helping you resolve the clumsy 'thing'.
Appreciating your healing wishes. Sore today!!! but smiling and enjoying coffee before 15 mins gentle yoga mat time.
Soltice Blessings to you, my dear.
!ENGAGE 15
Ouchammmmmaaammmaaaa!!! Look, there's no need to go to such DRASTIC measures to enter the Natural Medicine challenge!!!!!!! Haha - oh darling, you must have had quite the shock!!!! Poor you. That looks nasty. I wish I had one of those red light things - I remember having one on my fanny after giving birth haha (excuse the image). Grateful I don't have stairs as I would have UNDOUBTEDLY fallen down them!!!! Looks like yoga might be out for a few days - but I bet your inner healer biatch will get you feeling okay in no time. xxx Honestly I can FEEL that pain!!! xxx
LOL funny thing was Ploi had helped me record a video movement sequence the day before for the challenge, and it came out looking like crap. An so I had resolved Plan B for the challenge, which was changing up my yoga class to a new style-teacher - about how habits and yoga comfort & classes we ENJOY are not always in our best healing interests. Only I overslept and missed the class. And CREATED THIS little experience-offering. Sweet Jesus Mary and Joseph I am sore today. Developed a fever overnight and am learning SO MUCH about inflammation as I read to try and understand that.
Managing 10 mins on yoga mat as long as it doesn't involve sitting or laying on my back. LOL. And needing to get up every 20 mins (good thing, right!?) cos it freakin' HURTS to sit. LOL. Thinking of getting #actifit happening on my phone so I can record this epic step bonanza, LOL.
There were some good responses to the challenge. Nice.
!ENGAGE 25
Ha, funny the way things work out!!! That's a heavy injury though. It must have rattled you.
I still want to read the other yoga post too. I could write and read about it forever as you know. That topic is a particularly interesting one. Contemplating myself now!!
Next time I have an injury ill ask you about the inflammation.. I certainly won't reach straight for RICE!!! I've always pushed through, moved when Jamie tells me I need to sit still... so maybe I intuitively knew that.
Now that's interesting to read that ice is no longer recommended. At my daughter's gymnastics it's still the goto for any injury, even when they complain it just hurts them all the more. A good few of the coaches are medically trained by profession too! The main focus seems to be to stop the swelling.
@tipu curate
It really is a tough habit to break! A fellow trainer had shared that research with us all a while back (perhaps there was even a book someone put out with the information in there? I'll have to ask). I think what's even harder to combat is that people tend to expect it, so even if you know better sometimes you offer it to appease someone. I can imagine that is especially so with children. You don't want the parents to think you're not helping if you are a youth athletics coach. Though as Marike pointed out, more often than not the latest recommendations aren't known yet as people don't always take the time to continue to expand their knowledge with the latest updates.
I think you nailed it with expectation and trying to appease someone @plantstoplanks. Ice NUMBS and we tend to think less pain = healing. The studies show this to be NOT true. What surprised me last night the most is I developed a fever - and yes, I am that person propped up in bed at 11pm googling inflammation and fever. It's real and a fascinating healing response to soft tissue trauma. Might try and blog about that too.
Luckily fever is gone today cos going to the shops here with fever in Covid era? 🤣
Oh gosh, I can only imagine trying to explain that to the shops. The only place I've been so far where they take temperatures is actually at the farmers market. Seems silly since it is all outdoors, but I think they only do it to give people a sense of security (false or otherwise). I'm sure the fever/inflammation post would be a good one to hit!
Do blog about it!! I know fevers are GOOD.. but definitely interested in these readings..
@plantstoplanks They take your fever and track&trace details here to go into a convenience store and even to tank petrol. There's ONE local shop where they know me, and the local market wave me through if I look like I'm in a hurry, which is what I did today. I STILL have fever 36 hours on. Interesting to observe.
Some very good points, which make sense. I recently heard that for some injuries they would be better treated with heat, but heat can be detrimental for other injuries, whereas ice isn't going to cause harm on any injury, so that's the better default if you're going to do something.
I think that coaches and doctors are taught to think "I made it" and not to see medicine as an evolving field. It might be a good post to research and explain not only why we now longer ice injuries, but how and why it SLOWS healing. It DOES reduce pain and make things numb and visibly prettier. but the clinical studies do not bear it out an a good idea any longer.
Thanks for the tipu. !ENGAGE 15
It would be so much easier if we could just it all and that's it! Medical is an area where we really struggle we with accepting that there's always new information coming in which contradicts what we previously knew, yet we're also very aware that we need to be continually updating to include that new information. Perhaps it's the discomfort in realising that as a healer you've been doing the wrong thing all this time, which is fighting the acceptance that its bound to happen as we continue to discover new things.
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A huge hug 🤗 and a little bit of !BEER 🍻 from @amico!
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BEER.I have had a few falls like this, where my whole body seized up after I panicked, but once I calmed myself down I was able to get up and walk home. The scariest was when I was 8 months pregnant and fell from a low wall (I know not really the best place to have been). But yes I agree movement is so important in helping us heal, in reducing inflammation especially. Sending you some extra healing and some love xxx
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@trucklife-family - I have always LOVED that our babies are protected in their own fluid bubbles - so glad your girl was OK and that you walked away. Believing in our own resilience is something many of us need to relearn.