Friday, March 22, 2013

Edited to add …

Jen mentioned using a foam roller, and I also got that advice from another running friend. Foam rollers clearly are the massage weapon of choice. I poked around my house looking for something suitable until I could find one to buy (I want to try out how hard/soft it is), when I found this:

A rather innovative rolling pin, don't you think?
The long side (the one I use) is 4.25 inches wide.
And you know what? I don't think I'm going to even look for one. I can apply this to specific areas where it really hurts and it seems to be helping. I think the rest will do me good, too.

It pays to have a well-stocked kitchen gadget drawer. Just sayin'.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Clever!

Vickie said...

My husband rolls my (baking) rolling pin on my excess skin/fat pocket (I have a really bad one left just below and behind my arm pit on both sides). This was at the suggestion of one of my yoga instructors. Her theory was it would help "break it up". Because it is against my ribs, at least it feels like it is doing something.

I have him do it because he can apply even pressure - it is a weird spot to get myself. I have a foam roller, but that spot is hard to get with it. (your husband can do this after he dusts. . .)

My foam roller is actually a swimming noodle. It is short, it is very thick. Not saying that you should look for a swimming noodle, just saying that ironically I did have something at home that was just that size.

denise said...

How funny ... not funny Haha, but funny coincidental. I've been dealing with IT band issues since back when I was in the rehab facility. The PT told me that my IT band problems are primarily being caused by my still very weak quads, which are causing other muscles to kick in and do work they're not cut out for, thus causing them to act up...sigh...it's always something.

And, I have another friend who was recently diagnosed with IT band related issues. So apparently it's the injury du jour for my group of friends! (Guess that will make you want to unfriend me.)

The PT at rehab had recommended that I try using a rolling pin to work out the IT band issues...then warned me it was going to hurt! So between not being sure where my rolling pin is (I suspect it's at the very back of the bottom shelf of my pantry which I could not possibly get down and reach right now), and not wanting to hurt more, I passed on that one.

The outpatient PT I'm seeing now has been working on the IT band stuff. They are able to identify "trigger points" which start at the side of my knee and continue up to my hip. When they get a thumb on a trigger point, it's enough to have me practically jumping off the table...then they press harder and massage it around to "work it out" and "soften it up." Not fun, but it helps a lot when they're done - just wish it would last longer.

They also did two rounds of ultrasound therapy on it, which actually made a much bigger and more lasting difference than I would have guessed when it was happening, because you don't really feel much when they're actually in the process of doing it.

Bottom line, is they also showed me the "noodle roll" as demonstrated in the video Jen posted. Then they warned me that it would REALLY hurt to do that...so I've not been very proactive about trying to find the roller for that. But obviously, I need to, as this will be an ongoing issue until my quads get back up to strength.

My biggest issue is likely not going to be the pain of the roll, but rather getting down - and worse, back up - from the floor. I've done it twice since surgery. It's not been pretty, and it has been fairly painful, but I guess it's just one more thing to put on the list of things I need to remaster during this recovery.

Also, btw, icing seems to help the IT band stuff somewhat. It's not a miracle cure, but if you have swelling or fluid there, as I do, it can help.

Good luck with your recovery. And have a fun family trip/visit this weekend.

Day Last

 Mike finished his chemo yesterday. The cumulative effects of four rounds beginning in early July are making him pretty uncomfortable, and t...