Down but not out!

Submitted by Mamato2boys on June 2, 2010 - 9:12pm
Body: 

Here is the great part of what I have to share: today I played an hour-and-a-half of vigorous basketball against high school students. It was a charity event: staff versus students. Lots of running and jumping were involved. I wore a sponge as a pessary. I felt fantastic -- pop-wise. My legs are killing me though. I never once thought about the pop issues. I felt no sloshing, no bulge. It felt great to be so phsyical without worry.

Now, I worried beforehand. I knew that this vigorous of an acitivty could worsen things but that was a risk that I had decided to take. I've come to a really good place of acceptance with my prolapses. If I can always shove things in (I don't need to do this now, referring to worst case scenario) and use a sponge for support when I need it, then I am fine.

Okay, so I've removed the sponge. Things still feel great. Cervix is at the tip of my finger, bladder and urethra bulge seem normal. BUT, I have a weird muscle pain -- that I have also been getting with vigorous walking/hiking. My groin aches and my abductors (I think these are the muscles you use when you lift your legs?) are really sore/tight. Right above my pubic bone up to about my belly button is sore whenever I am doing anything that requires ab strength. I know that with my first baby I had a diastatis of a very large width. Could this weird pain be from that? Or I was thinking maybe this pain is from me using different form, or being worried about worsening pop and somehow contorting myself? OR, am I making things worse by vigorous exercise? The weird pubic and ab pain is always accomanied by stiffness and tiredness in my abductors.

Just curious about what you all think.

louiseds

June 2, 2010 - 11:10pm

Hi Mama

Let's get this straight. The coronal plane of the body runs up and down and side to side, so the front half of your body is in front of it, and the back half of your body is behind it. Abduction is moving a limb sideways and up, away from the body in the coronal plane (eg righthand turn signal on a bike). Adduction is moving a limb towards the body in the coronal plane (ie putting your hand back on the handlebar after that signal).

So, are we still talking abductors?

Mamato2boys

June 2, 2010 - 11:22pm

Okay, I'm confused. Still not sure if it is abductor, or adductor. When I lift my legs -- from lying down or going up stairs -- I feel a strain on the right side from my pubic bone up, and out fo my inner thigh. So this is abductor?

louiseds

June 3, 2010 - 12:18am

No, abducting is out to the side. These terms are all explained on pp 13-14 of Saving the Whole Woman. I think you are talking about lifting forwards, which is anatomically called flexing.

It sounds like there could be several muscles involved, as there are so many that join on to the pubic bones, near the pubic symphysis, ie internal and external obliques, transverse abdominus, rectus abdominus, pectinius, adductor longus, adductor magnus, gracilis. Pectinius flexes and adducts the thigh. The pubic area seems to be a fulcrum for a lot of the body's levers. There are a lot of other muscles that attach and originate in other parts of the pelvis. On the other hand there is often pain that is referred from elsewhere.

I am wondering if what you are experiencing is what is referred to in Australian Rules Football circles as a 'groin injury', which I have never really understood. I thought for a while that it was an euphemism for 'can't play at the moment- copped a kick in the you know whats', but think it is pubic bone related. As sit seems to be exercise-related I think you should go and see a good sports physiotherapists and see if they can pinpoint it, maybe somebody associated with your kids' basketball club (but make sure they deal with women's specific injuries)?

You could leave it for three days post-basketball and see if it is just post-exercise stiffness, but it might be better to get on to it straight away. You might learn something really useful.

Good luck.

Louise

Mamato2boys

June 3, 2010 - 8:56am

Yes, I think it is a muscle injury. I'm already feeling much better this morning. I did some light yoga last night to stretch everything out. You're right, Louise, if it doesn't get better in the next two days, I"m going to have it checked out.

This all means that POPs did not worsen at all (from what I can detect internally and by how it feels walking around) from all of this exercise. I would never have though that I could do this six months ago.

By the way, there were some older ladies who were like we can dribble and pass the ball, but we can't jump or run. Hmmm, I wonder why? :)

louiseds

June 4, 2010 - 2:38am

Yippee! This is what I was talking about Kiki. If you were in your old posture there is no way you would have been able to play competitive basketball, and I doubt that you would be able to play non-competetively, as an active person! I think WW posture becomes hard-wired after a while, in the same way as tuck and zip becomes hard wired. I think often about how my natural posture was zip and tuck for decades. It takes a while to unlearn it and hardwire another style. I think this is a far more likely explanation than the physical healing of torn or cut fascia, though I don't rule out physical knitting of tissues as well.

It goes back to the tailored, fitted jacket model. If the jacket fits your body closely any tears will simply not show because the fabric pieces will line up perfectly regardless. Get out of posture though, and the shoulders will start riding back, it will tighten across the back and it will gape at the front. If you want to wriggle out of it, it is much easier if it has been shifted on your frame by slouching, but it still takes effort.

The fitted tailored jacket model makes me also realise why and how overweight will potentially worsen POP. The fascia throughout the body have to be stretched considerably to accommodate overweight. If you are overweight and put on a tight pullover from your slim days it will not come down as far on your hips because it has had to stretch sideways to get around your body. But the length of our fascia network is fixed by our mature height. Therefore, fascia in an overweight person will be stretched sideways *and* up and down, compared to when they were slim. It is therefore always under stress, and *may* be more prone to being damaged, and not being able to meet up again for healing, after injury.

You have done well, and proved something to yourself. The other ladies, well, I guess they are still dribbling. ;-)

meribelle

June 11, 2010 - 6:22am

Tell me more about this sponge thing, please!

meribelle

June 11, 2010 - 6:26am

I am 5 foot 7 inches, 62 years old, and weigh around 155 or a little less. I feel fat and my legs touch! I would love to loose weight, but I am trying to eat more fiber (grain) so that I will not be so constipated, which makes the prolapsed bladder worse! Thank you for your post! I am inspired to eat more fruit and veggies today instead of cereal!

heavenly

June 12, 2010 - 9:42am

Interesting about your comment about too much fiber. I was so sick of eating fiber, cereal stuffs and the like so gave it up. except for fruilts and vegtables. not all but a lot and found my prolapse got much better. I have a good sized rectocele and small cys....What a good difference when I cut way back and actually filnd it easier to have a bowel movement so am reconstructing my situation. We all have to find what works for us, we all know the posture etc stays put!!!LOL

Oceanblue

July 6, 2010 - 7:40pm

Thank you Christine!
The new exercises are fantastic! Great way to begin your day.
Thank you once again!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Christine,

I know these exercises were meant for the morning, but I am soon going to bed, and thought... one more time ... see how it goes.... well, the dancing and the running are great, but need improvement on my behalf ... it will happen soon I hope.

Have to thank you so much for creating so many wonderful new stances!

I feel good!

Hugs!

Thank you once again!