Today I finally saw my chiropractor for a much needed alignment. Sunday evening I received a phone call from someone I had expressed specific boundaries with and decided to go back on my decision and not only speak but agree to meet when that was the last thing I truly wanted. As I was pulling my leggings down my right thigh I twisted in a way that suddenly rendered me unable to move without intense discomfort. Regardless of what I had chosen as a means of appeasing someone else's desire, my body was very clearly reminding me that I was absolutely not spending time with this person nor was I going to cross this boundary I had already established. Maybe this sounds a bit far fetched, but I know for a fact that my sensitivities have become much more acute since spending so many years of my life unrecognizable to my own instincts.
What was the good Doctor's assessment? My lumbar spine had reversed its curvature ever so subtly. I spent more than 46 hours unable to stand fully erect or turn to one side or the other while laying down on the floor. In fact, I wasn't sure once I lay on the floor if I was going to be able to get back up again, and it was an interesting negotiation with my arms once the erector muscles took over making the decisions for the rest of my body. Call me a spasm. A hobbling, shuffling, dragging, gasping, sucking for shallow breath, swollen, half numb bag of pulsating fire nerve tissue. An unpleasant experience to say the least.
No Yoga, no Farmers Market, no lifting, no standing for long periods of time, no sitting for longer than a few minutes in any position. Sleeping is the only thing my now healing body wants to do. But here I blog waiting for the lactic acids to flush and the pressure in my belly to wane. I just remembered I'm supposed to be icing my back. 10 minutes on, one hour off. Another ten minutes on...no heat except a hot shower is allowed. Then it's back to the spine Doctor tomorrow afternoon. We had good, good movement on the table today. Arms crossed, buckled down, blocked in, exhaling through fear movement. If you ever need the only Chiropractor I will ever allow touch me I've got his office number. Ask for it.
The one prescription I was given at the end of our session, and I'm not allowed to work on it unless I feel up to it Friday, is Salabhasana, Locust Pose. This will strengthen the muscles that will prevent this kind of injury as I go forward. This is the second time this particular injury has visited me. The first time was more than 10 years ago, and it was far more severe then. I was rocked beyond my senses in my less healthy unfit young addict/depression/anorexic body. I have worked hard to be where I am now. I won't soon forget it.
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