March 19, 2007

Injured Again

I haven't been able to take dance classes for about a month or so. I actually shouldn't have been taking classes for a month before that.

In February 2006 I injured myself more seriously and couldn't take dance classes for about seven months. I injured both of my adductor muscles and the tendons in each of my hips.

Returning to the present: At about the beginning of last December I hurt my back overdoing it on the crunches. I was doing the crunches where you're lying on your back with your feet straight-up in the air perpendicular to the ceiling. I increased very slightly the number of reps I was doing. Then I felt this shot of pain running through my back.

I didn't do much at first except take Advil and use a heat pad and go back to dance classes - except I stopped doing the ab work. It's stunning how fast the abs lose strength if you stop working on them.

But my back didn't improve. So I eventually went back to the orthopedic doctor and he referred me to a physical therapist.

So I went to the physical therapist for about two weeks and they taught me some very helpful back stretching and strengthening exercises. But they seemed to insist that I work with a different PT each time I went. So I just stopped going. I'd prefer just to work with one PT who knows what my problem is.

But the exercises they taught me have been very helpful. I do them every other day. And the most helpful advice was that I start using a workout ball.

I now think that workout balls are the greatest invention ever. I think all of the exercises I'm doing to strengthen my core and back are beginning to help too.

I've been using a book "Ultimate Core Ball Workout" by Jeanine Detz. The author does an excellent job of describing and illustrating hundreds of different ball exercises for your abs, back and other parts of your core. For me this is great because I still can't do regular crunches while lying on the floor.

I'm hoping that my back as well as some pulled muscles I have are in good enough shape for me to go back to dance classes in three weeks. On Saturday I ran into Helen Hayes my wonderful modern dance teacher. She's starting a new routine today and the next one will start in three weeks. So if I'm better in three weeks the timing would be perfect - but realistically I think it's only 50/50 that I'll be healthy enough.

I saw Helen at the "Winter Performance Class Showcase" at Joy of Motion. It's always fun to see other students perform - I take classes with a number of the students who were in the program. After another year or so of dance classes, I think I'm going to sign-up for a performance class.

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