Wait…Wait…Is That a Light I See?

Yesterday morning (Wednesday the 8th) I went to my Chiropractor and, after muscle stimulation and ultrasound he came in and asked me how I was feeling. I told him I pretty much felt the same; that as far as my pain goes, the stimulation and ultrasound seem to provide temporary relief, but the pain is still there, which leads me to think that these techniques aren’t working to resolve my problem, but rather to treat the symptoms.

 

He then began to physically examine my back and ribs, and asked me if any spot was tender, etc. I told him when he hit the tender spot on my rib(s) and he simultaneously commented on how the rib was out of place AGAIN, and then cried out: “DANG!” as he brought both his hands down, onto my back, violently, in anger. Just kidding, he continued to examine my left, rear ribcage.

 

He then went on to say that my muscles were very tense and that I had a spasm or a “knot” in the area where the rib was out. He then took what appeared to be a very thick butter knife and, after telling me that this would hurt and probably leave a bruise, began rubbing the spasm/”knot” out, until it hurt and left a bruise. He remarked in surprise at the amount of blood that began flowing to the site of injury. He said it appears as though my injury cannot heal properly because it’s not getting enough blood (because my muscle(s) keep going into spasms). He finished rubbing out the entire area and I IMMEDIATELY felt better than I had subsequent to any other therapy. In addition, the tender spot/pain on my abdomen was gone! I told him this and he said that we may have to do this until the injury heals itself. Needless to say, I walked out of his office like a robot, as I didn’t want to twist/torque anything…

 

So, and I’m not one to speculate, it appears as though my rib can’t properly heal because it’s not getting any blood flow because it’s being forced out of it’s junction with the facet joint on my spine by my muscles/muscle spasms. At least, that’s how we’re going to approach my treatments now. This really makes a lot of sense. In addition, I’m going to my Pain Management Specialist on the 10^th, to get muscle relaxers, in case I need them…MORE TO FOLLOW!

Search…And You Shall Find

I just got off the telephone with the collegiate swimmer from the case report linked to the right: Slipping Rib Syndrome in a Collegiate Swimmer: A Case Report. She had a lot of insight and advice to offer me, and I shall use it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned during all this, and trust me, I’ve learned ALOT, it’s that in situations like this, it’s important to reach out to others, to network and build a framework for support. I’ve met several people now, whose insight, advice and words of kindness and encouragement have helped me more than just about any doctor has so far.

That said, I had a very emotional weekend, as I didn’t realize how much frustration and anger I had bottled up, until I spoke with a friend whose recovering from SRS Surgery. I can’t begin to tell you how helpful she’s been to me…She deserves a fast, painless recovery.

So anyway, I had to stand for about 3 hours today and my flank is almost throbbing. I have therapy scheduled tomorrow, so hopefully I can get some relief. I also plan on sitting down with my Chiropractor soon, to formulate a “Plan B,” should I need it.