Physical Therapy

I've been meaning to write about physical therapy for weeks, just never got around to it before this.

So yeah, I've been going to physical therapy twice a week for at least 6 weeks now.

Why?  Because of my aching back!  And sometimes hips, and legs, but mostly my back. I've had nasty pain off and on, especially on the lower right side of my back.  For a LONG time, like years.

Again, why?  Why would a 43 year old woman have such an aching back? Well, lots of reasons probably.  Not exercising enough.  Babies.  Lots of them.  The latter IS probably the biggest reason, because my abdominal muscles and lots of other body parts were strained and weak from having children.  Plus I have been carrying a baby around on the hip for most of 13 years.   Not that I mind that, of course.  Those kids are the most precious gift that God has given me after the Lord Jesus and Kevin.

  I found a fantastic chiropractor 3 years ago, and going there made a lot of difference.  I would be in pain, I would go in, I would find relief.  But the thing was, I would revert back to having problems fairly quickly. The basic, underlying weakness remained.

 Finally, Kevin and I decided, ENOUGH. Time to get some physical therapy.  I found a likely place, referred myself, and met a sweet therapist named Esther. 

  She works me hard, and I'm much stronger than I was 6 weeks ago. It is very encouraging.  My back pain is better though not entirely gone. The basic pain issue, according to my PT, is that I have some muscles that tend to clench up.  In addition to nasty exercises, I sometimes get traction and deep massage to loosen up those unhappy muscles.

  It takes money and time to make this work, and that is what held me back for years.  It costs $40 a week (thanks to excellent insurance) to go to PT 2 times, and 3 hours of time to get to the appointments, do my exercises, and come home again.  Naomi and Lydia can watch the younger ones while I run off, which also makes it possible.  No way could I take 8 kids to the PT!

  I'm supposed to do a bunch of exercises at home each day, and that's where the high comedy comes in.  The picture at the top of the post shows me on a rubber ball.  I have several "ball" exercises.  Sitting on the ball forces me to use core muscles, and indeed I get some benefit from using the ball without doing exercises.

 The challenge of the ball, and indeed all my exercises, is that the young children see Mommy doing something interesting and they want to be PART of it.  If I lie down on the floor to do head curls or side planks, some enterprising small child inevitably wants to sit on me, lie on me, or jab me in the stomach (accidentally) with a small pointy elbow. It is SO hard to do my exercises at home, but I am persevering.

 All in all, good thing to do.  As a mother and a homeschooler, I tend to put the rest of the family before myself.  Selflessness is all well and good, but I do need to be operational.  A mom with a terrible back is a mom who can't do her job well.