but I had good reason. Two weekends ago, I was vacuuming our sun room. I moved a wicker chair away from the wall, and a few minutes later, I stepped backwards, and my foot caught on the chair leg. I went down hard on a concrete floor, covered only by an outdoor rug.
I landed on my back - mainly on the right side of my hip and lower back. There was no bruising and an x-ray the following Friday confirmed no broken bones (luckily).
On Monday, I was a bit sore....but nothing more. We took Jim to his doctor and I saw no reason to mention my fall (but, of course, I should have.) On Tuesday, the muscle spasms started. I've had pain before, including bearing 3 children and open-heart surgery. But....severe muscle spasms cause unimaginable pain. Mine were at my waistline on the right side. Every time I moved at all, it "grabbed" me. Trying to take a step, especially with the right foot, felt like a hot iron poker going up through my hip to my rib cage.
I sent a message to my doc, and after a personal phone call, she prescribed some muscle relaxers and an additional nsaid, which I take every day. I started taking them immediately, but after 2 days, the pain was still bad. So she ordered an x-ray, which I had on Friday night. As I said, there were no breaks - but "significant" arthritic changes on my spinal column. That was not a surprise to me.
Today, I went to physical therapy (for achilles tendonitis) and told my guy about the fall. He gave me a massage with a new "massage gun". It looks a bit like a drill, but with a hard rubber ball instead of a drill bit. It felt terrific and I have not had pain since! I want to buy one to use at home! I know we could all benefit from it. It is percussive, and has different speeds.
Next Monday, I have scheduled a regular massage and I cannot wait! I thought that due to Covid-19, it would be easy to get an appointment. But when I called, my guy was all booked up for 10 days. Must be nice to be so popular! I'll let you know what happens....meanwhile....I hope you are doing well and staying healthy!
Update: The "massage gun" is still working well - no more pain or spasms!
8 comments:
I love it when we find a relatively simple cure. Never heard of that massage tool but delighted it put you right immediately.
Oh, Ouch, Judy. Please let me know if you get this comment. I keep trying to comment on your blog but when I check I can't see that it shows I've commented. I think of you and Jim often and remember the nice time with Bud.
omigosh, I fell this past week, too! I use a cable to tie my dogs out - it comes into the house and I place it on a hook - all I have to do is attach the cable to the collar and let the dog out. Then I let them back in. Well, I was stepping off my back porch and my foot got caught in the cable. Down I went.
Of course my first thought was "Oh God - did anybody see me?" Cause my one neighbor would come running over and the ones behind me are new - didn't want to start our relationship like that.
I was fortunate. Upper body fell on ground, lower hip on the sidewalk. I got one tiny little scratch on my elbow. I took a jolt but nothing hurt. Dodge a bullet with that one.
Now, when the doctor asks me "Have you fallen lately?" - they always ask - do I tell her or not? It was a trip - not dizzy or a balance issue.
Glad to hear the massage worked wonders for you.
Big old OUCH Judy! So glad you didn't break any bones but sorry for your pain. I bought Ron a percussion massager for Christmas and he loves it. He gets muscle spasms in the back of his legs so he uses it daily. Glad you are on the mend.
My massage was a trip to Heaven. Oscar has magic fingers! Between him and the new massage gun, I remain pain-free.
Oh you are so lucky you didn't break anything. Glad you are now pain free. Falls are the biggest threat of aging.
Glad to hear you are pain free! I fell over back in March and landed on a concrete floor outside. I've been having neck pain ever since.
Hope your massage continues to work.
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