The return of the hip

If you've been reading my pregnancy blog, you'll know that I strained my groin and hip during a pre-natal yoga workout last week.

To say that I'm mortified is an understatement.

After months and months of struggling with post-surgery pain, tightness, and discomfort, the last 3-4 months had presented a slow breakthrough. I don't know when it stopped hurting or being an issue but I can tell you that it just did. I didn't need the regular massages that were costing me hundreds of dollars per month and the pre-natal workouts I'd been doing since month 4 of my pregnancy seemed to be doing all the right things to strengthen and stretch the muscles of my hip and thigh.

I'd almost forgotten how much those issues had taken over my life until I heard the "pop" last Thursday.

I was performing a side-angle bend and (stupidly) wearing socks on a carpeted floor. My foot slipped out to the side a little - but just enough - and I was forced to contract my adductors and hip flexors to maintain my balance, trying to bring my legs back together. But my legs were already too far apart - I would have been better to just topple sideways, ironically. I heard and felt an eye-watering "pop" somewhere around my sacrum and I dropped to my knees. When I tried to get up again, I had a searing pain in my groin.

I've been icing and resting like crazy (yes, it's very pleasant to ice your groin... not) since then and, while there has been a slight improvement in pain, it's still really, really sore deep inside and most specifically on the side where I had surgery. It figures, of course, because that's my weakest side. I can tell that all the old pain-points are inflamed: Piriformis, psoas, adductors, and glutes, as well as a little IT band again (probably over-compensating as a result.) Walking for too long is not an option (not that it would be anyway because of my broken little toe on the same side.)

I have a massage appointment on Friday with my miracle-worker masseuse but I also realize that her usual techniques may not be in play due to the fact I am pregnant. She's better placed than most to tackle these issues because she has a ton of foam positioning equipment that allows me to lay safely on my back or stomach (well, not ON my stomach but lay facing down with my stomach hanging between some carefully-placed foam pads.) So, I'm hoping she can take the edge off.

In the meantime, I know I just have to wait for the muscles to heal. I'm trying to keep the joint mobile by not sitting too long and performing light stretches and exercises from my post-surgery days but I've already recognized that I have to be careful there also - the muscles just need to do their thing and I can't speed along the healing process for them any more than I can for my broken toe. Too much tinkering on my side just makes it all worse and sets the healing process back.

More than anything I am really frustrated. I just thought I was over this. I guess I need to realize that, even when things start to feel better again in my hip (which I know they will again at some point - I just want it to be sooner rather than later), I have a weakness on that side and I can't jump into every exercise routine without that being top-of-mind. They say that, once you've injured a joint or muscle, that area will always be more suseptible to re-injury. I guess you only have to look at athletes to see that's true - they get one injury and then continue to struggle with re-straining those same areas, time and time again. Fortunately for them they have sports-therapists attending their every need. I only wish!

Anyway, that's enough of me feeling sorry for myself. It just sucks because I want to remain active in these last few months of pregnancy, for me, for the baby, for my weight, but it seems factors (or should I say body parts) are conspiring against me. My head says "get exercising" but my body says "rest". Right now, I'm too afraid of making it worse not to listen to my body.