Dear daughters,
I went to physical therapy yesterday. As you know, I have been having some pain in my hip and I have been taking it easy to try to quiet the inflammation. It’s a bit frustrating for me because I don’t want walking the dog and standing in the studio during classes to be the only exercise I get. I was telling the PT that when I do more I pay for it with increased pain, so I back off.
She gave me some new exercises to do for the next two weeks and she told me she doesn’t want me to back off from doing a bit extra. She wants me to push through the pain right now. I can ice and do post-exercise stretching and anti-inflammatories if needed. She knows I am not going to injure myself further by pushing through, but I do need to push myself in order to get stronger, and getting stronger will, in turn, help my ailing hip.
Back when I had my 2nd back surgery, I was walking 5 miles a day a couple weeks after surgery. I would go from West Roxbury almost to Roslindale and back. My orthopedic surgeon had a saying, “nutrition through motion,” which meant that my exercising was bringing more blood to my lower back and blood brings nutrition to the muscles and joints, which promotes healing.
So, I need to push through right now. My hip (and now my frickin’ heel) needs nutrition through motion in order to heal.
Did you girls know there are different kinds of pain? There is acute, sharp pain (broken limb)—that’s when something is seriously wrong and you back off. There is the dull ache (post-workout soreness) that you can push through to get that lactic acid out of your system. Sometimes, we try to avoid pain at all costs, so we stay stuck and small. Sometimes we convince ourselves that something is going to be painful (even if the likelihood is low) and that also keeps us stuck and small.
This isn’t about just the physical—and it’s a great life lesson for you girls as well: sometimes we need to push through the fear, the pain, and the discomfort in order to get stronger. And getting stronger almost always ensures we are going to heal and propel ourselves forward—whether it’s our heart, our heads, or our muscles.
Learn to distinguish the difference between actual pain and phantom pain. Learn how to push through whenever possible. And, remember—whether it’s exercise, academics, or relationships—forward motion is going to bring nutrition to whatever area needs it and help make you stronger.
Love you both so much,
Mom