"Hurt so good
Come on baby, make it hurt so good
Sometimes love don't feel like it should
You make it a-hurt so good"
If you think thats a Kenny Chesney song please turn around and leave. John Mellencamp fans: you are welcome here :)
That song has been stuck in my head the last few days. Coincidentally it was released the same year as I was born (1982 in case you were wondering... my birthday is December 7th, you still have plenty of time to pick out a good present)
This week has been one of self inflicted pain. Here is my torture device:
THAT terrible wonderful thing is a FOAM ROLLER. Last week I sent out a Tweet about my ITB pain and I was immediately inundated with responses that all pretty much said I couldn't LIVE without a foam roller.
Our local sporting goods store had ONE left. (Apparently I'm not the only masochist in town.) I was WARNED ahead of time that it would be painful, but I figured everyone else was just being a wimp overly sensitive.
So I started out with a move that looked something like this:
It took me about EIGHT tries to get anywhere near my knee. By the third pass I was broken out in a sweat. I apologize for thinking everyone was a wimp. OUCH it hurts!
Here is how RunningTimes.com says you should use a foam roller:
Key Points for Specific Foam Roller Exercises
1. Roll back and forth across the painful or stiff area for 60 seconds.
2. Spend extra time directly over the knot or trigger point itself.
3. Roll the injured area two to three time a day. For prevention of injuries, two to three times a week is recommended.
4. Avoid rolling over bony areas.
5. Always stretch the area following foam rolling.
I've been rolling twice a day since Saturday. Thankfully its not nearly as painful as it was the first day. Now it just hurts... in a good way.
Along with the rolling, I have also been icing, resting, and yesterday I initiated a new form of torture healing.
I had my very first SPORTS MASSAGE.
I didn't know what this would entail. Heck, I didn't even know what to wear. I had nightmares of getting nude in the room only to have the therapist come in and have me start doing plyometrics. (aren't you happy for THAT mental image?)
Once again I took to Twitter for advice. (p.s.you should follow me HERE) Opinions varied from nude to clothes so I came prepared for both. (don't ask me how I "prepare" for nude)
Anyway, for all of your inquiring minds: I ended up wearing a bra and panties. Once again, it was TORTURE. Here is what she said was wrong:
Tight hamstrings
Tight glutes (insert jokes here)
Tight quads
Tight hip flexors
Tight IT bands
Knot in IT band
Tight calf muscles
Neck lacking "curve" it should have (say, huh?)
Fist size knot in left quad (apparently I have massive thighs, big surprise)
And on and on... ...
Turns out I am one big lopsided, tight mess. I spent an hour being massaged, slapped, punched (pretty sure thats what she was doing to my calf muscles). At one point I think there was a wooden spoon involved. Not sure.
Anyway, after all the abuse she then spent some time stretching me out at which point I was INCREDIBLY thankful I went with the undies. Don't you think SHE regrets her choice of attire?(probably not nearly as much as I'll regret posting that pic.Sorry mom)
I went for a short run yesterday morning and am happy to say I didn't have ANY knee pain and only slight hip soreness. As long as I stay pain free,I plan to go for 10 miles tomorrow and 20 miles on Tuesday. Additionally, I ordered some kinesio tape which HOPEFULLY I can figure out how to apply.
Have YOU used a foam rollers,kinesio tape or sports massages?
Don't forget to enter my CEP compression giveaway HERE.