injury recovery...........

[blooming lotus]

yesterday I did the big escape from my crazy lying school in Zhengzhou, only an hour outside of shaolin si.........(.be very careful that often many things a school here will promise will not always be delivered, like wages and transport and food for instance.............don't always expect power and dont surprised if you wake up to no water)

anyway, to the point, last night took a train from zhengzhou to guangzhou ( 17 hrs in total) and because of language difficulties and seat availabilty, ended up crammed into a standing space no more than a rapidly declining 10 square inches for the duration.......

this was craziest thing you could imagine!! Just when you thought not another person could possibly sqqeeze in if we were on top of each other, another 20 people would arrive at the door........

I spent 5 hrs straight alternating from one tippy toe, to the other, then both.and the remainder was spent contorted in positions I didn't even know a body could acheive...............

it takes alot to rock me and I'm rarely caught off guard, but this was pure and utter insanity!!!!!!!...........first time my jaw has literally dropped in an extremely long time!!

crux is that now, besides having a severly bruised body, bloated stomache from all the bad air and lack of fluid in 37degree heat, etc etc.my ankles are so swollen that it's almost freakish..........I have fluid half way up my legs and rarely claim pain, but would say this definately qualifies...........

I can barely stand at the moment, and will no doubt recouperate in due time, but I want to know if someone can explain my injuries and give me tips to recover to cardio workout fitness any earlier than standard.

I'm thinking it's a fluid come tendon / soft tissue injury???.........

any suggestions would be great!!!!!

Please no drugs!!!.......

cheers

bl

[cerebus]

Heh, heh. I took a bus from the East coast of the U.S. out here to California. It took 4 days with the longest stops being about 30 min at a time.

When I finally arrived and took off my shoes and socks, my ankles were the size of large grapefruits! I laid on my back with my feet up and massaged my ankles for an hour or so but it didn't make alot of difference.

I'd guess lying flat & taking a long nap would let the fluid drain back to the rest of the body.

[blooming lotus]

very nxt thing on my agenda

[rubthebuddha]

three things:

1. water, and lots of it
2. exercise. not HIIT, mind you, until you're ready. rather, just be out and about and do anything to get the juices flowing.
3. ibuprofen to help relieve any swelling you have.

other than that, only time will help.

[norther practitioner]

I was thinking the same thing as rub...

[blooming lotus]

cheers........

by early morning / late night last, I could barely move my legs at all...........definately no way I could stand on them,

this morning , felt a little better though so I forced myself into some light walking and reverse stretches, as in the stabilisers of the tendons and muscles etc that were nearly pulled out of their root.

still a bit bruised and battered but feeling much better.......being a hippy at heart, skipping the ibo but will definately get into it today and take extra water.

thx

[IronFist]

Wait, what happens? Standing on a train for extended periods of time causes leg swelling? Do waitresses get this, too, then?

[blooming lotus]

yes...and cashiers and other workers where their job invloves standing for extended periods.........that's why the government in Australia has made a law under some health standard (?) that employees must be given 15-30 mins break each 3-4 hrs of work. The conditions on this train were really appauling. This was a one off adventure for myself but I was blown away at condintions these people endure none the wiser to the damage it does their bodies. I spent a great deal of that time on the way down ( and was 99% more likely than not the only one on that train who did) on my tippy toes and in some crazy morphed stance like positions , but without the luxury of the occassional sqaut. I did this to make more room and because I could. To be honest, I felt a bit like a soldier of mercy. Alot of these people are quite weak and frail looking and I figured for a little discomfort myself, I could make these peoples' life just a little less hellish. I knew I was hurting, and in regular circumstances what I was doing to my body was a crazy feat, but I am quite flexible and have endurance as much is neccessary. Yes.perhaps I'll give myself a quiet pat on the back as I recover...........please save your comments in that regard though. I guess it's a part of my shaolin buddhist philosphy, and the reason I'm sharing this is so you understand that these poor people here give both poverty and poor health a whole new meaning. I feel quite humble in contrast really and I believe as fellow - human beings, if we can make these little sacrifices for each other on occassion, the world will be just that much more pleasant to live in for everyone.

in closing, my hope for the future in China is that the goverment will implent some national standards and provide these people with living conditions ( that as a western absolute minimum), would allow them appreciate life as WE know it..................even in dire poverty, we're all still 3 up.............think about that and take a moment to appreciate your life.

[Ming Yue]

Being squashed in a crowd like that is enough to freak anybody out. you probably had every muscle in your body tense and ready for flight the whole time.

on top of all that, you're pregnant, so there is NO logic to what your body does in defense of high stress these days.

rtb was right, tons of fluid and excercise. elevate your feet above your heart whenever possible. Can you get a Tui Na massage? I think you need one...

[IronFist]

Wow, I hope you heal soon!

[Toby]

Originally posted by Ming Yue
on top of all that, you're pregnant, so there is NO logic to what your body does in defense of high stress these days.

Not any more.

BL, you hippy, if you won't take ibuprofen, try fish oil. It's supposed to have anti-inflammatory properties. Another suggestion is a yoga relaxation pose. Lie with your bum right up against a wall and your feet straight up in the air against the wall. Make yourself comfortable. Lie like that for a long time. It'll drain your legs of blood, fluid, whatever.

I liked the heartbreak story .

Get well soon.

[Ming Yue]

not any more??

ugh.. sorry.... I didn't know.

[blooming lotus]

fish oil does that ????

great tip!!

no ..unfortunately, because of poverty in the area and nutrion availability etc.bubs just wasn't quite strong enough to see it out........mei guan Xie ( doesn't matter).that's life in china and really..................everything for a reason for ha??

cheers and thx for your comments

[Toby]

Originally posted by blooming lotus
fish oil does that ????

It even says it on the back of my fish oil tablets bottle. Cod liver oil will be the same I guess, although at the moment I have generic "fish oil".

Originally posted by blooming lotus
no ..unfortunately, because of poverty in the area and nutrion availability etc.bubs just wasn't quite strong enough to see it out........mei guan Xie ( doesn't matter).that's life in china and really..................everything for a reason for ha??

I thought the reason was because you did a crazy ab come cardio/ acro dance workout? Nothing to do with poverty and nutrion (sic).

[blooming lotus]

dui......you are correct , but prior, because of nutrition availabilty and quality etc, I really feel that if I could've looked after myself nutrionally even 25% better, bub's'd've pulled through...........I didn't eat for nearly three weeks there...........it's terrible..you never know when food will be available............

but a girls gotta exercise and you said yourself, your wife managed......

everything for a reason..............meiguanxie( doesn't matter)...........heart aside, it may've been for the best anyway.