Brrr…
I tried something last night that I have never tried before.
I have been playing tennis and floor hockey for the last month and a half or so and a slight injury sustained doing the former has been exasperated by the latter.
As good as a hot shower or sauna may feel, everything I have read tells me that a dip in an ice bath will make a world of difference the next day.
So I did it.
Note to marketers: Yellow coloured Epsom salts is not a good idea- unless of course you think that people don’t mind soaking in water that looks like pee.
Did it make a difference? Hard to tell….
Would I be feeling worse if I hadn’t? Maybe. My muscles seem fine but my joints- not so much. Oh the joys of getting older!
I almost need something for my feet because they went numb fast. If it weren’t for that, I could have stayed in longer. After the initial shock, it wasn’t so bad but I chickened out a little and did not actually add the two bags of ice as recommended.
I currently have the very sore knee (as opposed to the just sore knee) on ice, on and off, to take down the swelling. Ibuprophen is also on the menu but I am not sure if the drug has kicked in yet.
But team tennis ends in two weeks and hockey is on hiatus until the first week in July so I will be able to rest a little bit. I keep promising myself that I will start using my yoga tapes. Yoga stretches everything out so I don’t feel the tightness in my ankles and knees from the pounding on the hard courts. I do not feel good while I am doing yoga (I am not flexy and bendy) but I feel great afterwards. The main thing is the lack of pain from tennis so I should just suck it up and do it- no more excuses.
A friend of mine suggested that I may just have arthritis. Gah! I am going to think happy thoughts and hope that it is just a sports injury that, with some R&R, will go away. I have shed a few pounds so this might also make a difference but the running program I was hoping to start may just have to wait. Swimming might be the way to go- now I just have to learn to swim….
I have fingers crossed that my serve will be as zingy as it was yesterday to win some cheap and easy points. Depending how I feel after the game tonight, I may try the ice bath again.
Wish me luck.
AngryEgg 