Injured...AGAIN! :( </3

[AnandaYoga 41]

I haven't posted about this in the past so I'll need to give a little bit of background first, which might make this post a little lengthy. You have been warned!

I have been inconsistently practicing yoga for the last five years. As of last July 2015, I found an amazing home studio and have had a 5x-7x/week practice that has progressed in a way that amazes me and even moves me to tears when I really think about it. I have NEVER been able to commit to anything. I get really passionate/obsessive about things for a few months, master them, and then find something else to latch onto. The fact that I have consistently been practicing yoga for seven months is nothing short of a miracle. I think it's the constant ability to reach for something greater that has made me stick to it. Obviously, the complete and total spiritual transformation that occurs is relevant, but that almost goes without saying.

Like any other totally obsessed yogi, I started teacher training. It started in January, since then over the last three months I have sustained four major injuries.

1: Broken 4th toe on left foot: as far as I can tell, it started off as a jam from rolling over toes during up dog to down dog transition and not stopping caused a break. It is still purple and freaky looking, but not painful. Upon reading that there is not much that can be done, no doctor visit. Ceased practice no longer than a few days, then back to full practice.

2: Intercostal muscle strain in left rib: one day I decided I wanted to work on balancing my left side with my right (flexi-er side) and totally underestimated the imbalance, went too far in Eka Pada Rajakapotasana. As soon as it hurt, I backed off. Thought I would be okay, but the next morning I woke up in serious pain. Upon reading that there is not much that can be done, no doctor visit. Ceased asanas that caused pain in that area, but no formal stop to practice. I did wear an abdominal brace for compression. Back to full practice after a few days. No pain in this region anymore.

3: Intercostal muscle strain in right rib: rookie mistake. Went too far in King Dancer. Woke up in serious right side pain. Since it had happened to the left side previously, I knew exactly what it was. Same as last time, avoided twisting asanas on that side, no formal stop to practice. Wore brace again. Right side had not ceased hurting to this day, but another rib injury would be coming before this could have a chance to heal...

4: Undiagnosed rib bone pop: this brings me to yesterday morning. I was warming up with Urdhva Dhanurasana on the wall, halfway down I heard a pop in my right rib and the wind was knocked out of me. I felt like I had been kicked by a horse. Pain has been UNBEARABLE the last 36 hours, wearing a brace and ice packs, taking ibuprofen every 6 hrs. Hurts to take deep breaths, lift right arm above head, and weight bearing movements, twisting, even turning the steering wheel too quickly/forcefully. I was supposed to teach my first class last night, but my teacher would not allow me due to my injury.

Before you say,  "HVLKJALJREJGL YOU SUCK GO TO A DR INSTEAD OF ASKING RANDOS ABOUT YOUR OBVIOUSLY SERIOUS PROBLEMS U DUMBY!" you should know that I am really obsessive about going to the doctor, I do it for every single thing, afraid that I am dying. LOL! I have asked friends that are ER doctors, PTs, and PAs, and they all say it is pointless to pay for x-rays because ribs cannot be reset. However, this is my THIRD rib injury in a month and I am wondering if the initial injury not being addressed by a doctor is the problem. Or...Osteoperosis runs in my family, are my bones weak?

It is worth noting that I have an incredible flexi/twisty spine and something like this is really confusing for me. King Pig, Wheel, Dancer have always been very easy...not sure why this has been happening.

You all may have no suggestions or answers, but I just really wanted to put this out there for other yogis to offer their two cents. Other exercises I can do w/this injury would also be appreciated (if it is advised to even do any) as I would really hate to lose progress in strength, flexibility, and conditioning during this potentially lengthy healing process.

Thanks so much to those who stuck with this! Namaste.

[yogafire 562]

Since you're already in YTT, I assume you're already warmed up before going into backbends. I always heard backbends described as chest openers, so if your intercostal muscles are tighter than your back is flexible, I can see why you are getting these injuries.

Anyway, I completely relate to the injury frustration. Perhaps these are overuse injuries because of YTT. Some things may take months to heal, not just a few days of practice. Infuriating.  Also, I had to go get MRIs beyond my initial xrays to figure out what was wrong. Not my ribs, but, it was bursitis, fluid / inflammation between my joints at the top of my foot, so the doctor said that can take months to heal.  The MRI is a pain, but, if you already are seeing the doctor for a lot of things, then maybe you are fully utilizing the benefits of your medical insurance.

[Anahata 382]

I think it is awesome that you have found something that is good  - for you.

I am trying to think of a kind way to ask but I am not sure how. Do you already know the answer to your question? The question what is going on to cause all these problems. Maybe you are just asking for reassurance from others? You did mostly write the answer in your story above. I am sorry, I hope this is not offensive.

Whatever more you might need here I can try and help.

I am not sure anyone can offer much help with your current rib injury. It has to be diagnosed before any treatment. Fracture, dislocated, sprain, bruise, strained muscle, torn cartilage, other? 

[AnandaYoga 41]

@Anahata Me thinks you are right ;).  I have such a hard time slowing down and allowing myself to rest.  I think I just needed to hear that it is okay.  That I'm not lazy. That yogis can take time off. <3

[AnandaYoga 41]

@yogafire I think something in my subconscious switched when I started YTT.  I think I put pressure on myself to be this super-yogi and be better than everyone else in the YTT group.  SO un-yogic, I know...

 

I am calling a osteopath today to see if they take insurance, I have also been having a lot of issues with sleep and anxiety.  <3

 

Trying to stay positive!!

[Anahata 382]

Well that sounds much better now.

Now that you have figured it out maybe I can offer a few ideas, maybe some you will find useful.

Osteopath is a natural healer. Yoga is a... natural healer. What is the difference for you?

Here is a short video that is good to watch. Sometimes the teacher is another person. Sometimes the teacher is ourselves. When the woman in video says teacher think the teacher is you or your mind, understand the meaning in that way. Yogic Life: Maria Villella on Adjustments, Ego and Injury youtube

You are really fortunate to have such a flexible body. Many things in yoga will come easy for you and that will give you some good rewards. But that flexibility is also an issue for injuries. When we go into poses and use the flexibility in the structure or skeleton of the body, the structure is not supported and injuries occur. It is very important to have a very large amount muscle strength to protect the joints and spine. This takes work everyday for years to build up this strength. Use the strength to perform the postures, not ‘flopping’ into them with flexibility.

How? The strength of ALL postures comes from the legs. Spend a lot time practicing strong standing sequences. Notice what the woman in the video said about her injury.

I don’t know but I also don’t think your injuries are too serious. So it was good to for you to catch them early and understand that some thing was wrong before something really bad happened. Yoga should never hurt. If you need more don’t be afraid to ask. I am happy to help if I can.

[YogaByCandace 1,515]

I'm sorry to hear you're dealing with injuries. I think it sounds like you know what might be best (rest, a break).

When I was in training, one of our most advanced trainees was injured. He was devastated. But one of our instructors said that injuries happen when we're not paying attention. I personally thought that was a little harsh. I mean, yikes, certainly an injury can happen by accident, but she maintained that if you are fully present in every breath, fully dialed in to your own practice, injury wouldn't happen. I'm not sure about that, but I relay the story because I wonder if just a bit of that might be applied to your practice? With super flexible people, it's almost like they have to work twice as hard because it's important to build strength around the joints rather than to rely on the very flexible joints and sink weight into the poses, you know what I mean? 

You use words like 'obsessed" and phrases like "never been able to stick with anything" - maybe the injuries are a blessing in disguise, meant to show you that you can go deeper into your practice by exploring other aspects of the yoga practice like meditation (I bet yoga nidra would be really helpful), restorative yoga, etc. Maybe the injuries are, in a way, a blessing because you'll realize that if you take a break, it doesn't impact your ability to stick with something. You are still good enough even if you have to take a week-long, month-long, year-long break (and I'm just throwing those out there, I'm not saying it's going to take that long). 

Once you are able to practice again, I would focus on building strength deep within the core and back to support your ribs and spine. Being that you've had a number of rib-related injuries it sounds like strengthening would help. See if you can let go of the mentality of going to 'reach further' and instead, be really present in whatever it is you're doing. Wishing you a speedy recovery.  

[AnandaYoga 41]

On 3/11/2016 at 7:14 PM, Anahata said:

 

@Anahata thank you SO much for that video, it was really informative and really relatable.  In YTT we leaned that Tadasana is in EVERY pose, so legs, belly, etc. should almost always be engaged and I think I got sloppy with it.  It's funny...I've NEVER been naturally flexible and have always built muscle really quickly so maybe that's why I'm not paying much attention to strength building.  Thanks so much for your help!

[AnandaYoga 41]

@YogaByCandace thank you for your response! I ended up taking 9 days off of not just asana, but any physical exercise.  I focused on Pranayama  and meditation and after I felt ready, I moved with caution.  You never know how good Downward Dog feels after not doing it for over a week, LOL! I will work more on core exercises, possibly doing something outside of yoga? I've always relied on yoga to give me a full body workout experience but maybe it isn't enough.  I know you added strength training to your regimen, what do you think in this case?

[YogaByCandace 1,515]

I think it (strength training) might be helpful in this case  - I have seen a huge improvement in deep core strength development from overhead squats - I'd just work closely with someone who has extensive training because the last thing you'll want to do is cause further injury. I wouldn't just jump into it without knowing 100% what you're doing. You could also, if you have a swiss ball, start incorporating things like this more frequently and see if that's helpful.

[AnandaYoga 41]

@YogaByCandace I will absolutely do this!! Thanks so much for the help, I got a stability ball tonight to start!