Today Friday 6/12/2009 is day 25 for me since I began my rehab plan by taking my surfboard to the beach on a dead-calm day.
I've been doing it on a MWF (Monday Wednesday Friday) schedule.
I spend about 30+ minutes in the water. I wade into the water, paddle the board a couple of minutes, then get off the board and do some on-back flutter-kicking, propelling myself through the water backwards, the board following me attached to my ankle by its leash. Towards the end of the last 30 minute session, I noticed small pains in my lower abdomen that I'm guessing are due to fatigue, so I stopped immediately.
I've done a total of 11 of these sessions now. With each one, my abdominals, chest, arms, and back muscles are getting stronger, so I'm a little more aggressive with each session. Also, my inner thighs seem stronger from the flutter-kicking, which I've become more aggressive about. But I think I've maybe reached a limit on the acceptable duration of the flutter-kick, as my adductors are still prone to inflammation from too much of that, I think.
Day before yesterday, I did the ocean session at dawn, then in the afternoon I mowed my yard on a riding lawnmower. Getting on an off it several times was the only thing stressful about that. Today, after no activity yesterday except walking, I'm a little more sore that I expected, and I'm planning to henceforth put 2 off-days between exercises instead on off-day.
My current symptoms
When I've been sitting down, perhaps for a meal, and then stand up, I have to give myself a few seconds before I step away, or I'll get some groin pain for a step or two.
Getting out of a car, I need to use both feet next to each other, or it irritates my left leg adductors, the irritation manifesting itself later.
Pain in lower abdomen or groin when turning over at night.
Pain in back of legs, especially left leg, triggered by bending and stooping.
Note about pain
ARenko made me think about the nature of my pain. I don't know about you guys, but the nature of the pains I've encountered in sports hernia is never excruciating. It's main attribute, I think, is worrisome. Like everybody here, I can remember many times in my life and youth being very, very sore from an especially intense game, or especially gruelling day. But because I was absolutely certain my body would be healed up the next day, the pains meant nothing.
But with sports hernia, even smaller pains in new places like the lower abdomen, strike fear in me now. Just when you think your getting better...bang. I think there's a psychological aspect to sports hernia.
My hopes and expectations
I'm hoping a regimen of exercising every 3rd day, or twice per week, will be something that works for me. My main strategy now is to heal without surgery as follows:
1. Somehow get myself physically capable of dealing with the everyday demands of living without being sore. If I can achieve this without surgery, then I think if I can stay active (light exercises) for a full year, I can consider myself
2. Do some agility movement twice per week, but only for a minute or so, so that my fascia tissue will learn the directions of forces to expect.
3. Turn my mind from sports hernia to business so I don't end up in the poor house.
4. Do the above 3 things for one year.
My calculations
Basketball played an important role in my life, a major source of pleasure for me over the years. For the last 10 years of it, it was almost surreal, because I was always the oldest player. I used to thank the heavens for such a blessing. In my 50's and still running a good full court game! How can this be true? What could be more fun?
But I've decided that I won't undertake the risk of surgery in order to continue to play basketball. You younger guys can see my logic, can't you?
So my objective is to simply be able to live the life of a normal, healthy, active, non-athlete. If I can get in and out of a car normally, jump down from a dock into a boat, etc., I'll be satisfied.
Also, I don't have insurance. If I have surgery by Dr. Muschaweck I'll have to put a mortgage on my house. And if I keep spending all my time thinking about sports hernia and posting to this message board, I'll be completely broke.
I wish everybody here a speedy recovery from this cursed sports hernia, and will try to post progress reports here regularly.
Surf