Urgan Shows Up, Does the Thing

[sarakingdom]

On 5/3/2016 at 11:36 AM, Urgan said:

Trying yet another pillow borrowed from my old room at my parents’ house plus a pillow in the gap between my torso and the mattress, and one between my legs. PLAYING FOR ALL THE BEANS, NAO.

 

It works.  So much better.

 

20 hours ago, Mistr said:

Keep in mind that the cats weigh less than 20 lbs and are falling from about a foot above the floor. Force = mass x acceleration. Not much mass, not changing speed very fast.

 

Yeah, they're basically anti-gravity in every way that matters.

[Mr_Willes]

Don't mind me, i'm just carving this tree so i can find my way back  

[Mistr]

1 hour ago, Urgan said:

 

Ukemi

Roll 5x per side

I’m actually getting kind of good at these, or not bad enough to decide I kinda like backwards rolls. Gasp. Did a bunch focusing on rolling backwards from sitting with zero momentum, nailed most of them. Forward rolls went without incident.

 

My arms, neck, and feet got the ROM treatment, I rolled quads, calves, hamstrings, ankles, and feet. Ever get the feeling that in resolving tension in one place, you’re just piling it on elsewhere?? A more lasting solution needs to present itself soon-ish...

 

Excellent that your rolls are getting better! Rolls give you clear positive and negative reinforcement. You can tell if you do it wrong because the body part that is out of place will hurt. When you do it right it feels like a gentle back massage with extra whoosh.

 

It sounds like you need a full body soak to ease out the knots. Do you ever get to soak in a hot tub?

If yes, does it help?

 

Chasing the knots from one muscle to the next sounds like an exercise in frustration. Have you talked to a sports medicine person or physical therapist about possible causes of all the knots?

 

15 minutes ago, sarakingdom said:

 

Yeah, they're basically anti-gravity in every way that matters.

 

Yep, cats have adjustable gravity. Shadow could levitate or land like a lump at her whim.

[Urgan]

1 hour ago, mr_willes said:

Don't mind me, i'm just carving this tree so i can find my way back  

 

YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE. 

 

1 hour ago, Mistr said:

 

Excellent that your rolls are getting better! Rolls give you clear positive and negative reinforcement. You can tell if you do it wrong because the body part that is out of place will hurt. When you do it right it feels like a gentle back massage with extra whoosh.

 

It sounds like you need a full body soak to ease out the knots. Do you ever get to soak in a hot tub?

If yes, does it help?

 

Chasing the knots from one muscle to the next sounds like an exercise in frustration. Have you talked to a sports medicine person or physical therapist about possible causes of all the knots?

 

They definitely have their way of letting you know when you do it wrong, lol. Doing them in front of random strangers is a bit of added difficulty, but not as bad as I'd thought.

 

You know, we have a large tub that we never use, lulz. Given that I am a small fry, tubs are more comfortable than average. Tonight is massage and testing night, so I will be attending but not actually testing. Harley has never seen the tub full of water, that alone would make it worth the effort....Might or might not do that tonight since I get back late in the evening from aikido, but tomorrow is a lifting day, so it would be just as useful then.

 

That's why I'm not going full bore on all fronts to work on this issue, so many variables I couldn't be sure what was helping and what was superfluous. I don't typically do manual massage as the sole means of getting at knots in certain body parts, but top of shoulders is hard to reach other than putting a lacrosse ball between me and a doorjamb, and that is so intense that I just don't have it in me to do often or for long periods of time. Re: cause of knots, there's a few different ways you can get 'em--the physical abuse meted out by lifting combined with improper body mechanics (sitting with shrugged shoulders, slouching, etc), stress/anxiety, improperly fitting bras, and pillow/mattress arrangements are all great ways of creating knots. Most of these are behavioral. I've been trying to work on my sitting posture and eliminating goofy arm leaning behaviors while looking at my laptop, got my underwear updated, am on top of rolling on a regular basis, and have been tackling my pillows for a net improvement. Some tension is going to be inevitable, I mean we all carry a certain amount as a "feature" of living, the main thing is to make sure I'm giving myself the most restful position possible, because all the assistance work in the world can't outpace putting my body in a position that constantly shorts muscle groups. I say this checking my neck position as I type this. POSTURE, ugh. This is a process. Not to mention tiny details like being unemployed, our insurance went with it. That's why I'm agonizing over buying a stupid pillow, lol. Throwing $45-100 on something that doesn't help is paralyzing. I am considering paying Target a visit tomorrow to obtain said new pillow and some egg crate foam. 

 

1 hour ago, Mistr said:

Yep, cats have adjustable gravity. Shadow could levitate or land like a lump at her whim.

 

Cats are liquid, masters of space-time.

[Urgan]

Did I mention today is massage day?!?!? Best day ever. It's so gonna bear out whether I am in fact making headway here. 

[shaar]

2 hours ago, Urgan said:

Hmm, never tried applying heat to it...chemical heat in the form of tiger balm I did once, but that was of limited help. I doubt applying heat would hurt...hmm. 

 

!!!!!!

 

Two things that are THE BOMB:

 

1. Those u-shaped microwavable neck pillows.  I use this frequently and HOLY HELP.  Like ex: this morning I woke up on my back (not my usual sleep position) with a decent amount of stiffness... used my neck pillow while I had my coffee/breakfast and BAM, cured.

 

2. My massage therapist highly recommends damp heat, i.e. run your water for as hot as you can get it (or rather, handle it), drench and wring out a towel, and drape it around your neck.  Pro: feels REALLY good, con: doesn't stay really hot for really long.

 

Heat.  HEEAATTT

[Urgan]

1 minute ago, shaarawy said:

 

!!!!!!

 

Two things that are THE BOMB:

 

1. Those u-shaped microwavable neck pillows.  I use this frequently and HOLY HELP.  Like ex: this morning I woke up on my back (not my usual sleep position) with a decent amount of stiffness... used my neck pillow while I had my coffee/breakfast and BAM, cured.

 

2. My massage therapist highly recommends damp heat, i.e. run your water for as hot as you can get it (or rather, handle it), drench and wring out a towel, and drape it around your neck.  Pro: feels REALLY good, con: doesn't stay really hot for really long.

 

Heat.  HEEAATTT

 

Where does one obtain such pillow? I don't have time to do so today due to Logistics, but tomorrow is a different story. Guess this is as good an excuse for a tub soak as anything, yes? 

[shaar]

1 minute ago, Urgan said:

 

Where does one obtain such pillow? I don't have time to do so today due to Logistics, but tomorrow is a different story. Guess this is as good an excuse for a tub soak as anything, yes? 

 

I got mine a long time ago at a spa, but I'm willing to bet Target and department stores have them, too.  Definitely Amazon, and I'm sure you'd have a variety to choose from!

[Mr_Willes]

18 minutes ago, Urgan said:

YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE. 

 

 

[Urgan]

Just now, mr_willes said:

 

 

 

Yes. Like that. Only more friendly. 

[Urgan]

4 minutes ago, shaarawy said:

 

I got mine a long time ago at a spa, but I'm willing to bet Target and department stores have them, too.  Definitely Amazon, and I'm sure you'd have a variety to choose from!

 

Like this?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Wraps-Herbal-Lavender-Pillow/dp/B008EYNB7I/ref=sr_1_9_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1462387520&sr=8-9&keywords=microwavable+pillow

[Mr_Willes]

Plain awesomeness everywhere you look! I am familiar with the "Urgan"-way  

[Urgan]

3 minutes ago, mr_willes said:

Plain awesomeness everywhere you look! I am familiar with the "Urgan"-way  

 

Pardon the renovations, lol.

 

Re:  neck pillow, this could make a big difference in terms of the tub soaking, I see how it could be a useful cushion....

[shaar]

11 minutes ago, Urgan said:

 

Like this?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Wraps-Herbal-Lavender-Pillow/dp/B008EYNB7I/ref=sr_1_9_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1462387520&sr=8-9&keywords=microwavable+pillow

Yaaaass that's pretty identical to the one I have!

 

They make inflatable ones you can actually suction cup to the side of the tub, too!!!

 

SCIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!

[Urgan]

Just now, shaarawy said:

Yaaaass that's pretty identical to the one I have!

 

They make inflatable ones you can actually suction cup to the side of the tub, too!!!

 

SCIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Fancy. I actually have a rice-filled pillow that's about the size of a wallet. Too small to fit around both shoulders. What it IS good for is forcing my shoulder to stay level, lol. I busted it out of the freezer and it is in fact pretty comfy. I will obtain a proper one some which way. While I'm to eliminate root causes, there's no reason to be miserable and this seems like an epic way to keep the miserable away. Thanks for sharing~ 

[sarakingdom]

1 hour ago, Urgan said:

You know, we have a large tub that we never use, lulz. Given that I am a small fry, tubs are more comfortable than average.

 

Gonna also suggest epsom salts in that bath.  They're widely used for muscle issues in athletes, and in my experience, magnesium supplementation through the skin is hugely helpful for tight muscles that won't loosen.  (Maybe also a magnesium lotion to rub on afterwards, since you're having a pretty intense problem with a lot of muscles.)  I have a shoulder muscle that occasionally tightens so painfully I can't get it to release any mechanical way, and that's what does it, magnesium lotion.)

 

1 hour ago, Urgan said:

Cats are liquid, masters of space-time.

 

They are.  There's a lot to be learned from cats.

 

56 minutes ago, Urgan said:

Yes. Like that. Only more friendly. 

 

What on earth is friendlier than Muppets and Bowie crotch-shots?

[lucky fire dragon]

heat is such a wonderful way of seducing tight muscles to relax  Go for it, in which way ever! And if you do any massaging or ball rolling after or stretches, I promise you they will work lots better!

[Urgan]

5-4-2016

Prince John = my muscles, Sir Hiss = my attempt to calm them down

 

Lifting

Mind the knees; mind the back

Rest day. My knees are recovering from the poor squat mechanics, hopefully this is finally behind me.

 

Ukemi

Roll 5x per side

Test night. Showed up to support my peeps. It was super fun, black belts did randori and that was epic. My first time seeing it in person.

 

Food

Protein: 2/20 - 103g

 

I have been craving water like crazy and my appetite has returned this week, so that counts toward sorting my body out, right?? (More than I knew when I originally typed this, in fact…)

 

Sleep

Lights out: 11:15PM -- 6/10

Wake up: 9:30AM -- 7/10

All of the bathroom trips, all of the time. I drank so much water over the course of yesterday, lol. The best sleeping position thus far is newest pillow + towel folded in fours to shim up the height of the pillow for my head and the washed pillow to hug. The fiddly bit of all this is back angle. The wrong angles will strain my back and my mattress-facing shoulder by turns. Sleeping on my back is easier logistically and is a great way to settle tense muscles quickly, but I just can’t seem to fall asleep that way. Ah well. New pillow with slightly greater loft--like, a millimeter greater, lol--would probably be ideal.

 

Mobility

No slouching

Neck mobility: 3/28

Stretch and mobilize: 3/28

So...turns out I do have a microwavable rice bag, but it’s too small to fit over both shoulders. It gets quite warm and feels pretty good, so there’s that.

 

MASSAGE DAY!!!!!!!

 

I am slowly, slowly slowly seeing improvement in the form of decreased volume of and increased time to the creative pain noises the massage therapist ekes out of me. I got her number in case I have SOS grade pain strike, yay~ I did some extra ROM neck stretching and rolled the bottoms of my feets.

 

16 hours ago, sarakingdom said:

Gonna also suggest epsom salts in that bath.  They're widely used for muscle issues in athletes, and in my experience, magnesium supplementation through the skin is hugely helpful for tight muscles that won't loosen.  (Maybe also a magnesium lotion to rub on afterwards, since you're having a pretty intense problem with a lot of muscles.)  I have a shoulder muscle that occasionally tightens so painfully I can't get it to release any mechanical way, and that's what does it, magnesium lotion.)

 

You are a freaking GENIUS. I did some research, and there is a damn good chance (~92.8%) that my problem is magnesium deficiency. I mean, read this and tell me everything up to and including appetite issues sounds like my whining all these past few weeks? That whole inability to relax my muscles thing is SO true...imagine living in a body that seems to be covered in ratchet straps. Every time you shift position while wide awake or trying to get to sleep, within a few minutes you start to hurt and everything has tightened up on you.

 

I supplemented with magnesium chloride and dumped some epsom salts into a bath and sat in it around 30 minutes. The result is feeling distinctly less crummy and being ready to fall asleep immediately. Unfortunately, I still woke up at a stupid hour, but there are easily explainable reasons for that having nothing to do with muscle problems. I'm still holding out some skepticism because I did just get a massage and had a hot soak--and you'll recall that I generally get better sleep on Aikido nights--however between the massage place and Aikido I was already tightening up again in the shoulders and could even detect a bit of an ache coming on, where it had never done that before (how one can get less knotty yet still be progressively more tense from possible nutritional deficiency is nearly beyond my ability to process...). Skepticism aside, this morning I feel like a human again and for that alone I'd take a bullet for you. Thank you to everyone who has offered suggestions, regardless of whether I've heeded them or gotten direct benefit at the moment. The fact that you care has been comforting while I've been on the edge of losing it, lol.

 

STAY TUNED.

 

16 hours ago, sarakingdom said:

What on earth is friendlier than Muppets and Bowie crotch-shots?

 

Gifs, stories of me derping through this life, and Aikido shop talk??

6 hours ago, lucky fire dragon said:

heat is such a wonderful way of seducing tight muscles to relax  Go for it, in which way ever! And if you do any massaging or ball rolling after or stretches, I promise you they will work lots better!

 

I think that is very true, hopefully I won't have to get too creative at this point~ OMG I can turn my head.

[Urgan]

Morning update 5/5/16:

 

I am updating this early because a - I lowered the temperature of the house overnight to 76 and we both ended up sniffly and drippy and stuffy in the morning, creating a sinus headache and I'm particularly sensitive to headaches lately and b - I had to pee. I bet my thirst is relevant to this and my Issues lately. So I'm doing one of my patented forced resets of sleep and getting the bleep up at Early o'Clock to force myself back into a sane routine. My right side is a bit stiff, but there is actual asymmetry between my left and right, which is an improvement. Also the tightness isn't just one millimeter shy of headache at all times no matter what I do, which is another improvement. The gym will really bear out the difference, I think, because squatting this morning is like 

 

 

 

Seriously I can get off the couch and not hurt from tight Everything that Connects to My Hip Joints. 

[shaar]

SWEEEET RELIEF!!  Epsom salts are something that I always forget about..... huuuge help. 

 

I woke up this morning on my back with a stiff neck and of course, thought of you, because WHY IS SLEEPING SO HARD SOMETIMES??  Being able to turn your head from side to side is severely underrated, right??

 

Interesting about the magnesium, now I have something new to research................

[Urgan]

7 minutes ago, shaarawy said:

SWEEEET RELIEF!!  Epsom salts are something that I always forget about..... huuuge help. 

 

I woke up this morning on my back with a stiff neck and of course, thought of you, because WHY IS SLEEPING SO HARD SOMETIMES??  Being able to turn your head from side to side is severely underrated, right??

 

Interesting about the magnesium, now I have something new to research................

 

For srs. It NEVER would have occurred to me to check nutritional issues, partly due to the fact that I only just realized part of my problem is I simply could never get loose enough to get true relief. I WAS THE HANDICAPPED. 

 

Magnesium. Get some.

[Urgan]

I was so full of sleep-deprived euphoria that I forgot to mention we had cheesecake for dinner last night. Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake, to be specific. I mixed up the "batter" and put it in the fridge for Mike to bake when he got home. That's right, he baked his first thing

[shaar]

9 minutes ago, Urgan said:

I was so full of sleep-deprived euphoria that I forgot to mention we had cheesecake for dinner last night. Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake, to be specific. I mixed up the "batter" and put it in the fridge for Mike to bake when he got home. That's right, he baked his first thing

 

Ooohhhh ricotta.  I stayed at a B&B in Savannah once and breakfast was a raspberry ricotta tart GOD BLESS it blew my mind.  Ricottaaaaaa dairy whyyyy~

[raptron]

Oooh, that looks lovely! And INTERRRRRESTING re: supplementation! Very interesting! Glad you are hopping around like a spritely satyr now. Or I guess like a spritely lady creature... nymph? Sure, let's go with that. 

[sarakingdom]

3 hours ago, Urgan said:

You are a freaking GENIUS. I did some research, and there is a damn good chance (~92.8%) that my problem is magnesium deficiency. I mean, read this and tell me everything up to and including appetite issues sounds like my whining all these past few weeks? That whole inability to relax my muscles thing is SO true...imagine living in a body that seems to be covered in ratchet straps. Every time you shift position while wide awake or trying to get to sleep, within a few minutes you start to hurt and everything has tightened up on you.

 

I supplemented with magnesium chloride and dumped some epsom salts into a bath and sat in it around 30 minutes. The result is feeling distinctly less crummy and being ready to fall asleep immediately. Unfortunately, I still woke up at a stupid hour, but there are easily explainable reasons for that having nothing to do with muscle problems. I'm still holding out some skepticism because I did just get a massage and had a hot soak--and you'll recall that I generally get better sleep on Aikido nights--however between the massage place and Aikido I was already tightening up again in the shoulders and could even detect a bit of an ache coming on, where it had never done that before (how one can get less knotty yet still be progressively more tense from possible nutritional deficiency is nearly beyond my ability to process...). Skepticism aside, this morning I feel like a human again and for that alone I'd take a bullet for you.

 

Yay, feeling human!  I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier, it's one of my go-to suggestions when people have muscles that won't un-knot.  It's a pretty common deficiency, I think, even among people whose diet should be optimal for it.

 

My guess is that if you feel that bad, and it is magnesium, you may benefit from a lot of epsom salt baths at first.  I'd keep the supplementation at the recommendation on the bottle, and just add a lot of baths.  It's pretty common to feel relaxed and sleepy after soaking in epsom salts, regardless, so the real test is how you feel the rest of the day.