Happy New Year!
If you've been thinking about resolutions, here are a few suggestions:
resolve to eat more vegetables.
resolve to spend time with people you love.
resolve to do something you enjoy at least once a week. Although this is a case where more is better!
Seriously, resolutions often seem to be about punishing yourself, and
they don't have to be! They also don't have to be made at the beginning
of the year. Make a resolution when you think it will benefit you, and
you'll take it more seriously. It's not just a new year thing!
Here's to a very happy new year to all of you!
Running and climbing stairs is possible with massage
Imagine
you’ve been training to run across Michigan with a group to raise money
for water purification systems in Mexico. Since it’s a relay, you have
other team members running and counting on you. Then, 17 miles into
your 20 miles, your knee gives out.
That’s what happened to Michael Mulder in September 2009. He walked
the last three miles in a lot of pain. It was 2 a.m. and there was a
lot of time to think about what happened to his knee, and what he might
need to do about it. In Mike’s case, he had pre-scheduled foot surgery
for a week after the race. He knew he’d be on crutches for ten weeks,
and he thought resting his knee for that long would take care of it.
However, that’s not what happened. He was unable to go up and down
stairs even after the ten weeks had past.
He saw an orthopedic surgeon who suggested an MRI which showed that
Mike had dislocated the knee. The doctor also told Mike he wouldn’t run
again. Because it had been a while between the injury and the doctor’s
visit, the knee had realigned itself, but there was a lot of scar
tissue and inflammation. The doctor gave him a cortisone shot to
relieve the inflammation. It gave him some relief, but he wasn’t pain
free and still couldn’t get up and down stairs. Then Mike began working
with a physical therapist.
“When I started P.T., I couldn’t run to the end of the driveway,” Mike
said. “After working with him on specific exercises, I was able to run
two miles. That was great, but then I was stuck at the two mile mark.”
He was still searching for ways to improve his knee and get back to
running longer distances.
He found a chiropractor who helped a great deal. In the meantime, his
wife gave him a gift certificate for massage at Harbor Health and
Massage, where she had been getting massages from Penny Edmison, MMT.
Mike decided to see Penny as well. “I’d had massage before, but Penny
did a fantastic job,” Mike said. “She’s thorough and she keeps good
notes. So when I come back, she knows what she did last time and where
she needs to work. I’m not coming in for a relaxation massage. I want
her to get to the areas that need help, and she can do that. She works
the area, but it’s not excruciating. She does what needs to be done
without overdoing it.”
Penny also recommended Mike try Pilates. He wasn’t familiar with it,
but he now believes that the combination of massage and Pilates, and the
communication between Penny and his Pilates instructor has been
beneficial.
Penny has enjoyed working with Mike. “He’s got great body awareness
and he understands what needs to be done to keep his body working
properly,” she said. “He’s an organic farmer, so he’s conscious of what
he eats, and he’s an athlete, so he knows how being active affects his
body. “ One of the rewards for Penny has been watching his
improvement. “Since he comes often, I could really see how much change
occurred from week to week. It’s so great to see the results! He also
has done a good job of combining a few different types of therapy to
give him the best results.”
Mike has been pleased with his progress. He now runs 30 miles a week
without pain, and can walk up and down stairs with no trouble. “All of
my symptoms are gone.” he said.
Ed. Note: We’re happy to work with other health professionals to
provide you with the best care. If you’re working with a physical
therapist or other healthcare provider who will talk with us about ways
to tailor our treatment, we’re happy to do that. We find that when care
is coordinated, our clients notice results faster.
Do you have food allergies?
Join cookbook author Marcia Davis for a dinner of recipes from her book, "Nothing to Sneeze At: Main Dishes for People with Allergies." at Butch's Restaurant on Wednesday, January 18. Dinner begins at 7:00 p.m. and the cost is $35 per person. Reservations are first-come, first-served and seating is limited, so call Butch's (396-8227) to get your name on the list! Marcia will be there, and you will be able to purchase cookbooks that evening. If you have friends with allergies to wheat, corn, and/or cow dairy, please let them know about this special event!