So this week I got the PT to dry needle both my shoulder and my hip. Concerning the hip, it seemed that the adductor magnus, a usual suspect, was fairly quiet. However, I had quite a few trigger points in the anterior part of my hip, so some small hip flexor muscles of which I forget their names. I imagine the fact that my body presented itself with new/trigger points to be a good sign, but also I must figure out why the change, to see if there is anything I can do to prevent the trigger points from forming.
Concerning the squatting, This past week I went up to Chicago to celebrate the one year anniversary with my wife, and we followed that by driving a U-Haul full of stuff from Chicago to Dallas. Needless to say, I didn’t do very much squatting. Once I got back home to Dallas, however, I did three sets of five reps of 170, and I could tell that my technique was a little rusty.
Right before the move, I had made a revelation with regards to my technique. When coming up out of the hole, I was leaning forward a bit. After leaning forward, I then had to compensate and straighten up my torso. This was something that was not comfortable, and I think it is the motion that strained my adductor. I also noticed that I was keeping my weight in my mid-foot, although occasionally on a bad rep I would feel my weight shift towards the balls of my feet causing me to have to take a step or two forward. What I figured out I could do was really keep my weight back. At first it almost felt like I was going to fall over backwards, but after a few reps I started to get the hang of it. …I record all of my reps on video, and when I reviewed the tape I felt like my pelvis was more stable than it has ever been coming in and out of the hole. This is great news, really felt like I made a breakthrough.
However, it seems that I lost my feeling for it because when I came back I noticed that I was once again leaning forward just a schotch, and it was affecting my groin, although not too badly. I just have to shake the rust off from not squatting for almost a week and just get back to it.
Concerning the Shoulder, when he worked on my trap oh my lord did that jump while he was poking it!!! Afterwards my shoulder was super sore, but it did feel better. However, almost 48 hours later I work on overhead press and my shoulder feels… more injured? It’s like now that the muscles that were tight protecting the joint are relaxed, the joint feels more vulnerable. I did get a new rep max though (eight reps of 115# woot!) but it was my first experience where the shoulder just didn’t feel right.
I am still looking at prolo as an option, but I am going to do it in 2014 at the soonest. I’ve found a doctor here in Texas, down in Austin, who seems to do it right, he's method is similar if not the same as Dr. Hauser up in Chicago. I have wanted to visit Austin again as an adult (went once as a kid) for some time now, so I would be excited to make a trip of it. Not going to lie getting my shoulder fixed would be amazing, much like getting my hip fixed.
My friend Bobby said it best:
You’re a handsome young capable man in the flesh. Underneath, you’re for shit.
You’re like a low miles BMW that’s priced to sell on the used car lot. Little does the hapless buyer know you spent a week underwater during your “Katrina days”.
I think about how messed up my body has been, and now think about how much progress I have made, and I know I should be happy, but all I can think about is that last little bit that I need to be 100% whole. Like always, I feel so damn tantalizingly close I can almost taste it to be injury-free. So close, yet so far.
