Two-weeks ago today I was headed back from seeing NKOTB in Dallas. I was tired and had 2 tests to prepare for, however I decided I wanted to go to the gym. I had a nice 20 minute walk on the treadmill, than decided to run 2 miles to finish up. Two miles were up, I started to cool down. As soon as I did, my foot started aching. For the medical terminology proficent- it hurt at the base of my 5th metatarsal...aka.. the side of my foot about 3 inches below my pinkie toe. I iced it, I elevated it, I rested it. By the end of Sunday I was limping in a lot of pain.
I've been freaking out about money this semester and just couldn't bring myself to go to the doctor or have an x-ray taken of my foot. I resorted to my new skills and education (I am just an unlicensed student and not suggesting this is medical advice). If you take a tuning fork or Ultra Sound and place it over the bone where a fracture is suspected, it will hurt. My foot didn't when I did this. My range of motion was not painful. Touching it was not painful. It was slightly discolored, but not very swollen. Still I iced it and tried to stay off of it. Monday turned out to be a rotten day for various reasons. Luckily my visiting teachers caught wind of my day and brought me yummy homemade cookie ice cream sandwiches.
By last Friday I was still hurting a lot and I knew I needed to just give my body a break. Even though the tuning fork test was negative, I decided it might possibly be a stress fracture. I went to borrow crutches at school and one of my instructors basicall said- here, if you are going to go to extremes, try this boot. When I put it on the pain disappeared. So I told myself- someone is trying to tell you something- SLOW DOWN! I have been going a million MPH this summer and stressed to the max, so stress fracture or not, the boot made me take this week slow.
I spent all this week in the boot. Which meant no working out. What-no working out for a week? That was torture! Another lesson about slowing down. If I was freaking out by not going to the gym, I'm a bit more addicted than I'd like to be. I need to learn a better balance.
Yesterday things changed. I was at school for the incoming student orientation. Another PT faculty saw my boot. I told him my suspicions and he let me know he thought I was wrong. I think my exact words were- how do you know Mr. Know-it-all? He said even a stress fracture would hurt with the tuning fork. After making me walking around the classroom without the book, poking at my foot and applying some pressure, his opinion was that it is my cuboid bone out of wack. He showed me some mobilizations to invert my foot to try every 2 hours. I'm trying it and have been boot free since last night. I hope this a permanent solution.
My lesson in all this seems to be to slow down. I will wear myself out soon if I don't learn to find a better balance. I was reminded by a friend in my program that we learn stress is important on the body. For example in weight lifting the stress on the muscle fibers is important to building more muscle mass. However, rest is equally important. If you stress it and stress it, the body is going to become weaker. Spiritually, emotionally, and physically these principles all apply.
Lucky for me there are only 2 weeks left of school and most of it will just be learning and reviewing. "So relax and enjoy learing", I was told. Yes, I am going to do my best to slow down, relax, and just keep enjoying the ride.
