Stomach Muscle:

Have you ever heard of someone tearing their stomach muscle? Yeah…I did not think so….But you know what? I have done it and it was the longest, most painful recovery of my life.

It was in…I guess 2009. I was skating on the ice learning a new ice dance (Skate Canada Test…Canasta). But the arena I was at, had a lot of holes in them and at one point I tripped into the hole and fell hard onto my stomach. I blacked out and honestly don’t remember much of what happened that day.

Now, I remember going almost a week with no pain. But I continued skating and gym class. It was a Monday night I was trying to stand up and it kept feeling like my stomach was ripping. I was seeing stars it hurt so bad.

This became the start of my medical problems. I saw dozens of doctors and nobody really knew what I had. I was being treated for many things…until a year later it finally hit me, the pain started at the same time I fell on my stomach.

So the doctor I was with at the time did a physical evaluation and I blacked out when he made me do a sit-up. That exact moment I was diagnosed with a torn stomach muscle.

I was off the ice for four months, and not allowed to jump for two years after that. It was a long process and it hurt badly. To this day I still cannot wear jeans for long (unless they are maternity jeans).  But if you fall hard enough on your stomach…you can tear it.

---

 

Sacroiliac Joint Pain

Earlier this week (week of June 13th) I decided to see a chiropractor after living with back pain for years. I came to the conclusion that the pain started when I was around 13 years old-so 8 years ago in total.

The pain started when I was in semi-private. A program led by Skate Canada (figure skating). I was asked to do ‘shoot the duck’ several times over and over again for a week straight. However I had no strength in my ankles but I still wanted to impress the coaches.

What I didn’t realize was falling every time, making it extremely painful each time…was causing damage.

Again, I never knew that’s when the full pain started. Instead, I took two weeks off because I was barely able to walk. After I felt good enough to get back on the ice.

When the pain started AGAIN, it was a few years later. Same pressure type pain in my lower back (right side mostly) unless it radiated.

Again, I did not think much of it. I was only worried because at the same time my stomach was really starting to hurt too. So instead of seeing anyone. I thought, and was told it was likely related to the stomach pain.

I was then diagnosed with a torn stomach muscle (you can see in my earlier post), along with endometriosis. I started going to physiotherapy and on the first day….I was told my posture was terrible and it would cause problems in the future. But at that point, it was not my main concern, my main concern was the blindsiding pain from the stomach.

Up until two months ago…I started getting severe back cramps in my lower back. It was more common though when I was sleeping. At first it started once. And it scared the daylights out of me. I felt paralyzed. I had trouble sitting up in bed and then had to waddle around the house to walk it off.

The next night it did not happen. It only started the night before my laparoscopy surgery. That night, it did not worry me so much. I was convinced it was stress that was causing it.

But when it happened three more times that week…I was getting worried. And again, I am stubborn. I see too many doctors and specialists that I did not want to go through with seeing another one.

It took until the pain started coming throughout the day. I was having trouble skating, walking to school and staying focused. Sitting in a classroom for two hours was one of the more painful tasks.

Finally when I was training at the gym I started to black out just doing the stair master (slow pace). I knew there was a problem. So the week after I decided to call an acupuncturist and a chiropractor.

The chiropractor did a physical evaluation and based on what I told him and what he was able to feel…he knew right away I had an injury to my Sacroiliac Joint. –If you continue reading the blog posts, I will be posting my progress. For right now, we have not done much since I only saw him once.

Here is some information: The term is used to describe where the sacrum and iliac bones join. The sacrum is the base of your spine that sits between two large bones (iliac bones) that are your pelvis.

If there is pain around the area, these are some issues that could be the cause:

-muscle tightness
-Pregnancy
-Arthritis
-Legs aren’t the same length
-Trauma

and many more….

Some major symptoms are: Pain in the lower back, usually on one side. Hip pain. Discomfort bending or standing long periods of times. Improvement or non-improvement when lying down. Stiffness.

Some relief: Rest, Ice, Heat, Meds or seeing a specialist who can help.

I had no idea what the cause was. I am happy to have found a chiropractor who understands the injury along with the Fibro. I felt really good after the first session. So I am looking forward to the next few times to see how my symptoms improve all around.