“The aim of the wise is not to secure pleasure, but to avoid pain.”
– Aristotle
I have problems with my iliotibial band in my right leg. The band is too short which therefore pulls my leg bones and muscles in all sorts of directions, which therefore makes my whole leg turn outward, which therefore pulls my spine out of alignment fairly consistently, which therefore causes various problems. Notably, chronic back and leg pain, particularly in my right hip joint. I walk with a slight limp, virtually impossible to detect unless something is inflamed and then virtually impossible to ignore. The upside? My turnout in ballet was extraordinary!
Aggravating? Yes. Anything to be done? No. Any chance it will keep me from wearing heels? Don’t you know me at all?!
Anyway, the only real help is to keep the muscles and joints strong with decent exercise. Sometimes, though, I overdo it. Like on Tuesday.
I did some lunges with those dinky little five pound hand weights while J. was bench pressing far more than I weigh (which is just fine as I find this – and his broad shoulders – all sorts of fascinating, but I digress). Then I did some other leg exercises and strength training and left feeling tired and pretty pleased with myself.
Yesterday I woke up almost unable to move my right leg. Bending my knee nearly put me on the floor as my inflamed and shaking thigh muscles wouldn’t hold me. And as for that hip joint, holy mother of torture! J. tried to help by massaging my calf muscle but after approximately two seconds I beat him off with a pillow and bellows of pain.
“You know what you need,” he said in a firm voice and emphatically raised eyebrows.
Slowly, evilly he gestured towards the closet.
Wherein resides the most exquisitely vile torture known to man…
Next time: Just Roll With It
Small Dog Syndrome 
While I am afraid of what comes next, I am unable to look away for fear I’ll miss the next installment of your tale.
Tell me, please tell me there aren’t granny shoes in the foreseeable future. I know the world would implode at the horror.
Praying that the world won’t end…
Ouch!
Go buy a tube of Traumeel or Voltaren — both are very powerful topical analgesic creams. That, plus ice and kickass painkillers and **REST** missy should set you to rights.
Says the woman who has DAILY 24/7 hip pain due to arthritis and dead bone in her left hip.
Rest? Ha! Who has time?
Have you heard of foam rollers? I hear they work wonders on tight IT bands. Maybe it would help?
Oh, honey. Check back later to see exactly what I think about foam rollers!