![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Sep. 1st, 2015 05:31 pm
Stretch It Out
I’ve been getting sporadic leg and foot pains for years; mostly cramps in my feet and calves, but I’ll sometimes get month long periods of my right thigh being perpetually clenched tight like a fist. The cramps in my arch and calves generally come on suddenly as a consequence of wearing the wrong shoes or holding my foot in the wrong position for too long, and clear up with a few seconds of standing. The ones in the ball of my foot are duller and hang around for days.
Luckily and thankfully, it’s never once been so bad that I couldn’t walk or stand. At the worst, it makes it hard to fall asleep at night, so I’m grateful for that.
My wife in no way shares my lackadaisical attitude regarding this pain and glares furiously at me whenever I don’t take this as a sign to go to the doctor. I admit I’ve been gun-shy of that approach ever since the last time I went to a doctor about it. He had looked at me sternly and asked if I was eating healthy and exercising regularly, because if I wasn’t, there wasn’t much he could do. Given that all I’d eaten that day was a cookie and a potato, and I spent 12 hours out of every 24 on my ass, my answer was shamefully averted eyes. He sort of sighed and suggested I make sure I was drinking enough water.
Overall, the thing I’ve found that helps the most is stretching.
I learned all of my stretches over 15 years ago when I took Tae Kwon Do, a martial art technique that favors being able to kick over your head. My favorite stretch involves sitting down, putting the bottoms of my feet together, and bending forward to press my face to the floor. My least favorite stretch is where I sit down, lay my legs out straight, and reach for my toes while bending forward to put my face to my knees. I never not fuss and whine through that one. It’s also the most helpful in getting my clenched up thigh and calf muscles to release. (In fact, it’s probably such an uncomfortable stretch specifically because it directly affects my problem areas.)
I will usually go through my paces for a few days when my cramps are especially irritating, mumble to myself about how much flexibility I’ve lost, and then go back to my usual habits the second they ease up.
For the month of August, I decided to change it up by doing my stretches every day, even if only for five minutes, though ten minutes is better. I also added a couple other helpful habits, like sitting correctly in my chair and taking vigorous walks a couple times a day. The stretching seems to have the best affect, not just for the cramp-prone areas, but for my back and my overall energy levels.
Plus it’s a nice boost to my ego; after three weeks, I can bend over and put my palms flat on the ground. I am a rubber band.
Luckily and thankfully, it’s never once been so bad that I couldn’t walk or stand. At the worst, it makes it hard to fall asleep at night, so I’m grateful for that.
My wife in no way shares my lackadaisical attitude regarding this pain and glares furiously at me whenever I don’t take this as a sign to go to the doctor. I admit I’ve been gun-shy of that approach ever since the last time I went to a doctor about it. He had looked at me sternly and asked if I was eating healthy and exercising regularly, because if I wasn’t, there wasn’t much he could do. Given that all I’d eaten that day was a cookie and a potato, and I spent 12 hours out of every 24 on my ass, my answer was shamefully averted eyes. He sort of sighed and suggested I make sure I was drinking enough water.
Overall, the thing I’ve found that helps the most is stretching.
I learned all of my stretches over 15 years ago when I took Tae Kwon Do, a martial art technique that favors being able to kick over your head. My favorite stretch involves sitting down, putting the bottoms of my feet together, and bending forward to press my face to the floor. My least favorite stretch is where I sit down, lay my legs out straight, and reach for my toes while bending forward to put my face to my knees. I never not fuss and whine through that one. It’s also the most helpful in getting my clenched up thigh and calf muscles to release. (In fact, it’s probably such an uncomfortable stretch specifically because it directly affects my problem areas.)
I will usually go through my paces for a few days when my cramps are especially irritating, mumble to myself about how much flexibility I’ve lost, and then go back to my usual habits the second they ease up.
For the month of August, I decided to change it up by doing my stretches every day, even if only for five minutes, though ten minutes is better. I also added a couple other helpful habits, like sitting correctly in my chair and taking vigorous walks a couple times a day. The stretching seems to have the best affect, not just for the cramp-prone areas, but for my back and my overall energy levels.
Plus it’s a nice boost to my ego; after three weeks, I can bend over and put my palms flat on the ground. I am a rubber band.
