Some Lessons from Physical Therapy

So I really don't like physical therapy, as I've probably made clear. But I've come to realize that I've actually learned a lot from physical therapy. It really is strange to learn something from an activity that I despite so much.

First my injuries. Yes, I will bother you with the details this time. My ankle is easy: last fall before I left for school I was using a tree branch to boost myself onto the sidewalk. I had taken a shortcut up a small hill to get to a friends house. The branch was only about 2 feet off the ground, but just as I put all my weight on my left foot (on the branch), it snapped, and I landed in a not so pleasant position. Really I just fell straight down, but it was painful. I iced, and the pain went away till about March. That's when baseball started, and that's when I started running on uneven ground again. It was excruciating at times. So I went to a doctor. I have tendonitis, a weak muscle, and maybe some bruised cartilage.

My elbow is more complicated. Junior year of high school I probably threw to 1 batter too many one game (gave up a home run, whodathunkit). My arm felt awful for the rest of that week. Like couldn't straighten it at all. I have now learned that I probably hyperextended the joint. Went away eventually. I've had some arm issues here and there since then, but those have all been muscle related. Now I've found out that the hyperextension probably damaged my nerves all down my arm. I've also had to compensate for some unhappiness in my elbow and now cannot straighten it. When I first went to physical therapy they measured my maximum extension as being at a 12 degree angle from straight. 12 degrees is a lot, and means that I never got the extension I needed while throwing. Because of that I relied heavily on my tricep to power through, and so my shoulder fell behind. It's a fucked up situation in my arm right now, but currently it looks like in a few months I'll be back to normal.

The Lessons
1. Ice. It's always good to ice, and now I have to ice pretty much my whole body every day. Not so fun. Should have iced more aggressively earlier.
2. Be in shape. My shoulder is in no shape to throw as hard as I do, and I don't throw very hard. All my power comes from my legs, core, and tricep right now. That's kind of impressive, but not good.
3. See a doctor. I hate doctors. I'm the hypochondriac who would rather complain than actually go see a doctor. But they help. Even though I don't like shelling out $20 per visit, they really help.