![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
My morning yoga class was distressing today. I'm not bothered by the things I know I can't do because of structural defects: my right knee will never be able to do pigeon-pose safely, but so far as I am aware, pigeon-pose is not a vital life skill. I'm more concerned when the bits that normally cooperate aren't working so well. Why are my thigh muscles quivering? You are THUNDER THIGHS, damnit! Looks like I need more biking.
The big thing, though, was my wrists.
For a few months, I've had randomly clumsy fingers while playing fiddle. They feel a tiny bit, not quite numb, but unresponsive. It usually goes away, but I have to warm up longer than usual. For awhile I passed it off as another manifestation of reynauds, since it feels similar to a light reynauds episode, but then I realized it happened when I was toasty warm.
Today I realized that it's the exact same feeling I get when I'm doing hand-supported yoga poses (lunges, down dog, etc). Wrist strain = unresponsive fingers. Culprit, found.
And it pissed me off. I mean, here I've added yoga to my weekly schedule partly because it helps my back SO much, making it less painful to play. And the thing that's helped me be able to play longer without pain seems to be helping me play worse, too. It just ain't right. I wanted to shout "It's not Fa-air!" in the middle of class.
I was in a better head-space by the time I got home. It took me years after surgery to feel like my body was something I had control over and could improve instead of being pissed at it. So it makes sense that when a new situation arises, I have to fight a bit of that battle all over again. I think the fact that I can get from "FUCK!" to "Ah, here's what I have to do..." in under an hour counts as definite progress.
So, the plan is...
-Wrist stretches EVERY time I play. They're easy to forget and I tend to do them only when I feel stiff or sore, and that's not enough.
-Wrist stretches before & after yoga.
-Fists instead of palms supporting poses everywhere I can (allows a straight wrist, which is much safer).
-Getting the five-lb weights back out and working on arm strength. The more I'm using the rest of my arm, the less I'm relying on my wrist.
-Doing not-wrist core-work more often (like boat pose) -- same idea as arm work: the more I'm using my belly, the less I'm leaning on my wrists.
The big thing, though, was my wrists.
For a few months, I've had randomly clumsy fingers while playing fiddle. They feel a tiny bit, not quite numb, but unresponsive. It usually goes away, but I have to warm up longer than usual. For awhile I passed it off as another manifestation of reynauds, since it feels similar to a light reynauds episode, but then I realized it happened when I was toasty warm.
Today I realized that it's the exact same feeling I get when I'm doing hand-supported yoga poses (lunges, down dog, etc). Wrist strain = unresponsive fingers. Culprit, found.
And it pissed me off. I mean, here I've added yoga to my weekly schedule partly because it helps my back SO much, making it less painful to play. And the thing that's helped me be able to play longer without pain seems to be helping me play worse, too. It just ain't right. I wanted to shout "It's not Fa-air!" in the middle of class.
I was in a better head-space by the time I got home. It took me years after surgery to feel like my body was something I had control over and could improve instead of being pissed at it. So it makes sense that when a new situation arises, I have to fight a bit of that battle all over again. I think the fact that I can get from "FUCK!" to "Ah, here's what I have to do..." in under an hour counts as definite progress.
So, the plan is...
-Wrist stretches EVERY time I play. They're easy to forget and I tend to do them only when I feel stiff or sore, and that's not enough.
-Wrist stretches before & after yoga.
-Fists instead of palms supporting poses everywhere I can (allows a straight wrist, which is much safer).
-Getting the five-lb weights back out and working on arm strength. The more I'm using the rest of my arm, the less I'm relying on my wrist.
-Doing not-wrist core-work more often (like boat pose) -- same idea as arm work: the more I'm using my belly, the less I'm leaning on my wrists.
