I come to this work with my own past suffering and defense mechanisms, plenty of my own therapy as a client, and a sense of humor and respect for the work. I’ve had surgeries, and healed from two serious injuries (one to my right knee/tibia and the other to my left ankle/talus; see below if you want the not-very-pleasant details), but not without consequences. I too have holding patterns, my hips aren’t even, and the ripple effects can be felt throughout my body, far from the injury sites. Again, these things make me a more compassionate and informed therapist, and I can speak from my own experiences.
The first injury came during what was meant to be a fun cub scout den outing with my son in 2007. It was a beautiful, sunny February vacation day, one of those days where you can sense the slightest hint of spring. The snow was slick on the snow-tubing course, and I went way too fast down the hill and broke my right tibia trying to stop myself from crashing into the protective barrier at the bottom of the hill. I had a plate and pins put in to repair the upper part of the bone, and was non-weight-bearing for almost two months, then on crutches for another 4. It was a painful recovery and I had to have a second procedure done to break up scar tissue that was preventing full mobility in my knee. The joint itself has never gained full range of motion, and still causes swelling/pain if I overdo it.
The second injury also happened doing something that was meant to be fun – a “beginner” mountain bike ride for women (in 2013). Unfortunately the single-track trails were beyond my skill level and I ended up falling over sideways down a hill; also unfortunate was that my clip-in shoe did not unclip and therefore my talus partially shattered. To add insult to injury, we were a mile into the forest with no accessible driving paths, so getting back to my car was a painful adventure. The break was unusual; my ortho asked if he could present it at his regular meeting with other ankle specialists, and the surgery involved breaking my tibia to access the talus for repair. So, more pins in the left tibia, 6 weeks in a cast/non-weight-bearing, and 2 months of crutches. My inversion/eversion are the most affected, with arthritis in the subtalar joint, and I still have swelling.
Both injuries were quite traumatic at the time of impact, and through MFR I’ve been able to release some of the trauma (via unwinding). I continue to work on strengthening and stretching my entire body to help me live with the ROM and pain/swelling, and have found yoga to be essential in keeping me aware of where I am tight.