There's a lesson that I am doomed to learn over and over, because apparently I forget the answer every time. It's regarding just how easy it is to inflame my joints, and cause myself real harm. Our part-time housemate and I tried stretching out this morning, after I told her that my rheumatologist had suggested physical therapy for the tear in my right hip years ago, and I never actually did it. She had said then, and repeated recently, fine, at least get some stretches for it off YouTube and do something. When I told that to the housemate, she said oh, I am pretty sure I know what to do. So we tried today.
I warned her in advance that my joints are hypermobile, but the ligaments are old and stiff from trying to hold the joints together for my whole life. She is like 25 years younger than me, and also hypermobile, so while she understands part of the problem, she hasn't experienced the back side of it yet. She said just do what you can. Problem is, I can still do a lot. And that's where I got into trouble. Stretching this morning was uncovering an old addiction, and finding out that it still has a hold on me. I way overdid it on the hip stretches, and now they are burning like the sun tonight. But that is not the worst thing that happened.
About halfway through, we were doing something that was bent-knee twisty kind of stuff, and she and I both heard the THUNK. That was the sound of my left knee popping, and not in a good way. I hoped that it was just a joint release, like a knuckle pop or back crack. I went ahead and put on the elastic compression sleeves I bought for my knees at Costco this weekend (they haven't been gliding well lately). It made it to where I could do setup and takedown at Rotary, but none of it was comfortable. I took the compression off less than an hour ago, and I don't think I have done right by myself. My body from the waist down is very angry, and I know exactly what I did to piss it off. People who don't have inflammatory diseases don't understand just how easy it is to get injured, and they always (always) try to tell me that exercise will make me stronger. That is not the way I work anymore. Inflammation is stronger than your yoga will ever be, folks. I just have to make the mistake of letting people talk me into trying, "just this once," and then having to explain that no, it made it all horribly worse, yet again.
I'm an idiot.
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