Crash Course
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Tumor removed when I was 5. Fucker wasn't even malignant. See? Boring. I always tell chicks it was a knife fight and you should see the other guy
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Broken leg from when I was 14. Double spiral fracture ( which shatters a lot of your bone mass, and generally only happens in younger undeveloped bones) of the tibia, and a straight fracture of the fibula. Saw a really good sports specialist and ended up with a plate and 11 screws as a permanent part of my leg. But after the surgery I just had the boot of the original cast with the front cut out, so I could keep it fastened with tensors, but take it off to stretch. As a result I was able to recover really well. I did the initial double spiral fracture doing a FS 270 over a hip skateboarding. The straight fracture of the fibula occurred when I had a rush of adrenaline and tried to stand up immediately after the incident, only to have the fibula snap and have my leg fold over immediately. I have a pretty serious muscle imbalance and hip displacement from favouring the injury that I am just starting to address now after 14 years of hard hard use since the injury. It isn't bad yet, but at 28 I have a persistent lower back ache that I live with, which I can't afford to let get worse.
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Dan,
Welcome to the VFW
Never went through that type of break, but watched a friend get his leg crunched between a bull and outgate that required basically the same rod, pins, screws, etc. When they cut his boot off, his foot from lack of support rotated 180° the wrong direction, one of the most unsettling things I have seen ever. It may sound odd, but if you could get a physical therapy type of work out regimen going for your back, it would help not only with pain, but keeping you from wearing out your hip too. I have to take about a hour a day for mine, but the difference is major if I don't get it in. -
That would have been a great headline.
And jdl, thanks for the welcome. it was most definitely an unsettling thing to look at. I can't stand seeing injuries like that, unfortunately I support arsenal so ive had to watch my fair share of them over the last few years. I have started a excercise and chiro program to start getting better, it's tough to find the time some days, but it's motivating to hear of success from persistence in it.
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Daniel,
I strongly advise being careful with any chiropractic work. Every adjustment puts massive amounts of undue stress on the discs in your spine and over time can wear them out faster than spinal alignment issues. I use a weighted stability ball to stretch and slowly decompress, which allows everything to naturally shift back in place. Even with a dislocated thoracic vertebrae, fractured lumbar vertebrae, and a fused neck I can still find massive relief in 10 minutes stretched over it. If you went this route, I suggest paying attention to ball size, as height plays a factor in what size ball you need. Also, you will likely spend a lot of money over the years in chiro treatment, whereas for about $30 usd you can eliminate time and energy spent chasing appointments.
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The guy who does it in my town is extremely ethical and honest about how he works, and has treated a number of people I know. Most see him less then 10 times in total, and follow his recommended stretching and strengthening after. I can imagine that years of seeing someone more unscrupulous would take its toll on your body though. The guy in question has rowed across the Atlantic unsupported, and completed the tour divide bicycle race, and has goals of setting the record for the race. For now, I will trust in him. Thank you for the heads up though. I'm going to look into the different ball sizes, as I had never realized that they were specific to your height.
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Simply a word of advice I try to pass along. Too many see chiro as a long term solution, and occasionally it's fine for most (not me, my neurologist would drop dead on the floor), but don't use it like a crutch. My ball (I believe) is 75cm and is good if your over 6', my wifes is for under 6' and I believe it is 65cm. I also have a small one 50-55cm thats good for certain workouts, but neither of us could properly stretch over.
