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Stef
Last Activity:
Nov 30, 2016
Joined:
Jul 27, 2015
Messages:
45
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Gender:
Female
Birthday:
September 3
Location:
Helotes, TX
Occupation:
Nursing student

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Stef

Peer Supporter, Female, from Helotes, TX

Just posting my pic so you know who you are talking to Jul 30, 2015

Stef was last seen:
Nov 30, 2016
  • My Story

    I had what I thought was just a tight hip flexor that started in 2009-2010. I did a lot of spin classes at the gym (among other things) so I thought that was it. I just kept stretching it.

    In 2011 it gradually got muchworse. I went to a chiropractor in early 2012 & was told I had mild scoliosis. My hip kept feeling uneven (for example, when walking) so I took the scoliosis diagnosis as the cause. I proceeded to have many chiro adjustments (not sure the count) but it was only better for maybe a couple of hours after, if at all.

    In April 2012 I decided to try AIRROSTI treatments (fascial work). I had 3 visits of the provider releasing my tight hip flexor & glute. With that & the exercises she gave me for my weak glutes (she said the left glute wasn't firing) & the foam rolling exercises, my hip felt about 90% better. I had eased up on the workouts because I was afraid. I didn't understand why I had weak glutes when I did bootcamps & a class called Body Pump regularly. I felt so much better that within a few months I was doing bootcamps at the gym again.

    THEN in Sept 2012 I woke up one morning with low back pain as well & left shoulder blade/ left rib cage pain. It was excruciating. I figured it was the boot camp at the gym I did where I flipped a huge tire (something I had been doing in bootcamps regularly) a day or two prior. At this time my hip pain got even worse IN ADDITION to this new low back/left side pain. I went back to the chiro. When I wasn't getting better the chiro suggested we may look at MRI soon if this key up.

    I went ahead on my own to a spinal clinic to have my situation checked out by an NP since I was having some numbness/tingling. I was sent for many x-rays & a couple of MRI's. They said a 13 degree scoliosis & a bulging disc in c6-c7 (i didn't have neck pain), t8-t9, L4-L5 & L5-S1. My pain in my left leg was at the front though. The low back disc bulges I had would actually cause pain in the BACK of my leg (which I did not have). I figured he just didn't figure out the cause of my hip pain. I had never had an MRI before so I thought it would check my hip too. So I still had a hip problem to figure out. They sent me to PT for my back but I wasn't getting better with PT at the time.

    At this point I couldn't even sit for 5 minutes. I had to stop exercising & got a standing desk at work. I found a hip Dr. who diagnosed me with a labral tear/impingement in my left hip joint. I had hip arthroscopy in March 2013 to fix that. It would be a 8 month time to get to total recovery. I was in PT for 9 weeks to recover after the surgery. My hip feeling much better once it started to heal but my right hip was feeling a little tight from the compensation I thought since I was on crutches for 2 weeks. In addition, my left groin was now REALLY tight (I didn't have pain there before) & I thought that was from the surgery somehow.

    With all this I still had back and left upper back/shoulder blade/rib pain & some low back pain. So it was time to deal with that finally (you know, since a whole person can't be treated at once...we have to be broken down into parts). I purchased an inversion table which didn't help but felt kinda cool. I have since sold that inversion table. So I went ahead & had spinal decompression for my low back (20 sessions on the table plus manipulations). At this time I was getting at least monthly massages.

    But in April 2014 my left hip started hurting AGAIN, but in a slightly different way but it did hurt to sit too long again...it was just so tight. I was exercising & stretching this whole time...it isn't like I became sedentary to cause my hips to be weak. So I went BACK to PT for my hip in March 2014. Again, they told m my left glute was not firing. I was there for 8 weeks & was about 90-95% better (i just still had tightness in my hip flexors & left quad) but immediately went in for PT for my shoulder blades that were bothering me. I was there 5 weeks I think & started to feel a lot better (maybe 80%). I was just weak & needed to work on postural muscles they said. So in Summer 2014 I was out of PT.

    I continued massages. chiro adjustments time to time had acupuncture (about 6 or 7 sessions) to work on the rest of my shoulder blade pain (it didn't work).

    In the fall I did Rolfing for the upper back & because the hips still were tight, the left glute was still pretty weak & my inner thighs were really tight & knotted up. I had 13 rolfing sessions. That finally made my hips feel more aligned but I still don't think it did a whole lot for me. The roller told me he had never had someone not really show much improvement.

    A couple of months after that (winter 2014) I had some Airrosti treatments for my shoulder blade/rib/neck ( a different Dr. than the first time I went) but I could tell that Dr. was puzzled, in fact he told me so. This wasn't the first time I was told I puzzled someone. When I couldn't see my chiro a couple of times I saw his wife & she told me: "You puzzle me." Anyway, I didn't get much from that Airroist provider so I left.

    I tried acupuncture (about 8 sessions) but didn't get better. Heck, I even did the cupping & something called "bleeding" (don't ask-I was desperate) but no help. The acupuncturist said he had never been able to NOT help someone before.

    In December I went to see someone that does Muscle Activation Technique & he checked me out & said my left glute wasn't firing. He did something at my neck actually that made my glute work better that day. I went to see him for my upper back but he found nothing wrong with my muscles in my upper body. He just gave me more exercises, saying I needed to work on my glute strength (I had been working on my glutes now for what...a couple of years I think?!?!? Come on!)

    I started nursing school in Jan 2015 & still struggled with upper back pain & neck pain sometimes. I went back to Airrosti (the doctor I saw the first time ever for my hip) for that & it helped a lot for my left shoulder blade. I thought this Dr. was better. I went about 5 times over about a month & was feeling about 90% better when I tried a class at the gym (Body Pump). I was careful to start with light weight, use proper form that I learned in PT (chin tuck, pelvic tilt, abs drawn in), & all that but my slight twinge of right shoulder blade tingling that I had been having recently (a new symptom) turned excruciating later that day.

    So I went to a shoulder doctor & he sent me for 12 x-rays from every angle but standing on my head & didn't find anything. I was in PT for 8 weeks for the upper back/ribs from that. The PT told me he had only seen my rib problem in a handful of patients his entire time as a PT (4 years) & that it was rare...even rarer since I wasn't in an accident of any kind. Anyway, I felt quite a bit better as I ended PT but felt I needed Airrosti for the trigger points.

    So since this past May (2015) I have had 5 more airrosti session for my upper back/left ribs & 6 or 7 for my hips ( a new dr. near my home that I really like). PS: the Airrosti provider told me my rib problem was very rare (shocker) since I hadn't had an accident or any blunt force trauma. He said there is a lot of fibrotic tissue in my left hip as well, probably from the surgery. I also have a thick scar on my right lower pelvis from a strep infection from one of my chicken pox scabs when I was 3. It was flesh eating & had to heal on it's own. The Airrosti Dr thinks that can be pulling on the fascia in my right hip too (since he treated both hips). I am done with that now. I didn't get much out of the upper back airrosti but he did help my ribs feel better. Each time I went for my upper back though, I could tell he was puzzled because the pain would move a bit. Left shoulder blade/ribs, then more along the back of the left arm, then the collar bone on the left side, back to the shoulder blade. Poor guy.

    I read Healing Back Pain as I was ending my treatment there & I am on every page of that book practically (as everyone else says right?). I felt great by page 30 of the book & was so excited but now it comes & goes & moves around a lot. The fact that it goes away at all is proof because me not having any pain during waking hours for a whole day is unheard of. That hasn't happened in YEARS.

    Oh & somewhere along the way I also grind my teeth at night & have to wear a night guard. Don't know what to do about that because I don't know I do it & I don't want to ruin my teeth so I still wear the guard. I didn't know I did that but had to go to the dentist for a little hole in one of my teeth. I thought it was a cavity but they said it was from grinding. I had a couple of other little holes too. They said it is caused by stress but I said I wasn't stressed. I guess my inner self was. Ugh

    I have ceased all physical treatments though & am working thru the Structured Educational Program.
    1. Eric "Herbie" Watson
      Eric "Herbie" Watson
      You are on the right trail, the pain moving around while having treatments is an indicator of that, learn to meditate with peace. We all have different parts to our personalities that we are just to stressed about and its those parts we have to soothe. Learning the SEP will be a waking call. Persistence is a powerful tool in healing from tms.
    2. Stef
      Stef
      Just posting my pic so you know who you are talking to
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  • My Story

    Gender:
    Female
    Birthday:
    September 3
    Location:
    Helotes, TX
    Occupation:
    Nursing student
    Diagnoses:
    Prior labral repair for a tear in my left hip joint (femoral impingement syndrome)
    bulging discs in c6-c7, t8-t9, l4-l5, l5-s1
    Weak glutes, weak postural muscles
    Undaignosed mysterious upper back/ left shoulder blade/ left rib cage pain. Sometimes right shoulder blade too.
    Apparently I have some hyper mobility
    I had what I thought was just a tight hip flexor that started in 2009-2010. I did a lot of spin classes at the gym (among other things) so I thought that was it. I just kept stretching it.

    In 2011 it gradually got muchworse. I went to a chiropractor in early 2012 & was told I had mild scoliosis. My hip kept feeling uneven (for example, when walking) so I took the scoliosis diagnosis as the cause. I proceeded to have many chiro adjustments (not sure the count) but it was only better for maybe a couple of hours after, if at all.

    In April 2012 I decided to try AIRROSTI treatments (fascial work). I had 3 visits of the provider releasing my tight hip flexor & glute. With that & the exercises she gave me for my weak glutes (she said the left glute wasn't firing) & the foam rolling exercises, my hip felt about 90% better. I had eased up on the workouts because I was afraid. I didn't understand why I had weak glutes when I did bootcamps & a class called Body Pump regularly. I felt so much better that within a few months I was doing bootcamps at the gym again.

    THEN in Sept 2012 I woke up one morning with low back pain as well & left shoulder blade/ left rib cage pain. It was excruciating. I figured it was the boot camp at the gym I did where I flipped a huge tire (something I had been doing in bootcamps regularly) a day or two prior. At this time my hip pain got even worse IN ADDITION to this new low back/left side pain. I went back to the chiro. When I wasn't getting better the chiro suggested we may look at MRI soon if this key up.

    I went ahead on my own to a spinal clinic to have my situation checked out by an NP since I was having some numbness/tingling. I was sent for many x-rays & a couple of MRI's. They said a 13 degree scoliosis & a bulging disc in c6-c7 (i didn't have neck pain), t8-t9, L4-L5 & L5-S1. My pain in my left leg was at the front though. The low back disc bulges I had would actually cause pain in the BACK of my leg (which I did not have). I figured he just didn't figure out the cause of my hip pain. I had never had an MRI before so I thought it would check my hip too. So I still had a hip problem to figure out. They sent me to PT for my back but I wasn't getting better with PT at the time.

    At this point I couldn't even sit for 5 minutes. I had to stop exercising & got a standing desk at work. I found a hip Dr. who diagnosed me with a labral tear/impingement in my left hip joint. I had hip arthroscopy in March 2013 to fix that. It would be a 8 month time to get to total recovery. I was in PT for 9 weeks to recover after the surgery. My hip feeling much better once it started to heal but my right hip was feeling a little tight from the compensation I thought since I was on crutches for 2 weeks. In addition, my left groin was now REALLY tight (I didn't have pain there before) & I thought that was from the surgery somehow.

    With all this I still had back and left upper back/shoulder blade/rib pain & some low back pain. So it was time to deal with that finally (you know, since a whole person can't be treated at once...we have to be broken down into parts). I purchased an inversion table which didn't help but felt kinda cool. I have since sold that inversion table. So I went ahead & had spinal decompression for my low back (20 sessions on the table plus manipulations). At this time I was getting at least monthly massages.

    But in April 2014 my left hip started hurting AGAIN, but in a slightly different way but it did hurt to sit too long again...it was just so tight. I was exercising & stretching this whole time...it isn't like I became sedentary to cause my hips to be weak. So I went BACK to PT for my hip in March 2014. Again, they told m my left glute was not firing. I was there for 8 weeks & was about 90-95% better (i just still had tightness in my hip flexors & left quad) but immediately went in for PT for my shoulder blades that were bothering me. I was there 5 weeks I think & started to feel a lot better (maybe 80%). I was just weak & needed to work on postural muscles they said. So in Summer 2014 I was out of PT.

    I continued massages. chiro adjustments time to time had acupuncture (about 6 or 7 sessions) to work on the rest of my shoulder blade pain (it didn't work).

    In the fall I did Rolfing for the upper back & because the hips still were tight, the left glute was still pretty weak & my inner thighs were really tight & knotted up. I had 13 rolfing sessions. That finally made my hips feel more aligned but I still don't think it did a whole lot for me. The roller told me he had never had someone not really show much improvement.

    A couple of months after that (winter 2014) I had some Airrosti treatments for my shoulder blade/rib/neck ( a different Dr. than the first time I went) but I could tell that Dr. was puzzled, in fact he told me so. This wasn't the first time I was told I puzzled someone. When I couldn't see my chiro a couple of times I saw his wife & she told me: "You puzzle me." Anyway, I didn't get much from that Airroist provider so I left.

    I tried acupuncture (about 8 sessions) but didn't get better. Heck, I even did the cupping & something called "bleeding" (don't ask-I was desperate) but no help. The acupuncturist said he had never been able to NOT help someone before.

    In December I went to see someone that does Muscle Activation Technique & he checked me out & said my left glute wasn't firing. He did something at my neck actually that made my glute work better that day. I went to see him for my upper back but he found nothing wrong with my muscles in my upper body. He just gave me more exercises, saying I needed to work on my glute strength (I had been working on my glutes now for what...a couple of years I think?!?!? Come on!)

    I started nursing school in Jan 2015 & still struggled with upper back pain & neck pain sometimes. I went back to Airrosti (the doctor I saw the first time ever for my hip) for that & it helped a lot for my left shoulder blade. I thought this Dr. was better. I went about 5 times over about a month & was feeling about 90% better when I tried a class at the gym (Body Pump). I was careful to start with light weight, use proper form that I learned in PT (chin tuck, pelvic tilt, abs drawn in), & all that but my slight twinge of right shoulder blade tingling that I had been having recently (a new symptom) turned excruciating later that day.

    So I went to a shoulder doctor & he sent me for 12 x-rays from every angle but standing on my head & didn't find anything. I was in PT for 8 weeks for the upper back/ribs from that. The PT told me he had only seen my rib problem in a handful of patients his entire time as a PT (4 years) & that it was rare...even rarer since I wasn't in an accident of any kind. Anyway, I felt quite a bit better as I ended PT but felt I needed Airrosti for the trigger points.

    So since this past May (2015) I have had 5 more airrosti session for my upper back/left ribs & 6 or 7 for my hips ( a new dr. near my home that I really like). PS: the Airrosti provider told me my rib problem was very rare (shocker) since I hadn't had an accident or any blunt force trauma. He said there is a lot of fibrotic tissue in my left hip as well, probably from the surgery. I also have a thick scar on my right lower pelvis from a strep infection from one of my chicken pox scabs when I was 3. It was flesh eating & had to heal on it's own. The Airrosti Dr thinks that can be pulling on the fascia in my right hip too (since he treated both hips). I am done with that now. I didn't get much out of the upper back airrosti but he did help my ribs feel better. Each time I went for my upper back though, I could tell he was puzzled because the pain would move a bit. Left shoulder blade/ribs, then more along the back of the left arm, then the collar bone on the left side, back to the shoulder blade. Poor guy.

    I read Healing Back Pain as I was ending my treatment there & I am on every page of that book practically (as everyone else says right?). I felt great by page 30 of the book & was so excited but now it comes & goes & moves around a lot. The fact that it goes away at all is proof because me not having any pain during waking hours for a whole day is unheard of. That hasn't happened in YEARS.

    Oh & somewhere along the way I also grind my teeth at night & have to wear a night guard. Don't know what to do about that because I don't know I do it & I don't want to ruin my teeth so I still wear the guard. I didn't know I did that but had to go to the dentist for a little hole in one of my teeth. I thought it was a cavity but they said it was from grinding. I had a couple of other little holes too. They said it is caused by stress but I said I wasn't stressed. I guess my inner self was. Ugh

    I have ceased all physical treatments though & am working thru the Structured Educational Program.