So, I got the MRI of my neck … I have yet to meet with my orthopedist about it but I’ve looked at the report, and I apparently have a herniated disc at C4-C5 and mild stenosis in C5-C6 and C6-C7. My physical therapist said the stenosis is more of a concern to prevent worsening than the herniated disc, so we’ve started focusing on exercises to alleviate the strain on those vertebrae. She also believes the herniated disc and stenosis have been there for at least a few years, since my symptoms have generally been the same for the last several years. We just assumed it was all from my shoulder injury.
So, just lots of PT if I can. No headstands allowed. Everything else is fine to do if I warm up properly and use the correct muscles.
In addition to learning pole, I’ve started back at Lyra/Aerial Hoop. It had been at least a couple years since I’d been on a Lyra, and even then, I couldn’t do a lot because I’d lost so much upper body strength. No joke, I remember barely being able to do a single pull-up. Today, I can do four or five! The pole training has gotten a lot of my upper body and core strength back, so when I dropped into my first open-level Lyra class, I was surprised at how much I could still do, and surprised at how easy a lot of it still was. A lot of it is still in muscle memory. The only things I was lacking was a little more core and upper body strength, the hand grip strength and tolerance, and tolerance of having a metal hoop digging into certain parts of my body. Oh, and spin tolerance. Most of that is gone.
I can tolerate a slow spin, so I’ve been able to review some old Lyra sequences that I used to teach.
It ALMOST feels like I never stopped doing Lyra at all. Aside from how quickly I get nauseated if I spin too much and the fatigue I feel in my hands and muscles when I’ve been doing a sequence for a while.
I’m excited to be back doing Lyra, and eager to revisit all the skills I used to do. There’s a lot, though – I taught Lyra for a good five or six years at least (if not more), and I was always playing with new sequences and combos. I’m also realizing Lyra is still one of my happy places. Sitting or hanging from it, my body feels very comfortable and capable.
With pole, still learning new skills every week. Last week, the instructor introduced the chopper mount to us, although I’d already become comfortable with chopper mount from when I played with some pole before. So, the instructor introduced me to crucifix from the chopper inversion, and I was able to get a hang out that pretty easily, too. It is quite terrifying, though!