Cause and Effect
These beautiful, well-thought-out sand castles are what did me in. Sand, of all things, and piling it into giant heaps that look vaguely like medieval-era fortresses is what led me to a week-long advil binge. We went to Sauble Beach for the weekend, for those of you unaware of this 11km strip of heaven visit http://www.saublebeach.com/ - it's in the top 10 beaches in Canada, situated near Owen Sound on Lake Huron. The beach is covered in light sand and gorgeous water, and since I am unable to get any sort of tan despite decades of trying, building sand castles is my main activity on the beach. I started to dig and dig and dig with Irene, she helped build the first one, and by the time the sun had set (took us about 40 minutes) we had the first fortress. We were so proud and so tired having had a long day of swimming and treking into town for shopping. I don't think the first castle is what defeated my hamstrings, it must have been the second attempt at glory in the sand.
The following day, upon returning to the same spot, we saw that hooligans had raided the fort and destroyed our hard work! Without skipping a beat, I got back to work (Irene deserted me and took to the water for the day). It was raining the entire time, and we had reached the beach around 11:30 with about 3 hours to kill, so I had a better idea of what I could accomplish. The sand was wet and heavy, I had much of the previous castle to clear before I could build on ground zero - the mote was still intact! Much of the work involved a lot of bending and twisting, but I guess the biggest strain was on my legs. I was -on my knees- (haha) for a good part of the time, the rest was spent almost at a 90 degree angle bent from my waist to make the walls without crushing anything else I had put together. All of this was done without stretching before hand. Ouch.
The rest of the day was fine; after lightning kicked our butts back to the trailer, we had a lot of time to rest and gorge ourselves on cocktails and BBQ. It was the following day that I felt the consequences. I couldn't fully stretch my legs out and walking with full strides became a challenge, but work was doable. The second day after the last castle was built really felt hellish as my muscles continued to tighten and strain.... but they say the third day is the worst, and "they" are right.
Taking Care of Muscles
Since the weekend debaucle, I have contacted a few friends for some tips on treating muscle injuries. Some of them are marathon runners, body builders, hockey and rugby players and yoga masters - I really wanted a diverse look at what I could do to treat and prevent pulling my hamstrings because we all know I'll be back next summer to try a TWO-storey castle. Keep in touch, it will be something extraordinary.
Back to muscles! Below are some recommended procedures to deal with pulling hamstrings, and most muscle strains. I've tried most of them, and I must say that they are working wonders. It has been a week and a half and I was even able to ride my bike to work and back yesterday (14km).
eSkimo Jo - women's rugby player and kick-ass derby girl
The thing about having injuries during sports is that despite my two sports being very rough contact sports, many of my injuries could be minimized and avoided with three things: stretching, conditioning & technique.
Stretching prevents the muscles around your injured area from pulling/pushing and putting extra pressure on your injured ligaments and muscles. Stretching every side of your body evenly also helps to stop the kind of chronic injuries caused by playing two sports and a general life of right side dominance. Also, good resistance stretching can help build your muscles.
Conditioning will help your muscles be stronger and therefore harder to set off balance. If you are well conditioned, you are also less likely to get tired.... this seems like a banal kind of thought, but when players get tired, they get themselves into the injury danger zone. Suddenly they are not playing and moving smartly. They will often put much more stress on their less tired side (in rugby I often start to gallop in my running and scrums because of my still sore knee injuries, in rugby I see a lot of girls who start to "suicide" dive instead of doing good clean checks).
Technique. This means using your energy smartly. I will use smarts to save from burning myself out during a game. I am also able to play more effectively by using physics or game knowledge. Good technique will also mean that you can avoid bad habits that cause injuries. My rugby coach has severe arthritis and tendinitis developed in her wrist from the flicking action she used to do during lifts in line outs. The captain of the derby debutantes has recently endured a fractured ankle due to the same mistake that cost my friend maykilla her tibula (or fibula, i can never remember). She dragged a toe stop to stop in derby instead of using a derby stop. It is hard to explain why this is really dangerous without being in person.
Mike Prudente - prudent body builder
Stretching constantly and continuously getting deep tissue massages from a foam roller or a therapist are the best ways to keep working muscles healthy! Acupuncture is great! To treat injuries you want to make sure you are intaking high potassium such as bananas or a high quality potassium supplement - potassium helps with healing muscle injuries. One of the best remedies is alternating heat and cold therapy 3 times a day; altermate an ice pad with a rice sock heat pad 15 mins each. It also never hurts to take a joint supplement such as glucosamine and choindroitin sulfates (they are generally sold together) as many muscle injuries occur due to weak joints. The amino acid l glutamine taken throughout the day will also help recovery as well as pretty much all other amino acids.
Sherwin Sayers - avid exerciser, runner
Alternate between hot and cold temperatures- using an ice pack and a hot pack for a few minutes each will kick in circulation and bring the blood to your injured muscles where the packs are placed. Blood circulation in that area will help heal the muscles quicker.
Jennifer Kirk - plays hockey for the Brampton women's hockey team
Try to rest as much as possibe, and stretch as you are getting up in the morning before you start your daily routine. This is when your muscles will hurt the most and need the most preperation before you start the day. Also, taking a hot bath with salts helps to relax the muscles and give them time to repair.
Alex Timoteo - yoga instructor and enthusiast
For general muscle injuries the most important point to stress is to REST. Take a warm bath and give yourself a rest from most exercises, though some gentle stretching activities like yoga can be helpful. Yoga journal does a really good job at explaining the poses that will help with your hamstrings. One thing that they might not stress there is that you should start with your knees bent since your hamstrings are really tight due to your injury. Bend your knees as much as you need to so that your tummy can rest on your thighs - keep them GLUED to each other. Then, if you're able to, slowly straighten your legs until you feel a good stretch.
Because you're injured there, I'd recommend staying there for 10 LONG breaths. With every inhale, visualize your breath filling up the back of your thighs or wherever the pain is. Really focus on it to see if you can actually feel the oxygen flowing to that part of your thighs. Then as you breathe out, imagine that you are exhaling all the tension out. See if you can feel the muscles soften and relax more.
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