Physio session 6
My ability to extend the arm is progressing slowly but steadily (max extension today after stretching was 135deg), and exercising it consists of pushing against the physical limits in the joint. My ability to fold the arm, on the other hand, is holding firmly at around 60deg, 50deg after exercise, and I'm not pushing against the physical limits of the joint so much as the pain in the tendons at the back of the elbow.
In both cases Natalie tells me I'm going to have to be more ruthless about pushing into the pain. But I'm also going to have to relax the muscles, because part of the problem is that their reaction is to push back, to try to protect the arm. So I need to prepare for the exercises by, for example, holding a hot water bottle against the bicep beforehand.
Depending on how I look at it, I'm either trying to sneak up on my own arm or having to buy it dinner first...
In both cases Natalie tells me I'm going to have to be more ruthless about pushing into the pain. But I'm also going to have to relax the muscles, because part of the problem is that their reaction is to push back, to try to protect the arm. So I need to prepare for the exercises by, for example, holding a hot water bottle against the bicep beforehand.
Depending on how I look at it, I'm either trying to sneak up on my own arm or having to buy it dinner first...