Several years ago, I had a knee injury that I treated holistically. The chiropractor did a series of osteopathic tests and the conclusion was a torn meniscus. I documented the journey and have included the links to the full series below. After several months of a variety of natural and metaphysical treatments, I declared it good enough. The pain had ceased entirely and I had decent range of motion. It didn’t really want to bend deeply, but I came to terms with that pretty easily.

This week the pain has returned despite there being no moment of re-injury. It seems pretty clear to me that the work I’ve been doing to treat the stiffness and aching in my left hip and lower back loosened up the muscles that had been recruited to protect the knee.

Muscles in my thighs, gluts, and hips had rigidly tightened to prevent the movements that triggered knee pain. Over time, this imbalance affected other joints, causing problems elsewhere. Treating these secondary problems revealed the incomplete status of the previous healing. Not surprisingly, the hip and low back discomfort predate the knee injury, and likely stimulated the entire cycle decades ago. Just as I typed that last sentence, I recalled another knee incident, that harkens back to my days as a bicycle commuter. Oh, how easy it is to forget these things!

At each stage, healing has happened to the greatest degree it could at that time given my circumstances, resources, and abilities. As I’ve expanded my capacity to stay present with myself during uncomfortable feelings and sensations and accrued greater healing resources, I’ve now been given another opportunity to reach the next level of healing. Yay me.

Healing is not usually a linear process. Often there is no clear indication of the goal being achieved or what further steps need to be taken. I’m writing this post because I think it’s so important to understand that this is a common occurrence. There is still an imbalance that is calling out for my attention. I’ve decided to document, once again, the process I undertake and to share it for others on a similar journey. There are a lot of us!

While this seems to be a straightforward physical problem, experience has taught me that there are mental, emotional, energetic and spiritual components. I want to address all the parts of myself as their interconnectivity is not optional, even if unnoticed. For example, I do have strong feelings about experiencing pain, particularly pain that I thought had been healed. I have thoughts popping up about what I could have done differently and what my future entails. I have a distinct desire to turn away from the sensations and distract myself. These are all ingredients in my soup pot. Ignoring any of them won’t change the flavor of my soup.

So here’s the starting point. I’m allowing myself to really feel my body and what it’s saying to me. There are definitely movements that are being highly discouraged. Sitting cross-legged, particularly on the floor, is a big NO for now. I’m paying attention and complying as much as possible.

I’m not avoiding any of the accompanying thoughts, stories, projections, or emotions; neither am I feeding them. The container of my consciousness is vast enough to hold it all while still allowing the wiser parts of me to steer. I’ve come to a place of acceptance, the precursor to peace. I don’t mean resignation, the doomsday feeling that it is what it is and there’s nothing to be done. No, I simply mean accepting that this is indeed happening and there is no sense in fighting against reality.

For the most part, I haven’t often felt the need for any OTC meds because the pain generally arises only when I make certain movements. However the first night of this episode, I found myself unable to sleep despite propping my leg just right, so I took some ibuprofen. I’m not an advocate of unnecessary suffering and I also want to be able to receive the information my body provides. Somewhere in between pain and numbness is a balance.

I’m also flooding my knee, legs, and feet with Reiki. I trust that healing energy will help my body make the adjustments and repairs necessary as well as guide me to any additional interventions. I’m using my heating pad quite a lot. During the original injury, I followed the traditional guidelines and applied ice for the first 36 hours and it seemed to make the pain worse. I don’t need to repeat that lesson!

For now, that’s all I have to report. I’m sure additional therapies will come in to play and I’ll keep you posted.

Anyone else experiencing the return of symptoms from an old injury? How are you handling it?

Here are my previous posts, dating back almost exactly 5 years. It will be interesting to see how different the current treatment turns out to be.

https://pamelahipp.com/2018/03/14/healer-heal-thyself/

https://pamelahipp.com/2018/03/15/healer-heal-thyself-part-2-body-mind-spirit-healing/

https://pamelahipp.com/2018/03/22/healer-heal-thyself-part-3-yoga/

https://pamelahipp.com/2018/03/26/healer-heal-thyself-part-4-massage/

https://pamelahipp.com/2018/03/29/healer-heal-thyself-part-5-reiki/

https://pamelahipp.com/2018/03/30/healer-heal-thyself-part-6-slow-down/

https://pamelahipp.com/2018/04/03/healer-heal-thyself-balance/

https://pamelahipp.com/2018/04/17/healer-heal-thyself-listen/