Hip Report
Well last week I couldn’t feel any improvement in my hip, if anything it was getting worse and it was back to being painful when walking. I went back to the physio who figured that because I was being very diligent with doing all the exercises recommended to me by the podiatrist twice a day, I had actually tightened up. She recommended that I get a massage of my hamstrings, glutes & iliotibial band so I saw the masseuse that afternoon and I have to say that it was one of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced! I thought I had a fairly high pain threshold considering I let the physio walk on my back every so often, but that’s a walk in the park compared to this kind of massage – I still have the bruises to show for it! I managed not to yell/scream, but only just! (If you were listening to the Chris Moyles show on Radio 1 last Wednesday morning when they had a sports physio in doing some massage stuff, I could totally identify with their pain! There's a very funny video of it here.) Since the weekend I’ve noticed that my IT band feels a lot less tight when I’m using the foam roller which is good. Unfortunately my hip is still not right, in fact I’m getting pain in the other hip as well because it’s compensating for the injured leg. So now I have to sleep on my back because it’s sore if I sleep on either side! My physio has reminded me that bursitis is hard to get rid of, it takes time. If I lay on the flat of my back for a few weeks the inflammation would maybe go more quickly but that’s not exactly practical with the kind of job I have. I’ve reduced my cardio workouts at the gym to 5 minutes on the bike as a warm-up before doing some upper body stuff and a bit of core work because I’m worried that the cycling isn’t helping things. But I’m just so scunnered that I can’t do any of the things I enjoy – kayaking/hillwalking/cycling to work etc. My fitness is slipping – before Christmas my resting heart rate was 60 and at the weekend on the first aid course when we were practising taking pulses, it was up to 64. It’s so frustrating. What’s more it is very likely that I’ll have to miss the canoe club trip to Scotland in March which is absolutely gutting.

In the grand scheme of things, this is just a wee blip and I know that things could be a heck of a lot worse – wildfires are not ripping through my town at crazy speeds covering miles in a matter of minutes. There’s perspective…

Yet my frustration is real and I must find God in this. As I write I’m listening to Johnny Parks’ song God is still for us. Nothing can separate me from God’s love. He’s for me, not against me. The most important thing is that God is here, He’s with me in this…I must pursue Him in the midst of my pain and frustration. The other night I was reading Philippians 4:10-13, how Paul had found contentment in all things, whether lacking or in plenty. God’s strength is enough for me in this, it is sufficient when I am healthy and when I am injured, it is sufficient when I am in need or have plenty...Christ’s strength will see me through this and much more.