Second Round of Prolotherapy Injections

I hit 12,000 total miles on my ElliptiGO during yesterday's ride.
I have owned it 1 1/2 months shy of two years.
Bridge is in Pepperell, MA

On Wednesday, I had the second round of Prolotherapy injections in my si joint and lower back from Dr. Borg-Stein at the Newton-Wellesley Hospital. I had my first injections six weeks ago and I have been thrilled with the results. My doctor was just as happy as I have been on hearing the results so far. I am one of the few people who seem to get pretty quick reactions from the injections (which means I probably won't need as many rounds of them)! My lower back and si joint feel better than they have in just over 30 years. I have a new found stability and am no longer feeling my back or si joint "go out" or give me muscular problems in my daily life. Honestly, since around 1984, each day has been a struggle to not let my back or si joint ruin each day. I would run to try to get normalness, but I very rarely had a good night's sleep without getting up multiple times to stretch or "crack' or "pop" something that felt out of place. I avoided doing a lot of things around the house or even going to events because I was always feeling uncomfortable. It is nice to be able to move around and do all sorts of activities now, without any repercussions.

For the past month, I am just rolling through life feeling feeling very stable. I have had a few days where things might get a little bent our of alignment and the next day, I would be fine again. I have been doing heavy training on my ElliptiGO during this time. So, two thumbs up to Prolotherapy.

Besides getting injections for my left si joint and one of the facet joints in the lower back, this time I also got an injection halfway between the si joint and the left hip. She said this is where the glute medius often gives people problems and that is true for me. Besides feeling a "fullness" when I got the injections, I didn't feel anything after them in terms of discomfort (even did a light 30 miles on my GO that afternoon). Last time, I could feel the ligaments tighten near the injection point, but I guess that has already started healing, so it wasn't obvious to me this time.

I am letting things heal and not rushing into running (if I can) and I am getting the real results I wanted and that is to go through life without so much daily discomfort. I did try a run two weeks after the first injections and it felt great. I did two laps around the neighborhood (one mile) and my whole left hip and pelvis area felt tremendous and stable. I had no problems.  It was wonderful!

Three Alignment Exercises for Pain-Free Running and First Prolotherapy Injections

Here are three new exercises to try that work on improving your alignment for better and more pain-free joints when running. I had my first prolotherapy injections today, so I am not ready to try these yet, but once the ligaments around my si joint and hips tighten up again. I hope to get my alignment under control. These come from MaryAnn Berry and feature ideas from Posture Align Therapy.

A common myth is that running is bad for your joints because it is high impact and leads to joint wear and tear. But if you are experiencing this pain or joint wear and tear, consider that running is not the culprit.

In truth, your body is simply out of alignment, kind of like a car that needs an alignment. Your car’s tires (or your knees) wear unevenly and eventually need to be replaced or repaired. While that might work for your car, it’s not a great plan for your joints.
These three simple alignment exercises are no quick fix, but they will help get your joints into a better position before you run.

I had my first Prolotherapy injections today to my left si joint and lower back. I only felt a few injections, but my doctor used guided flouroscopy (I think) to move the needle around to hit the ligament attachments on the bone. I had a big spasm from the injection in my lower back. The injections are supposed to make me sore today, but I feel pretty good. Actually the lidocane, or numbing agents, has my hip and pelvis feeling more stable and better aligned (it could be just my positive thoughts!) I will need to go in monthly for a few months before we know if it works for me. A small percentage of people feel better after just the first set of injections. It does not immediately heal things, it inflames the area around the joint so that it can jump-start healing. As my osteopath said, "It should make it like the si joint fuse together." My hope is that strengthening the joint helps with my instability and then I can better deal with my imbalances and misalignments. The doctor does say that after all is done, I may need PRP or stem cell treatment in my hip joint.

Awesome 4 Week Postural Realignment Therapy Program: Online Videos and Instructions

These videos make up a 4 week/ 4 video postural realignment program that is found on Breaking Muscle and contributed by Maryann Berry. Maryann is someone who has fully recovered from the chronic hip pain in her twenties which put her in a wheelchair. She uses an exercise technique called Posture Alignment Therapy, These exercises remind me sometimes of Egoscue. I started this program on week one, but stopped doing it because my si joint was real sore. I got a Serola Sacroiliac Belt last week and it is feeling better, so I am ready to start the program again. There is a video for each week of the program and you can find more directions for each week's exercises here. I have been following the videos each week as Maryann makes them available online and it looks like a well-thought out program.