OK guys, it’s a long one, but it’s worth it.

I injured my shoulder 10 days ago while teaching. As many injuries go, I did a little too much, a little too fast, and my body couldn’t cope.

It sucks, of course. But I’m also very happy because I’m dealing with it so much better than I did last time I got injured, about two years ago.

When I injured my wrist in 2021, I made ALL the mistakes.

You might be familiar with them:

  • I rushed to my medicine cabinet and popped a few ibuprofens to mask the pain. (It didn’t work.)
  • I tried to stop using my wrist. I became afraid to move, and I thought that if I let it rest, it would get better. (It didn’t.)
  • I saw orthopedists and physiotherapists, got X-rays and MRI. Received injections and creams, massages and wrist supports. (Nothing helped.)
  • When the pain didn’t stop, I decided to ignore it. I trained and lived my life as if the pain wasn’t there. (Shockingly, ignoring the pain doesn’t make it stop.)

As a result, it took over a year for my wrist to get better from something as minor as tendonitis.

In the meantime, a friend of mine BROKE HER HAND and was back to doing handstands after what felt like 5 minutes.

It got me very interested in chronic pain, and why some injuries just don’t seem to heal.

I spent the last two years learning about body mechanics and the science of pain.

I now feel much better equipped to deal with this new injury. I’m not scared of it, I know it will heal, and I know exactly what I can do to support this process.

And it makes me even happier to be able to share this knowledge with you, so that you don’t have to go through this.

Here’s what I’ve been doing in the last 10 days since the injury:

  1. In the first few days, I became curious about the pain: which movements cause it? What seems to make it better? Is it a sharp pain? A burning pain? Where exactly is it located? Does it move?
    I then knew which movements to avoid and what I should be doing more of.
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  2. Instead of taking pain pills, I explore applying heat and cold. Heat felt good the first few days, when I felt a lot of tightness around the area and I wanted the muscles to relax. Cold felt better a few days later, when the tendon was swollen by the inflammation. Both are great for pain relief.
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  3. I keep moving! This is so important because movement is anti-inflammatory. I couldn’t move my right arm too much at first, but I could still walk, do a lot of yoga and self-massage. The beauty of the yoga practice is that it can be gentle and adapted to any body situation. Every time I move, the pain melts away and I know that getting my blood flowing helps my body heal.
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  4. I use all the tools that I have to regulate my stress, because stress is inflammatory and increases sensitivity to pain. Pain is a signal created by the brain when it doesn’t feel safe. So I do whatever I can to make my brain feel safe again, using meditation, breathwork and mindful movement.
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  5. I am patient. Healing is a slow process. It’s also not linear. Some days are better than others. When you know what to do to support your body, it makes the journey much less frustrating.
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  6. I am compassionate with myself. In the first couple of days, I felt seriously sorry for myself, and that’s okay. Feeling angry, sad, frustrated when something shitty happens is human. I gave myself the space to feel like that for a while, and then I moved on to what I can do about it.

And this is why I’m extremely passionate about sharing my knowledge with you and with my clients.

When you know what to do to support your body heal, it’s like a weight is lifted from your shoulders.

You don’t hope to find a good doctor to show you the way.

You don’t waste weeks in-between appointments and money in pointless procedures (for my wrist, I was told I would have to wait THREE MONTHS to get an MRI covered by the insurance, or I could have an appointment tomorrow if I paid for it myself… I paid 265€ to be told I had tendonitis, which I already knew).

If you are dealing with persistant pain and would like guidance to befriend your body again, let’s have a chat about it!

Having the knowledge and tools to support your body is simply life changing.

Om, peace 🧡