Recovering From Injury

Since injuring my back in June, and one of the most frequently asked questions I’ve received is what I have done to help myself recover. Unfortunately, there are no secret tricks that I used to cure myself (sorry!). I used many of the same techniques and practices that I recommend to patients.

But, sometimes it can be interesting to see the thought process goes into healing, so in my first blog entry in a while, I shared some of the things I have done so far in my recovery process! I also share questions I may ask you if you come into the clinic with a musculoskeletal injury.

I don't share too much about it in the blog entry, but I really want to emphasize how overwhelming it can be to navigate the healing process when you're injured. It is so important to find providers you can trust, and keep looking (even though it is difficult!) until you find them. I had pretty frustrating experiences with a doctor and two PTs before I finally found some that would listen to me and treat what was, admittedly, a pretty complex injury. I feel very lucky I had the knowledge to assess what I was being told and know it wasn't correct, but I know not everyone is able to! I don't have a magic solution to the problem, but just a reminder that it is okay to get second opinions, and it's okay to ask questions.

Currently:

• I loved this NPR article about having a daily practice of keeping a journal! While I am not quite daily with mine, I do love journaling and think its a great habit to build. I have a few blog entries about it, if you're thinking about starting!
• I recently made this gluten-free Korean Veggie Pancake (Yachaejeon) - twice! I am still perfecting the strategy, but I love how I can include different veggies, and it reheats really well in the air frier. I have needed significantly more water than she calls for in the recipe, but see what works well for you. If you don't need it to be gluten free, you can try Maangchi's recipe here.
• I listened to this Ologies episode on hobbies (Salugenology) this past weekend and really loved it! Having things we're looking forward to and passionate about is so important - whatever that looks like for you. This really inspired me to make more purposeful time for things I enjoy, rather than saving them for "later." (When is later, anyway?)
• In that vein, I got a new brewing method for tea. I am kind of obsessed with tea, but was having a hard time pouring tea out of a gaiwan with my nerve pain - so I picked up this double walled glass teapot. It is about 150-200 mL, depending on how much tea you have in it, so its equivilent to a gaiwan (meaning, don't expect to fill a large tea cup!) but works great, you don't need to hold the lid, and there's little risk of burning yourself.
• I also picked up a bunch of cookbooks from the library - I've been more inspired to cook lately, so I was looking for some new ideas, and DMPL has a really great cookbook selection!
  • ​Chinese Enough by Kristina Cho* and Banchan by Caroline Choe* both caught my eye - the recipes seem really doable for a weeknight dinner or as part of a weekend meal prep. I've been excited to branch out to making more Korean food since finding gluten free gochujang and doenjang 🎉
  • ​The Bean Book by Steve Sando* (from Rancho Gordo) also looks good, but the recipes are more time consuming - but I'm always looking for new ways to use beans! If you think beans are boring, Rancho Gordo beans will prove you wrong.
• One of my favorite poets and all around badass people, Andrea Gibson, passed away on July 14 from ovarian cancer. They shared a treasure trove of poetry and thoughts online that we can still enjoy, which I've been slowly rewatching/rereading since their death. Every so often, YouTube will remind me of past videos of theirs, like this short "How can this open my heart?". They also have several books, shared regularly on their Substack, and were a spoken word poet. They wrote about identity, gender, social justice, the environment, and living (and dying) with illness. Watching them perform their poetry is not to be missed.

*Affiliate link - I earn a (very small) comission if you purchase using a link marked by an astrisk!