Went to the osteo today to get my hip checked out. Based on my account of my activities, and onset / evolution of symptoms (pain initially in groin area, then outer hip, a bit of lower front of thigh yesterday), and some tests and palpations that they carried out, they said that my hip flexor is tight, and that they think the issue is particular with my psoas (rather than GTPS).

I’ve seen the professor / teacher / lecturer before for my shoulder, and he is excellent. He said he can tell that I don’t properly warm up for my runs, and he thinks my running shoe (the Hoka Bondi) has a sole which is too soft. For treatment, the student found a tender spot on the left side of my abdomen / tummy, and massaged it a little bit, and lo and behold, my left leg felt so much looser and it was so much easier to bring my left leg to my chest! I was really surprised that a muscle deep in my belly could affect that movement of my leg. But apparently the psoas is a muscle that starts deep in the body and connects the lower back and the legs.

Unfortunately, despite the different diagnosis by the osteo (vs online physio), the remedy seemed to be the same, which is no running, no squats, no lunges, not even sitting for a long stretches of time (at least he said 1h, not 30 minutes). What was reassuring was that he said the recovery is likely in weeks rather than months, but only if I am really good about resting, and then doing the rehab exercises, and reloading properly. I mentioned I was building some furniture, and need to squat or sit down to build it, and he was like “No DIY!” He also made me promise not to do the rehab exercises / stretches that they will give me until 3 days after today’s appointment. Only upper body strength work was allowed (although I have to be careful on that because of my shoulder too, boo).

Given my osteo’s stern instructions, and dire warnings of how I will end up being arthritic and immobile if I don’t rest and recover fully now, but my half-built chest of drawers, I asked virtually all the un / under-employed people I know if they could help at least through the tricky 2-person part of the furniture build, but none of them were willing to help. So I was a bit at my wits’ end – do I try again on my own, risking further injury and failure, or do I leave it in chaos over the CNY period until MHH can help, or do I invite relative strangers from apps to help me build it? Thankfully “Auntie M” said she would try to come by tomorrow when she’s back in town, to help me, depending on how she feels. My other options were not at all promising.

In the meanwhile, I had progressed on the second part of my build (primarily the drawers) and modified the way I work, so that I am mostly standing up or keeping my hips / legs straight – basically I tried to put the items on O’s desk, and do the build on the desk rather than sitting / squatting on the floor.

Anyway, I will do my best to be a good patient and rest and recover. But it’s true that I feel like both my legs are super tight, particularly my hamstrings, but I can’t really stretch them out because all the hamstring stretches I know require hip flexion, which I need to avoid. I guess I really need to do more mobility / flexibility / stretching exercises, per the guidance of the latest osteo prof / teacher / lecturer to supervise my shoulder treatment. Perhaps more than most typical athletes (particularly those focused on strength), I’ve always placed quite a high priority on mobility and flexibility, maybe because I’ve always liked gymnastics and pole / aerial remain my first love. But when I have less time, and more ambitious training goals, it seems easier to drop flexibility, which feels less rewarding in the moment, given less endorphins.

Song of the day: “Raise your glass”