a pulled muscle or a pinched nerve?

[Guest guest]

hey ladies,

i hurt myself yesterday, and i dont really know what i'm looking for

here- maybe any of you who've had this kind of pain can tell me what it

sounds like? i dont know what i've done. it may just be a strain.

but yesterday, while in the midst of a rather enthusiastic dance

rehearsal, i did something heinously bad to my left leg. as a life long

dancer, i'm pretty lucky. i've only been injured once, and it was bad

enough that i passed out long before i conciously felt any real pain. so

yesterday, when i was doing this move - a lot like that triangle yoga

stretch, in which i had my legs wider than hips width apart, my toes

pointing forward, and i laid my torso out over my left leg and touched

my left foot - and suddenly felt wrenching pain shoot from my glute down

the outer part of my thigh, behind my knee and into my shin, and had to

lay on the floor and say 'ow ow ow ow ow' a lot, i had no idea what was

happening. i didnt know if i'd pulled a muscle, or pinched a nerve, or

just strained something, or what. i've got no basis for comparison.

my director asked me if i was okay,and since i could straighten my leg

with no problem (i realized moments later that bending it caused the

screaming pain to reappear), i figured i was. i stretched a bit, i took

some deep breaths, and then got up to 'dance it off'. (you know, people

always think that folks are kidding when they hear that dance directors,

track coaches, and other megalomaniacal slave driver types are telling

people to 'run off' an injury...but it really does happen.)

so i danced on it for about an hour more, 'taking it easy'. when we were

done, i had to walk down a set of stairs, and that was okay. but a few

minutes later i had to walk UP one, and that was NOT. it hurts really,

really badly to bend my left leg, to lift it, to step on it, or to

otherwise un-straighten it in any way. my husband said it sounded like a

pinched nerve from what i described (he's no expert, but he's pinched a

few nerves, and had many a soccor coach tell him to 'run' those off.

what is WRONG with those people!?!), and he's had me on a heating pad

since yesterday evening.

the pain has subsided only marginally. i'm still on my heating pad, and

trying to stretch. i've walked a bit, and walking is fine, but...like,

lifting my leg to put pants on hurts like a banshee. i'm not sure where

exactly the axis of the injury is located because when i bend my leg it

hurts all the way up and down the thing, but i think it might be the

back of my hip...or directly in the center of the piriformis muscle...it

hurts the most when i bend my knee and attempt to bring the other foot

in, indian style. the pain feels most intense in my glute and in the

popliteal region, behind my knee. so technically i could have pinched

the piriformis... ganglia? or whatever the hell those spinal nerve

endings are called that basically mean you feel like you got shot in the

butt-cheek.

but i dont know? could it be a muscle strain? a pull? it doesnt feel

like anything severe enough to need to go to a doctor for, but i also

dont really know what i'm dealing with here. massage? hot tub? i just

need it to get better immediately. or sooner. or yesterday.

i dont have time to be hurt right now- i have a rigorous dance rehearsal

every day from here till sunday, and i cant really take days off. i'm

really more annoyed than hurt, even. i dont have time to be debilitated!

crap, i dunno. maybe i'm asking for permission to ignore this thing.

dont give it to me.

cranky,

cera

www.strangestlittlemonster.com

www.seemescreaming.com