Remember the old saying, “Do as I say, not as I do”? Well last week I posted about listening to your body and not pushing your limits too hard. Guess what I did….. I did not listen to my body…. I was at my pole class last week Monday, working on the invert called Jordan. For those of you who do not know what a Jordan is. it is the invert on the Aerial Dance logo.
Jordan and I haven’t been the best of friends. I am really struggling with creating muscle memory and strength to hold this invert. When I was in class last week, I was feeling a little more confident about executing Jordan. With the help from my instructor I was able to successfully complete the invert, but I was not able to hold it very long. I did Jordan on both sides two times and was very tired. I really wanted to try Jordan just one more time. I asked my instructor if we could try it one more time and she agreed. I went into an outside leg hang, put my hands in the correct position (or so I thought), began to deploy my leg and push away with my arms. That is when I felt the tingle in my trapezius muscle.The illustration below shows where your trapezius muscle is located. 
After I came down out Jordan, the small tingle was still there, but wasn’t painful, so I continued on with class as usual. (NOT LISTENING TO MY BODY) I am not quite sure how I injured my trapezius while in Jordan, but the next day, I was not able to turn my head to the left or to the right without intense pain. I went all of Tuesday in miserable pain. I was trying to rub my own neck and shoulder area to relieve the tension and pain. It helped a small amount, but I did not get complete relief. I was using warm muscle compresses, ibuprofen, and essential oils for muscle relief (which helped more than ibuprofen and warm compresses combined).
I did take it easy for the next couple of days. On Wednesday, I remembered, that once after an Aerial Conditioning class an instructor mentioned using Pinky Ball or a tennis ball to massage sore muscles as well as using a foam roller. Guess what was in my amazon cart that same day!?!?!?
Yes, I ordered a Pinky Ball and a foam roller off Amazon. I went to three stores looking for a Pinky Ball and could not find one! I also found a better deal on foam rollers on Amazon than in the store. Who doesn’t love Amazon! Only down fall is the estimated delivery date. 🙁
As I wait for my Pinky Ball and foam roller, I borrowed my dog Olly’s rubber ball. l washed it before I used it of course. Olly was not impressed that she had to share her ball with me. She never took her eyes off the ball. At one point she even hopped up on the couch to take the ball out of my hand. As you can see from the pictures below Olly loves, loves, loves fetch!
After trying to massage my own neck and shoulder and failing miserably, my boyfriend was kind enough to roll the ball to massage my very tight and very sore muscles. It was very painful, but my mobility came back little by little. By Friday, I was almost able to turn my head all the way to the side on both sides. Saturday was better yet and now today I only have a small amount of pain when I look to the right. I am going to continue using the ball to massage those muscles. I just can’t wait for my Pinky Ball to come so I know that it has never been covered in dog slobber.
Foam Rolling
Earlier in my blog I mentioned foam rolling. If you were like me, you might not even know what foam rolling is. Foam rolling is a self-myofascial release (SMR) technique that is used by athletes and physical therapists to inhibit overactive muscles.
To put it plainly, foam rolling is a way to release tension and tightness from muscles. I have found that if you are new to foam rolling it can be very painful. Please roll with caution as to not cause more pain or damage to your muscles. The instructors at Aerial Dance are amazing at teaching you how to foam roll if you are not comfortable attempting it on your own.
I found two great articles that explain foam rolling, ways to roll, and the benefits of rolling. I have attached the links below. I hope you enjoy them and have a great week!
What is a Foam Roller and Why Does it Hurt?