Getting the Gravel Out
Speaking of gymnastics, tonight was the first time I left class without a headache. Okay, with a slight headache, but only every now and then. I used to have pretty bad headaches at the end of each class that would last two or three days, to the point where I was worried that I was giving myself a series of minor concussions.
I couldn’t find much information online about head injuries in gymnastics. You’d think they’d be common, with all the spinning and crashing that gymnasts do. Maybe not. Or maybe they pale in comparison to the broken bones and torn ligaments that abound.
McKayla Maroney had a concussion earlier this year, you know. So we’re totally twinsies, except that she over-rotated a triple-twisting layout and sustained an actual concussion, whereas I, um, “over-rotated” a few handstands and kind of got a headache.
The point is, I’m getting slightly better at not doing permanent damage to myself.
Tags: gymnastics, NaBloPoMo
February 9th, 2013 at 12:59 pm
I have to admit being a little envious of this. I think I probably developed a little interest in gymnastics watching Olympics gymnastics years ago (maybe the 92 and definitely the 96 Olympics, and those since). Despite being an athlete (although a marginal one — after all, those years were elementary school and high school for me) at the time, I was so impressed with the athleticism (and, yes, the female gymnasts weren’t hard on the eyes
). I’d never have had the discipline for what they could do, I think. I got into distance running after college and in grad/law school, and I did *try* some gymnastics — but the headaches, *the headaches* were the worst thing! One instructor supposed it was because I was too tall for many of the gymnastics activities, but I could always find an Olympics athlete that seemingly disproved that suggestion. In any case, they were my downfall each time. I’m so impressed; it sounds like you’ve broken through! I wonder if it’s the same thing as with the running… there’s a certain point where one ‘breaks through’ and can just keep running, rather than getting pains, cramps, and aches that are so discouraging. How are you doing with it now?
March 15th, 2013 at 9:39 pm
They’re quite a bit better now, actually! After every class I had fewer and less severe headaches, until I stopped getting them altogether. It was maybe my fifth or sixth class when they stopped. I think the biggest difference is that as my arms and core get stronger, I’m not falling onto my back as hard lately. But who knows, maybe the difference is that I killed off all the sensitive brain cells in the first few weeks.
I am still struggling with being “old,” in that even minor injuries take a long time to heal. I rolled my ankle a month ago, and I still feel it some mornings. That’s the part that makes me wonder if it’s worth it to continue, when I know I could lay myself up for weeks with one mistake. For now I’ll keep going . . . when I can find the time.
May 1st, 2013 at 11:25 pm
I can totally relate to your feelings on healing. I turned 30 in January and, as you might expect, it didn’t feel any different than ages 26 to 29. Then, I mildly pulled or strained something in my foot while running. It’s a month and a half later and I still feel it every time I run any kind of distance and even sometimes when I do something as crazy to my foot as use it to get out of bed and walk across the room. Ten years ago, it would’ve healed completely in a week with only a little care stretching and cutting the running down just a bit. Nope, not a fan of being “old.”