Several months ago I was in a car accident. I've kept it quiet because the line of work I'm in requires a healthy and strong able body. It's time to come out and share that I was rear ended by an SUV while accelerating in my little sports car. With over $11,000 worth of damage to my vehicle, my body was left full of injuries. Luckily, it's the first car accident I've experienced. I came home shaking explaining to everyone what happened. Like the tough girl I think I am at times, I thought I was just fine. Other than being a bit shaky I felt fine at the time. Those who saw my car warned me that I may not feel the after effects right away. I didn't want to believe it. I knew I was hit with enough force to cause my body harm. I reminded myself how strong I am, so chances are I won't feel it.
The next morning after the car accident my entire body was very sore. I was more angry than focused on being in pain. I knew that I had no business lifting or performing any sort of training with my body, especially feeling completely out of whack. From the base of my skull down to my lower back the pain throbbed. I knew it was time to go see a Chiropractor immediately.
I've never been a person who goes to a Chiropractor regularly since I never felt the need. When it comes to strength training I've always played it very safe and kept it balanced. Pain wasn't something my body was use to. After visiting Dr. Sage's office I was diagnosed with a strained neck, mid back and low back. Had subluxation in both my neck and back. I thought I was totally fine at first from the accident, yet it truly left a number on me. In fact, my chiropractor told me no exercising for at least one month. You should've seen the look on my face. Not only did I feel sorry for myself but I felt sorry for those who had to be around me for the next month.
After a month of on going treatment I began to feel better, so I slowly began to move again. I proceeded with great caution. However, my body immediately told me it wasn't ready when I began to suffer from major occipital head pain. This pain was so disruptive that it would wake me up in my sleep. At one point I thought maybe I had some type of brain tumor it hurt so much! I had to lay off anything that engaged my neck. There went another month of almost no training. I felt my body getting weaker and my energy levels dropping. My students were so supportive during this time and racked all their own weights in addition grabbing all their own kettlebells. They knew I was in pain!
It was challenging not to feel discouraged and frustrated. Just when I thought I was ready to hit the weights again my body would tell me "oh no you don't". By the 3rd month of taking time off I started with light body weight exercises. Unfortunately the pain I felt began to move around in my body. Next it moved to my left leg, which pulled on my lower back. Tons of pain in the sitting or laying down position. I was beginning to feel like I was 90 years old. I lost sleep over it, I was so uncomfortable. With continuous Chiropractic adjustments, therapeutic massages, and giving in to just resting my body, I was healing. By the 4th month I could not go another day without doing some sort of hip hinge exercise. It was time to work around the pain and activate my hamstrings and glutes. I began to play around. Kettlebell swings were out and so were squats! If I did something slightly off or cause too much activation on my quadricep, the pain in my quad and back would haunt me for days. If I stayed away in a perfect manner by only activating my glutes and hamstrings, with a very light weight, then I would feel fine.
Luckily this injury led me to my new favorite exercise. Not only is it one of my favorite but also many of my students are loving it as well. I'm still not 100% healed, but I'm getting darn near close. I have lost a significant amount of strength and muscle. Luckily I had a very strong base of muscle prior to the accident so I still have some left. :) In the mean time, for those who truly enjoy honing in on their glute muscles without needing a whole lot of balance or stabilization, I highly recommend this exercise. It's knee, hip and back friendly! Let me know what you think. Wishing you all an injury free and healthy 2015!
Modified Single Leg Deadlift
or
Single Leg Deadlift with a Kickstand
(not to be confused with a Kickstand Deadlift)
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Faith Brady @ Kim E. Hunter