A few months ago I crashed at Thunderhill. At the time it appeared all I had done was get a small concussion and bruis my left arm a bit. Well, the shoulder never stopped bugging me and all the Aleve and Advil in the world wasn't helping. When I started kickboxing a few weeks ago it really started bugging me. I finally broke down and saw an Orthopedic doctor. Her diagnosis, a strained rotator cuff. Her solution, six weeks of physical therapy twice a week and some heavy duty anti-inflamatory drugs. My thoughts on the whole thing, YUCK.

I went to my first PT appointment yesterday having no idea what to expect. The doc there is pretty cool and I like him. He did some tests to isolate exactly where the injury was and decide what to do about it. Then he came back with a big book full of excellent illustratioins of everything under your skin. Turns out I have damaged a tendon that is part of a cluster of muscles and tendons that make up the rotator cuff around your shoulder. Don't ask me the name, I can't remember. It goes inbetween bones and isusually an exact fit. If it swells up due to injury then whammo! You have what I got, pain. Constant, annoying, degrees of pain.

I am thinking I am going to have to do a mess of boring exercises and all. Nope! I get to sit there. Now this is physical therapy! They put two types of warm goop all over my shoulder and then do this heated ultra sound thing. Mmmmmm, very nice. Then they top it off with a few minutes of the worlds largest, coldest ice pack. Totally ruins the whole relaxing ultrasound thing.

Going by the restrictions they gave me I may as well just tie the arm off. No lifting anything over a pound or two with my left arm. No moving my arm over shoulder level. This is going to make sleeping hard. My arms are always over my head. No carrying things with my left arm. He started to say something about not riding so much but then he just smiled and said to stay light on the bars and lean on my tank bag :o). At least he understands. He also didn't say I had to stop kickboxing. Of course, I didn't exactly ask either. Classic case of "don't ask, don't tell".

Mark has managed to come down with a wicked little cold. I think the sudden weather change caught him. Poor guy is quite miserable. His band, Moxie Rox, (http://www.moxierox.com) will be playing their first public show November 2. I am really proud of him. He plays so well and he has so much fun. The whole band is pretty cool.

More later!