How Do You Laugh When a Fist is in Your Stomach?

It's not easy! But it can be done as I discovered this afternoon.

I went to see Dusti Chase for physical therapy today - Dusti has worked with me many times and has become a good friend in the process. This time around, I am seeing her because my tailbone has curved to the side and is out of place. (Makes sitting rather tough.)

Since she's seen me so many times in the past and knows my history, Dusti checked several other things and she discovered that:

~ My gait was off. I was taking much shorter strides with my right leg than with my left because my hip muscles were so tight.

~ My pelvis was out of alignment with one side pushed forward ahead of the other.

~ My back is full of bony growths and arthritis.

~ Muscles and tissues by the hip flexor were knotted and needed releasing.

And Dusti put her fist in my stomach to treat that by doing a myofascial release.

Myofascial releases are no picnic. The pressure alone hurts. But that's not the only painful aspect. When Dusti presses on the problematic muscle, heat and pain radiate up and down that tissue, in this case, my right thigh. And it lasts because she keeps pressing down, down, down without stopping in order to get the muscle and surrounding tissues to relax and release.

It is difficult to talk during the process as it literally takes my breath away, it is so intense.

At last there is a sense of the heat and pain "drawing back" to the point where she is pressing, and that means the muscle has relaxed and lengthened, and you feel better. (Even more so when Dusti removes her fist from your belly. Oof!!)

Since we've become friends over the years, we chat and laugh while she works. Even though it is tough to talk when she is doing a myofascial release, we were conversing today, with my side of the conversation mostly whispering as a result of the extreme discomfort.

And then Dusti said something funny and I got the giggles.

Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!

How do you laugh when someone has their fist in your stomach??

Not very easily! The more I tried to stifle the laughter, the more the laughter bubbled up. We must've made a bizarre picture had anyone been standing there - Dusti nearly up to her wrist in my tummy and me lying on the table whisper-laughing and gasping that I had to stop laughing.

An hour later, I left Dusti's office walking with a more normal gait and the loosest-feeling hip I've had in a long time. I also have a "tape wedgie" - since the tissues around my tailbone had also had a myofascial release (burn, baby, burn!) she's taped my backside up to give the tissues time to heal around the tailbone. And she taped me up REALLY well - let's just say there's some very firm support back there! I have to endure my tape wedgie for a couple of days before I can peel it off.

"You'll be sore tonight," were Dusti's parting words, and she was right. I am very tender and just want to chill out and not do anything that requires movement. But I also feel better than I have for weeks.

And that is worth having a fist in your belly and enduring a whole lot of discomfort.