Having a chronic illness is very frustrating. Those of you who have a chronic illness know that we live with constant pain. I hurt every day. But, I DO NOT want that to stop me from living my most complete and happy life. Although there are days where I do have to step back and either rest or just simply “be”, I refuse to let all of this get in the way of enjoying every single minute. After my partial cervical fusion in 2009, the surgeon told my family he did not know why I was still alive and that I had been living on borrowed time. God had a purpose for me. Those are hard words to hear and comprehend. So I wanted to share a few ways that I live with a chronic illness and pain 24/7.
One way I deal with a chronic illness is yoga, yoga, and more yoga! I cannot express to you in words how much having a mental, physical and emotional yoga practice has literally changed my life. Unless you experience it yourself, you may not be able to comprehend. Because I have degeneration in my lower spine as well, when I get out of bed in the mornings, I cannot stand upright. I get onto my mat before I do anything else and work on stretching and releasing my back so that I can walk without pain (or as much pain) and bend over to pet my sweet fur babies when I let them out of their dogdiminium for breakfast. Yoga helps keep my bones and muscles as strong as they can be while having degeneration in my spine. Yoga also helps lower the stress that having a chronic illness can bring. If there’s one thing we all can relate to, its stress.
Also, a diet that helps reduce or lower inflammation is also crucial in keeping my symptoms down. Do you know the foods that cause inflammation? Do you know the foods that can help lower it? Of course, highly processed foods and fast foods or foods that contain high fructose corn syrup are the ones we need to avoid. Foods like processed meats, fried foods and gluten are all heavy hitters in the world of inflammation. Foods that help minimize inflammation are foods like leafy green vegetables, nuts, pineapple and orange fruits and vegetables. Spices like turmeric, ginger, onions and garlic are also great weapons against inflammation. I am incorporating all of these spices and foods into my 6 week plant based program. I also stay hydrated drinking lots of water throughout the day.
Another way I deal with a chronic illness is getting massages. I’ve always needed a massage ever since my neck surgery. I enjoyed massages before then too. I believe that the healing power of a massage is invaluable to a well rounded, healthy lifestyle, chronic illness or not. But in the last 6 months I’ve started getting dry needling with electric stimulation to help break up the knots in my muscles and relieve some of the pain and spasms. So you ask, what is dry needling? There are two types that I have gotten: Trigger Point Dry Needling and Systemic Dry Needling.
Trigger Point Dry Needling is the use of solid filament needles that are inserted through the skin and into the muscle to release painful myofascial trigger points. This dry needling results in the deepest tissue release allowing for improvements in movement and pain. The reason it is called “Dry” Needling is because there is no solution injected as with a hypodermic needle like during a shot. With Dry Needling, the needle itself and the effects it produces within the tissue is the treatment.
When an injury occurs from repetitive use or acute trauma, or in my situation, a cervical fusion, inflammation is produced from the damaged tissues. After that the damaged tissues will also go into a protective tension state to “guard” against further trauma to the tissue. This protective state and inflammation inhibit microcirculation which limits both the oxygen rich blood reaching the injury and the waste products leaving the injury. The injury site becomes hypoxic (decreased in oxygen) which stimulates the body to produce scar tissue. This scarring builds up around the muscles and tissues limiting the tissues ability to fully function (lengthen/shorten) which for me, is already an issue since I cannot manually stretch my neck myself. When the needle is inserted in a contracted, painful and knotted muscle it will create a local twitch reflex which is both diagnostic and therapeutic as it is the first step in breaking the pain cycle, reduce chemical irritation, decrease pain and improve flexibility which I am lacking. When a needle is inserted into muscle it will also produce a controlled lesion and will cut between three to fifteen thousand individual muscle fibers. Since the body considers the needle as a foreign invader, it will activate the immune system as a response. The cut muscle fibers will also produce an inflammatory reaction so that your body will respond to not just locally, but all over the body to reduce inflammation systemically. Amazing, huh?!
Then, I also participate in Systematic Dry Needling where the needles are left in (what you see in the pictures) and electric leads are attached to provide stimulation. The whole process usually takes 20-25 minutes. I know that was a long explanation, but quite frankly, I’m fascinated by the whole process and how it works so I just wanted to give you a clear understanding of everything.
Now… you say how in the world does this feel good and help?! To be honest, it is quite painful when you first begin, especially if you’ve never had it before and/or it’s been a while. You may be taken off guard at actually how painful it is. I am usually drained physically afterwards, tired and sore, but within a few days and a few more sessions the day to day pain that I experience is lessened. The dry needling is not a comfortable therapy for me, but I know the outcome is worth it. I only have about 6 – 10 degrees of movement in my neck. I can only look up slightly and I cannot look down at all. Not being able to physically move or stretch my neck causes those muscles to tense up, like described above. So that’s why I want to participate in dry needling therapy.
While I have a chronic illness, that does not define who I am. I am July. A passionate, family oriented, loving human being who happens to have a chronic illness and I just want to keep moving forward. I truly believe that my purpose is to spread love through yoga and help others with chronic illnesses.
