It's been two weeks since the break and one week from riding with it... and I feel about as good as I did just before getting back out on the mountain last Monday... hopefully I didn't get set back further than a week for it. The first week with a broken rib is quite a handful... I say that having just experienced the 'first week' back to back. During the first several days, simply talking for more than a few seconds required me to stop and catch my breath... I chose when to talk and what to say a lot more carefully. I feel a bit more talkative now and can have a decent conversation before I need to stop and reset myself with breathing exercises...
...over the past two weeks its become part of my training... as it was all I could do for some time. I started with simple inhale and hold exercises and have been working in more movement... carefully avoiding any motions that cause pain. On occasion I get a surprise pinch, telling me what is and isn't safe to explore... ugh... I take heed out of necessity.
Sneezing is the worst... absolute worst... and I have learned how to sneeze without my chest seizing up, making it much more tolerable of an experience.... but am also noticing that I sneeze at least once per day. #_#
Back to breathing exercises... my focus continually returns here throughout the day... breathe in a full breath of air and hold it in...force it out... repeat. This is how I fell asleep for the first 3 or 4 days... practicing deep breaths while lying on my back in bed for 15-30 minutes. I would start with a light massage of the surrounding tissues [pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, serratus anterior, intercostals] and on occasion feel a rib move back into place as the muscles relax... allowing me to breathe more freely.
I'm not supposed to be doing any strenuous activity for at least a few weeks so I try and "exercise" with this in mind. Slow and deliberate movements without too much repetition...exploring a safe space... but I can still get a couple squats in and even a pushup here and there. ^-^ slowly recovering...
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