Ani was not pleased with my refusal to run this morning. I couldn’t sleep last night with it and I’m reluctant to move this morning, even though I know that movement holds the relief from the pain in the joints. It is all self-inflicted, of course… well, mostly at least. Years of dance are a double edged sword that both strengthens and damages and this morning bits of me are reminding me of that.
It will, of course, ease and disappear as the morning unfolds and I will forget the discomfort and be able to ignore it. The original cause of it… the dance… brought intense pleasure along with the pain and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. ‘Old Arthur’, the one unpredictable element, in all this, is pretty much a family member, being intimately acquainted with the joints of many a relative… so arthritis does have a hereditary component playing its part too.
I can’t help thinking how much that applies to other aspects of life though, where a situation we get ourselves into, either by choice or necessity, seems to take over; the good bits that drew us initially become overlaid with pain and though we are reluctant to make a move to end the situation, fearing loss, failure, more pain… we know that this is where the ‘cure’ lies.
We manage quite nicely to ignore the problems until they rear their head, reminding us of their existence… and then we suffer, promising ourselves that we will take action, make a move, do something to create a change. Except … the pain wears off again as the situation settles and although we know it hasn’t gone away, we can pretend it has… we can forget and shelve our concerns for a while. Till next time. And so the cycle continues.
The trouble is, of course, that like arthritis, it isn’t going to get any better while the root cause remains. I can take painkillers, numb the ache, cool the inflammation… make it less acute… but that isn’t a cure for years of wear and tear. It is only a patch on the ragged garment of time.
As with many chronic situations, there is no cure for an arthritic joint other than cutting it out and starting from scratch. But there are things that can be done to make the joints better… and oddly enough, it is within both the cause and the effect of pain that such change is found. It shouldn’t be a surprise… in both maths and language two negatives can make a positive.
With the joints the best thing is bringing the strength of movement to the muscles around them; the flexibility and strength that were learned in my dancing days and which were at least part of the cause of the problem, along with the outer and uncontrollable possibility of arthritis. Very often, with a negative situation we learn far more than we realise too. The resilience, flexibility and inner strength may be hidden behind many layers of emotion… but they are there, or we would not have survived thus far. And they are there even when it hurts. But they need kickstarting … the same way we push aching joints into movement. We had the courage to get into the situation in the first place… to take a chance… and we still have, whether we feel we do or not, the courage to face yet another chance of our own choosing and make a change.
In neither case is it easy and the longer we leave it before taking action, the less we feel we can move, the more we seize up, the stiffer and less flexible we become; the more afraid of the inevitable pain that comes with starting to dance again, both in the physical sense and its analogy. And yes, I remind myself of the dancing hippo from Fantasia these days as I push my body back towards where I want it to be… but I’d rather look ridiculous doing something than be stuck because I didn’t.
The dog, of course, just buries her head in her paws and seeks safety under the table.
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
Oooops, dancing seems more dangerous than rugby in the long run as the years move on in the march of time!
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Brilliant, Sue, just brilliant – and so pertinent to my situation. Thanks hugely for setting these thoughts down today. xxx
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❤ xxx
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Nice to meet you hear, thanks to Seumas. Great blog you have – and I relate. I LOVE to dance (though do most of it in the privacy of my house!). I’ve joined an amazing dance class where I live in New England and my heart soars during that hour. Here’s to dance and mystery in our lives (despite the aches and pains of it all…)
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These days it is almost always in the privacy of the house… or the odd street corner 🙂
I miss dancing regularly… but then, I can still feel it!
Nice to meet you 🙂
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Good piece, Sue. When I was given exercises for my back, it seemed like a life sentence as I was told I’d have to do them four times a day for the rest of my life. However, if I want to improve, I’ll just have to find the fime and do them. As far as I can see, they’re a form of yoga which is very popular here in India.
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This morning my son rearranged the bones in my wrists for me… I crunch. It isn’t pleasant… but i get to move afterwards. Just keep on and it gets easier.
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you never fail to delight – I’m a chair dancer, myself
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Nothing wrong with that… I remember my mother teaching me the hand jive years ago when I was a child…and all the young women in the dance hall sitting around doing it. Dancing is inside, not outside.
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I’m not a dancer but I’ve had bilateral knee replacement and a knee revision. Your words ring so very true. They were a good and very positive reminder for me today. Many thanks.
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I’m hoping I can prevent that… the knees aren’t too bad. The toes though! And we won’t even think about the hip…
I may just be falling apart today 🙂
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Oh, I hope not. Some days are like that, but hopefully tomorrow will be much better.
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Oh it will! Tomorrow I
escapego north 🙂LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Sue, I feel your pain..truly! I inherited arthritis from both parents, coupled with years of abusing my joints playing all sorts of sports. Four joint replacements later, I am the bionic woman. Nothing to be done for the hands or feet, though. And the cold and dank don’t help so I’m hoping spring comes soon for us both. I admire the fact that you live your life fully and with joy, despite the pain.
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No, the cold, damp weather doesn’t help much, but then, neither does hot weather, so I’ll slide between seasons and have fun regardless, I think.
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I live this post. When i had my first knee surgery at 19, i was told i had the joints of a 40 yr old. Well, i am going to be 50 next month. Both knees have zero cartilage and the ankles and hips sound like crispy rice cereal. And the toes – i save money on zero pedicures. Yes – 22 years of dance…. Oh well…….💃. It was – is worth every minute.
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My neck sounds like that..all the time 🙂 My sons cringe. And yes… always worth it 🙂
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I hope you feel better soon! 🙂
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About 14 hours I should think, Cao 🙂 Then I head north…
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travel in speed and comfort 🙂
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… and preferably not in snow… fingers crossed… 🙂
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It’s good that you have found ways to keep yourself mobile. I still have a few options to explore. Maybe there is help for me yet 🙂
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Like you, I think, I’m just too bloody stubborn to give in 🙂
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Three words for your hips and ankles:
Glucosamine, turmeric, stretching.
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Two our of three..so far Thank you.
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Sorry to hear old Arthur is bothering you. Do you do yoga? I’ve found it so helpful (for knees and back) because it is gentler than other forms of exercise, yet it builds great strength with practice.
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Not any more… though I probably should. Trouble is, if I get anywahere near the floor, Ani decides she has free rein to sit on me, sniff my face and generally make anything impossible. Good fun though.
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That Ani, I suppose closed doors are out of the question! I go to a class in town once a week, it gets me out and working with a group is rewarding.
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Closed doors? No chance… she’d tunnel her way through if she thought she was missing anything!
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I thought as much! 😉
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So so true… looking back at what has caused much of my pains and illness, there is not much I regret in the doing and making life happen. Always there will be struggle and reward for that struggle tho getting out of bed as I grow older and stiffer, thus hurting… well, getting out of bed sometimes isn’t exactly what my body wants to do so she simply stays there, all snuggled in warm, and reads the day away. 🙂
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That sounds like heaven… but I couldn’t do it these days. I get too resless….
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