Friday, September 3, 2010

Climbing pregnant: Week 16

* Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. The opinions on this blog are my own educated opinions.

The pants I've known and loved are now crying "Mutiny!". They have rebelled against my growing belly and are refusing to button or zip. Solution: Belly band. Love that thing. I can still wear my skinny jeans and I don't have to show anyone what I'm wearing underneath.

I went out to the Priest Draw a couple of days ago and for those of you who are unaware of this area, it is almost all completely horizontal roof climbs. Now, I'm four months pregnant and my pants don't close, do you think I have enough core to climb roofs? I actually did amazingly well but it wasn't my core that is putting an end to my roof climbing for now, it's my joints. Being pregnant is much more than just carrying extra weight. Your body has to grow in order to accommodate and what do you think happens to your stomach muscles? They stretch!!! Without being too graffic here, not only do they stretch but all of your joints start to act like putty as well.

Relaxin is a hormone that does exactly what it sounds like, it relaxes things. Joints in my case. Strangely my core was still strong enough to keep me climbing through some very tough rock climbs but the moment I had to throw a heal to pull or drop my knee down and push the pain was un-ignorable.
The sacroiliac ligaments connect the sacrum to the pelvic bones. My pelvic bones are beginning to wonder. Therefore, I'm switching my focus in climbing to more vertical pursuits that do not require me to torque that area as much. The pain associated with my shifting pelvis is a constant bother. I work with a lot of physical therapists (I'm a tech getting ready for PT school) and I've been picking their brains about how to stabillize an area that doesn't want to stabilze. Their answer for the moment is to do exercises that strengthen the area around the joint.

Side lying: Lying on your side with your arm bracing in front of your body, straighten your legs out as though you were sandwiched between two plates of glass. keeping your knees facing forward lift and lower your leg squeezing your bottom. You should feel this in your upper glutes. Do it till it burns then take a break...

Side lying circles: Beginning the same way but this time lengthen your leg out and up off of your opposite leg. Keeping your knees facing forward start making small circles in the air with your toes. Go both ways.

Bridges: Laying on your back with your knees bent, slowly lift and lower your bottom off the floor by squeezing your bum to lift as high as you can.

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