I am thrilled to report that I can lift my arm straight above my head. For those who stumble upon this blog from a keyword search... I just wanted to share how I got through the worst of my axillary cording.
Physical therapy: I really have no idea if it helped or not... leaning toward not. I went twice and each time was quite painful and left me with an incredible toxin headache. My physical therapist was not familiar with cording though, so she just massaged the site and tried some manual lymphatic drainage techniques. After two sessions, I was over it.
Stretching: THIS is your ticket out of cording hell! Just do it. Allow yourself to reach for things. I thought stretching in the shower was helpful, because the water helps loosen your muscles. Do the exercises from your doctor... every day!
Time: Yep, frankly... it's not going to fix itself overnight. My surgery was 5 weeks ago yesterday... I am just now feeling like I can start to pick up the intensity in my daily life. I'm finally ready to start working out again and carry laundry baskets and put away dishes on the top shelf!
It was a very humbling experience. And I'm ready to move on now... I know I am emotionally stronger. I'm ready to make it a physical thing, too.
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