- The physical therapist identifies the points in my muscles that are causing the greatest tension and pain.
- She takes a needle very similar to an acupuncture needle and puts it into my muscle at the trigger point.
- I squeeze the pain ball and try not to move.
- She works out tension on related muscles while I discover the exact meaning of referred pain.
- Repeat seven or eight times depending on the treatment, then ice the affected areas.
There is a certain amount of masochism involved here. After the treatments, my muscles ache and my left hip—the spot that seems to have taken the most problems after the shoulder—is stiff and painful. Still, I have more motion, and it's easy to see how these treatments may actually break through the final stages of my pain. As a collateral benefit, it's also easy to see how I may end up in better shape than I was before the shooting, or at least in the position to get into better shape.
For the moment, however, I am apparently going to have to go through pain to get rid of pain. If only I didn't hate pain meds...
