Getting stronger, (and way less nerve issues), slowly 18 months after ABX. The key is balanced muscle tension and strength , which my experience so far has shown equals less body pain (my goal).
The amount of weight I can move WITHOUT pain, and having more equal symmetrical strength, is how I measure improvement. The "no pain no gain" is BS. I can then test these parameters in real life fitness endurance pursuits, seeing the outcome , pain areas and improvements the following days.
A little history: my 50 year old ex-athletic, lyme ridden body became a structurally crooked, pain ridden disaster from decades of continued use while ill. (thanks to uniformed Drs who lacked diagnostic skills and could not find much using regular lab work).
This past 5 months I drastically cut back on my recreational fitness, in order to focus on my very own plan of physical re-hab, based on my experiences of professional help that has not helped much - however; I did learn from it. I gained a little extra #, some muscle, but most not, from less intensity (almost no cardio).. Time for more veggies until I can do more intensity.
Its has been (and still is) an unbelievably long, "onion" peel effect, of peeling away layers to find what seemed to be permanent all over muscle/tendon/tissue scaring and adhesions. In drastic cases, these areas need breaking down with various forms of trigger point therapy and repeated aggressive myofascial release PRIOR to rebuilding / re-strengthening, or you will just continue to be misaligned, (and in continued pain).
I have learned a lot from the failure / incorrect order of medical "body" work / PT/ chiro ect. They all have good ideas, but NO ONE does it all, that is the problem and why these plans fail 50% of the people who pay for them. Sometimes you need to back step in order to progress forward and use these services at the correct time (and learn some yourself).
I'm really hoping this is not some seasonal fluke and continues forward. When winter sets in the north, I hope to further self-evaluate my progression with "tests" of limited x-c skiing, continued fat-biking and snow shoeing.
Its easy to give up, since improvement is so slow, but thats not an option for me. If I gave up years ago, I'd be disabled, it does limit my employment choices even today. I'll admit its sometimes a struggle though, and realize that I might not get as "structurally" healed as I dream of. Its all trial and error, hopefully less error now as time goes on.
AM
Post Edited (astroman) : 8/27/2016 2:47:52 PM (GMT-6)