Last Friday I had my annual physical. Generally, I do a battery of tests once a year, and do my darndest to keep away from the doctor the rest of the year. I still have a couple of things to get checked out, and the dreaded mammogram to do, but the results have been reasonably good. The blood tests have come back better than I expected, and that's been heartening. I'm still waiting for the doc to realize that she forgot to ask me to pee in a cup!
For the first time, I complained about some hip troubles, and the doctor suggested that I need to so some floor stretching exercises. I like that approach. I'd rather start with the do it yourself solutions, instead of having pills pushed at me.
Joe asked about the exercises. They are really simple. I'll see if I can explain them.
1. Sit on the floor with your back braced against the wall or couch. Extend your legs straight in front of you. Cross the right ankle over the left leg just above the knee. Very gently lean forward from the hips, hold and then rise again. Repeat with the other leg.
2. Lay flat on your back, and bring your knees up to your chest. (That ought to be fun to watch!) Then lower your legs.
A variation on this exercise is to roll your legs to the right, keeping your knees together (as if to touch your knees to your elbow). Roll back to the center, and then repeat the exercise to the left side.
At the end of the stretches, the doc suggested elevating my feet and lower legs for a minute or two on a chair.
If you want to try these exercises, it would be a good idea to check in with your doctor first, to make sure that they are appropriate for you.