I’m struggling to find a balance between resting and overdoing it

I stood there staring at a container on the top shelf of my kitchen cabinet, debating if I should reach up for it or not. After falling off my horse about a month ago and winding up with a broken and dislocated rib, I’ve been forced to rest so that I don’t injure myself further. I’m lucky to have great friends and family helping me out. But as I start to feel a bit better, I’m struggling to find a balance between resting and pushing myself.

I’m fully aware that I have a tendency to overdo it sometimes. I don’t like it when my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) means I shouldn’t do something, so at times I simply plow through and do it anyway. As I’ve stated many times before, I do not recommend that. I usually regret my rash decision when I’m sore for days or weeks afterward.

Since my injury, however, I’ve found myself pulled in the opposite direction: I’m nervous to try anything that might set me back or prolong my recovery. Considering I dislocated my already-fractured rib simply by leaning down slightly to wash my hands, it clearly didn’t take much to cause a problem. Not only was I set back in my recovery, but the pain was intense. I have no desire to experience that again!

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Even as the pain has lessened, I still worry about reaching for things or gently stretching. As a result, my left side has become even stiffer than usual. With EDS, stiff muscles are part of the game; it’s how my body tries to compensate for my loose joints. Now, my hesitancy and lack of movement in my left arm and torso are only exacerbating this tightness.

I’ve cautiously started to use my left arm for tasks that involve very little weight and resistance, such as getting a plate down from an upper shelf or pulling linens out of the cabinet. I can feel my broken ribs, of course, but the pain isn’t sharp. I’m trying to find a balance in how much I move: enough that my EDS tightness doesn’t get out of control, but not so much that I impede healing.

I don’t know that I’ve ever been so cautious about overdoing it, so this is a new experience for me. While I never want to get hurt, I’m now actually afraid of making my injury worse. There’s also no way to know how much EDS is affecting the healing of my ribs. While it doesn’t affect my bones, it certainly has an impact on the surrounding connective tissue as well as my injured diaphragm.

I’ve decided to just take small, cautious steps forward, as my body allows. I don’t think there’s any other way to approach it. It may take me a while to get comfortable again, but I know it’ll happen — baby step by baby step!

Note: Ehlers-Danlos News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Ehlers-Danlos News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Ehlers-Danlos.