other explanations for why form and qigong is good for you

[everything]

I sprained an ankle and my PT is having me do slow exercises and keep my leg elevated so that the swelling goes down - something about the lymphatic system taking care of waste product from cells. Also I assume the slowness is to not jolt the injured tissues. Anyway that got me wondering why doing form (as qigong) or just doing qigong is good for you, and in part, what is the relationship with the lymphatic system? What is going on in slow gentle movements as far as this system goes? Why would slow and gentle be better, or would it not be?

[GrahamB]

No idea, but my friend who broke and dislocated his ankle said the very best exercise he did, the one that really made a difference to his recovery (which was very good) was Zhang Zhong. Second best was Tai Chi.

[everything]

is that the same as zhan zhuang? not sure I know it otherwise. I am doing standard rehab right now but will incorporate some qigong. just curious

[neijia_boxer]

What I learned in massage school that was also a Taiji and Qigong school:
Lymphaic fluids only flow upward in the legs and the only way to get the fluid moving is by the pumping action of the legs and breathing when weight shifts in walking and surprisingly qigong and Tai Chi. so coordinated breathing and weight shifting in Tai Chi is very good for lymph flow.

[I-mon]

Movement without pain is essential for the learning in the nervous system (that "I can move this part of my body without pain"). Otherwise many people have a tendency to continually aggravate an injured area, repeatedly moving it in exactly the way that DOES hurt, teaching their nervous system to lay down a strong, lasting pattern of "this part hurts" "this part hurts" "this part hurts", creating an ongoing cycle of pain and inflammation, buildup of scar tissue, compensatory muscular holding patterns, etc.

[shawnsegler]

It's magically delicious super power energy!

[GrahamB]

is that the same as zhan zhuang? not sure I know it otherwise. I am doing standard rehab right now but will incorporate some qigong. just curious

Yes. Sorry, can never remember how to spell it in pinyin and saying "standing" is just too vague.

[Brady]

What I learned in massage school that was also a Taiji and Qigong school:
Lymphaic fluids only flow upward in the legs

I don't think this is true really, maybe as a generalization/gross rule but can be misleading. Lymph and veins are both passive vasculature systems, where as arteries have strong muscles that pump blood, lymph and venous flow rely on pressure differentials to move. So while its true that the lymph all eventually moves to the upper left chest area before emptying into the veins, it takes detours along the way.

You can feel lymph and edema build up as a puffiness under skin and in between tissue layers with a developed sense of touch, and when it is stuck in an area (as is often with injuries like ankle sprains) the flow feels decreased and haywire. In normal areas, the lymph flow will feel like a slow, calm river gently in the direction of the left chest region. In areas where lymph is disturbed, the flow feels more swirly and back and forth, if there is any movement at all. Anyone can develop their sense of this flow by gently pressing down on skin till one feels a calmly moving fluid layer in the body. It is subtle but definitely there. Using gravity is a good tool to help clear the lymph and thus swelling out of an injured area.

But unless you really sprained your ankle very very badly, you shouldn't leave it in an elevated position always, or even most of the time. That is advice from a PT either a) by the book and does not fully understand the system's dynamics or b) someone who didn't care to take the time to explain it to you in detail. I'd guess that slow and gentle movements are more likely to increase and harmonize lymph flow in a chaotic area then rigid and ballistic movements, due to the soft and subtle nature of the flow.

Just my 2c.

[everything]

hmm ok thanks Brady. it's impossible for me to elevate it even 50% of the time due to driving, crutching around, sitting at a computer, etc. so maybe the advice is to do that as much as possible the other 50%. not sure. i didn't ask in detail either. anyway w/o your being able to diagnose my ankle in person, what else would you be recommending? or is the above generally OK? (as far as internet advice can go)

also - interesting about the movements and the system!

[Brady]

Well the normal answer is PRICE (pressure, rest, ice, compression, elevation), but lately in soccer leagues in Europe they have just taped up sprained ankles, slapped on Biofreeze, gave them some balance and range of motion exercises, and had people keep playing with all but the most severe of sprains. Obviously these guys use their ankles alot as soccer players, but they report seeing no increase in healing time, if anything its faster. American rehab is slow to pick up on this from what I've seen.

So ya I haven't seen your ankle, but I've been just making sure someone has stability and then having them move through it, obviously in a comfortable and stable environment, for reasons I-mon posted. I think it makes alot more sense, and (shocker!) is how the TCMA people handled these sorts of injuries. But beware of internet advice! I don't want to cause you to overdo it.

[everything]

ok hmm interesting. of course i'm not a pro getting paid a lot, just a rec player so a little conservative is ok with me. i am doing slight rom to decrease the swelling. i have a balance thing i could try. i'll ask my in-person pt about it.

from a more theoretical view, if ligaments are torn, how do they keep playing with so much cutting and turning and shooting? the forces must be severe.

also what is pressure vs. compression? thanks a lot

[Brady]

uh woops, PRICE's p is for protection, shows how much I use that haha sorry.

If ligaments are torn, thats a bad injury and needs some resting. Thats not a sprain, sprains are just microtears and overstretching in ligaments that need to chillax a bit, but are still usable. Athletic tape can do wonders for enhancing stability so even with severe forces, it doesn't bother the ankle too much.

[everything]

hmm ok thanks it's all making more sense now. she believes i did tear something. ugh. well anyway when i'm better i'll be using some tape or maybe a brace