Today I was back to see Dr Keith on Harley Street. Things went well and I had my first of three sclerosing injections; these are basically sugar water injections in to the ligaments in my lumbar spine. The aggravate the area to cause a scaring effect - leading to thicker, tighter and stronger ligaments. This will aid stability over the bulging disc and create a better platform to build core strength around. As it happens I had good training this morning (this time at UL) and felt really quite strong round my middle, some good increases in the weight lifted with no ill-effects. My next injection is with Dr Keith on Friday.
I have also received the results of the GB medical screening. Occasionally through the season, we are tested in a multitude of areas to assess injury risk, health issues etc. This time the tests were more thorough than previous assessments. We had a repeat of the standard medical questionnaire (who is your GP? dentist? Inoculations and injections, Family history etc); a psychological test (called a Winning Profile Athlete Inventory - was all very American); a physio assessment (length of bones, flexibility, muscular control); a core strength assessment (supine hold, press-ups, supine pull, left + right plank, double leg lowers, squatting). I did well on the psychology test - scoring 95% - and will use the break down of my results to approach my training in a more effective manner. My physio assessment went poorly, mainly in the red, with some interesting observations (my right leg was 2cm shorter than my left - but you give it a sustained pull and it comes level!?) - the poor score is directly related to my current lumbar/thoracic spine issues, some of these scores will shoot up as soon as I stop feeling discomfort in certain positions. My core strength assessment went reasonably well, I generally scored either really well or fairly poor - this, again, is generally down to current lumbar spine issues. As a result of all the testing I should receive tailored advice on rectifying weaknesses and imbalances, the results will also be really useful in assessing the development of my back problems.
Currently reading -
The Blind Side - Michael Lewis; amazing film, even better book.
Recently read -
A Journey - Tony Blair; not too bad, but gets very tedious when a third of the book is dedicated to justifying the invasion of Iraq.
The Third Man - Peter Mandelson; I enjoyed this far too much and was worried I was being sucked in by the Prince of Darkness. When read alongside Blair it is very interesting to view two accounts of the same sequence of events.
Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future - Freidrich Nietzsche
The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli
The Art of War - Sun Tzu
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