After effects and "Magic Cups" !

I remember sitting with Sarah Tunnicliffe before the 24 mile swim, she asked how I felt about the coming event and was I nervous/excited, I explained I was looking forward to it, that it was all part of the journey to bigger things with my only concern being injury in particular aggravating rotar cuff problems purely from over use.

Other than the cold, some mild soreness and fatigue, my body seemed to be holding up under the strain, (the mind is a different story!) only when I returned home did I feel and comment about some discomfort in the right forearm/wrist, as well as the disturbing creaking sounds of crepitus, Further examination diagnosed me with INTERSECTION SYNDROME this is a brief explanation of the condition:

The pain from intersection syndrome is usually felt on the top of the forearm, about three inches above the wrist. At this spot, two muscles that connect to the thumb cross over (or intersect) the two underlying wrist tendons (tendons connect muscles to bones). The two muscles that cross over the wrist tendons control the thumb. They are the extensor pollicis brevis and the abductor pollicis longus. These two muscles start on the forearm, cross over the two wrist tendons, and connect on the back part of the thumb. When these muscles work, they pull the thumb out and back.

The extensor carpi radialis brevis and the extensor carpi radialis longus muscles run lengthwise along the back of the forearm. The tendons of these two muscles attach on the back of the hand. The action of these two wrist tendons pulls the wrist back, into extension. Most of the tendons around the wrist are covered with a thin tissue called tenosynovium. Tenosynovium is very slippery. It allows tendons to glide against one another and the surrounding muscles, fat, and skin with very little friction.

If you overuse the wrist extensor tendons, the slippery tenosynovial lining may become inflamed from the constant rubbing against the two thumb muscles. As the tenosynovium becomes more irritated and inflamed, it swells and thickens. You feel pain when you move your wrist because the swollen tendons are rubbing against the thumb muscles.

As a result of this ailment I am taking NSAIDs, pain killers and wearing a brace in an attempt to keep the wrist in alignment, that together with ICE ICE BABY and Donal Buckley's "magic cups" hopefully this is a short term problem I can overcome soon enough.

The magic ice cup above, keep it moving over the relevant area, hands are warm and insulated by the styrene, direct application unlike the regular bag of frozen peas, cheap and reliable. See Donals page for more details.

The injury has prevented any swimming in full however yesterday I could bear it no longer and accompanied Joe Hunter to Ellerton Lake, he was doing three hours in his Channel build up which made me very envious (and impressed) I needed to get back into the water so as not to loose all of my acclimatisation so took the decision to kick with fins for an hour. It was mighty boring but a must if I am to be serious about the looming events, that said I did see the lake in a whole new dimension. Afterwards I hung around to feed and encourage Joe as he eased to the three hour point. Well done Joe.