I'm certain this week will be a rest week for me. It's going to be difficult not running. I've been up and down the emotional roller coaster; crying a lot which is not me. Sunday, I rested my knee and iced it on and off all day long. My mom gave me her crutches to use in case I needed to take some weight off of the leg. It hurt when I would try to bend it in the walking motion - think of the leg coming forward as you walk - that's when it would hurt. Today, I rested it as much as I could. Iced it off and on. It hurts still to bend but not as bad as the day before. So I do see a little progress.
I have a neighbor/friend who is a physical therapist. I called her late afternoon today to ask her some things about stretching the ITB. I had read stuff about ITB on the internet most of Saturday night and yesterday afternoon. Some things can be contradicting when it comes to getting info off the net!! So, my friend volunteered to come by when she got off work to look at my knee and conduct a few physical tests on it. After examining my knee and leg, she is pretty sure it is the ITB. When she pressed in certain areas, it was quite tender. She printed out some stretches for me to do. The stretches will help a little, but the ITB can be hard to stretch out. She also is going to treat me at her office (for free!!!) on Wed. morning with some sort of electrical stimulation treatment which helps speed up recovery by helping the inflamation. (I think that is what it is called.) She took an hour of her time with me here at my house and informed me of a lot of things. I am so thankful for her!
I also found out that my left knee is hyper extended! I always wondered why my left leg would go further back then my right. This can lead to problems later if I'm not careful but she said it's probably nothing to worry about now since that is not the main problem. I showed her how I am able to roll my left hip (make it pop so to say) and that is not normal either. That actually irritates the ITB as it rolls over the hip. So, who knew I was encouraging things (pushing my leg back and hearing it pop, and rolling my hip to pop) that are not good or normal with the left side of my body. I'm going to strive to be content with running a half marathon if that is all I am able to do in 6 weeks. Things for me to think and pray about... Anyway, I have some hope and feel very encouraged after having an hour with my physical therapist friend! We'll see how it goes Wed. morning!
5 comments:
What a nice little blessing amidst your pain and sorrow. I hope you're able to get back into your full training schedule soon. Praying for speedy recovery!
So sorry to hear that, Kate. I will definitely be praying for a fast recovery for you. Great to have a friend that can help you.
I am encouraged too. Thankful for your friend who has not only helped you with your current issue but also with not doing more harm by popping your hip and such. I know you are disappointed about having to let go of the marathon goal. Hopefully this therapy will make running longer distances not hurt. No one has an easy time running with pain, and running that is leading you into an injury is just plain awful! Thankfully it sounds like you caught it before it became a very serious injury. Although I understand the disappointment I hope you can still feel good about doing the half. Kate that is an accomplishment that not many can do! I have hope too with the help of your friend and the information she gave you you will be able to do that half in 6 weeks =) Okay I am getting windy, just know I understand Kate...
Glad you're getting some PT help! 1/2 marathons are great. Have you run one before? They're over in half the time, you won't need to take as much time to train and you'll be able to walk up/down stairs when you finish!
thank you all SO much for the encouraging words. i didn't think i'd be so upset over this... i still am but am trying to be ok with whatever the outcome is. i really do appreciate your kind words. so much.
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