Rabbit's epic healing thread ;-) (feel free to ignore)

[alpinerabbit]

You asked for it - ok, where do I start.

Edit: P.S. - Wahine/Yoda had to listen to much of this via pm. I just wanted to give her the credit she deserves.

2004 when I started running? 15-20 minutes - I was depressed. Doc said it would do me good and I was proud of myself
2005 when I started cycling? EO 2006 I managed running 10K.
2007 - the spring I ran 15, 18 km a couple times? when that spot on my iliac crest started aching? It got better but never went away again.
The fall, when I took up the actual 10K training plan from my new tri club? - what with speed work on the track and such, suddenly my anterior shin muscle was hot and hurt a little. I iced, I laid off running. I had it massaged a couple times by a PT. Since then I know I have trigger points.
Shin muscle keeps "pinpricking". But lucky it's not shin splints per se. I went to an orthopedist to get an analysis. Of course I overpronate and have dropped arches, so got custom orthotics.

Early 08 - Started back on running, baby steps, shin muscle keeps acting up.
Spring 08 - at a running clinic, I discover a midfoot technique that helps with the shin. It also took 20 sec of my kilometer time.
I had a "second opinion" video gait analysis, tweaked something on the orthotics. But the technique change helped more.

2008 I ran a 5K, two sprint tris, and an oly on minimal training (2 times/week on average). I also cycled around 5000K.
After the late August Oly, total layoff from running until EO October. I thought that would really let me recover.

In the meantime I did Yoga twice/week where I discovered a massage ball technique to treat my trigger points on my own as best I could.
Since then, I ran maybe 6 times, 5-7km. The shin is now quiet, but attachment points at the front and back of knee, at the hip - that old spot at the iliac crest - keep aching.

So finally off to the sports doc who examined me, finding a load of stiff, tightened muscles - in spite of yoga - quads, psoas, butt, shins - mediocre flexibility and a weak core.
And i had been working on the core the past 3 months in Yoga

She sent me off to physical therapy which I will start next week, twice a week. Manual therapy and introducing me to more core work.
The good news is that she said it's no true inflammation, so my worries about tendons degrading or weakening are calmed now, and I won't need oral or injected anti-inflammatories.
She also said this can turn into some sort of "personal training" where they even go practice on a track with me. This is a specialized sports clinic where some "real" athletes from my tri club go.

Oh and everything was always on the right leg. Which is the one where my hip is much more open&flexible (the doc said actually the other one is not open enough). She even found weaker perfomance in the right thigh (psoas I think).

Ok now for a question - what are severely hardened muscles?

Like when the doc pushes around on your butt muscle and says "release your butt" - "oh, you have released?"

[Zen]

You and I have similar maladies except my weakness is on the left side.
I just wound up PT (I did improve a little) but decided I need yoga and regular massage.

Do you have any back issues that would affect your hip or gait/muscle imbalance?

[alpinerabbit]

Not that I know of, doc found nothing. She pushed around on my back and nothing hurt. She didn't say anything was asymmetrical.

I have less tightness in the back these days than I ever had, since I did yoga in my late 20s - never had lower back pain in 10+ years, sometimes the iliosacral joint locks but unlocks again.

I believe I have rather strong back muscles (love those backbends). There's a very likely imbalance.

[Jolt]

If you get any good tips for keeping trigger points from coming BACK once released, let me know. I have one (right peroneus brevis) that I thought I had gotten rid of that decided to come back a couple of days ago so now I get to work on it again...not sure if I stopped working on it too soon or what but it's annoying. The weird thing is that before the past couple of months I had NEVER had issues with trigger points (of course, I hadn't had any injuries either and then had a couple at the end of the summer). I don't have them as bad as you do, but have had a few lately.

[yellow]

Do you have any back issues that would affect your hip or gait/muscle imbalance?

Bin-go.

As I learned, just because the doc doesn't find anything wrong with your back doesn't mean it might not be contributing to the problems. If you have insurance that will cover it, consider an MRI. In my case, what I thought was a hip problem turned out to be a back problem. We wouldn't have known if it wasn't for the MRI.

Don't be shy to go back if it doesn't get better with PT (says the woman who avoids going to the doctor and generally tries to just work through stuff)!

[alpinerabbit]

I don't think I'll be willing to pay for an MRI. It would be out of pocket.

[yellow]

I don't blame you; I wouldn't pay for one either. I suspect your PT core work will hit your back, too.

I think your theory about imbalance is probably spot on. One can be very, very strong but if you have a hypermobile joint on one side (or a sticky joint, like your SI), or something tweaky with your back, or whatever, it's easy to get off kilter over time. Hang in there...I know it's frustrating!!!

[alpinerabbit]

I got a photo from the Oly in August this weekend. It shows that I still heel strike. Maybe it would look better if I wasn't tired, but I was beat on that run.

I looked at mommelisa's blog - in her IMAZ race report you can see that she has a nice "footfall" even midway through an IM marathon.

Anways. Paranoia begone - I'll jot down tomorrow what the PT said at our first "date".

[alpinerabbit]

So she's been "attacking" my major triggerpoint in my thigh for now. Hurts, but in a good way. It already seems less.
I think the asymmetrical hip thingie is mostly muscular. I can lay the "tight" leg all the way down, been playing around with that.

Unfortunately, I've been having such a tense back for a week now, like I haven't had in a few years. I'll have to ask her to do something about that first.
I hope I didn't hurt myself overdoing swimming/yoga while not able to do anything else , the muscles on top of my shoulderblades ache. I couldn't find a restful posture to go back to sleep at 2 a.m. in the past two nights, in desperation I dug up the leftovers of some strong painkillers I had in my medicine chest.

[eclectic]

Alpine - glad to hear things are moving along and you are doing what needs to be done.

re the painkillers in the middle of the night - just wait until you are in your 50's that is a nightly occurance well I guess I shouldn't speak for all mid 50 YO's but I know it is for me

[alpinerabbit]

Golly, Eclectic, thanks for *that* piece of info.

sooo... tuesday, PT lady suggested "why don't you go for a run and see how it goes" - nudge, nudge !!

Give me credit, this was after last night's company Xmas party. I had loads of fun dancing, a few drinks and got in past midnight. I rehydrated well in the morning and hit the park for lunch - it was snowy, slushy, puddle-y, so it was slow going and a type of dexterity exercise. 35mins.

Tonight PT lady poked around some more and found that indeed, my tensor fasciae latae is affected too. I was *this* close to ITB syndrome (didn't I know that). Her elbow action left me *speechless* (youch, but good).

Back's ok again but I got frustrated in forward bends at tonight's yoga. With all the props I need I look like a car that's getting a wheel change. And it hurt right where it was so tense last week so I bailed out and just laid there and stretched the back a bit. and to be honest, cried. Must be period time.

[alpinerabbit]

Welcome to the Christmas edition:

So Monday I went to another therapist at the clinic who is also an osteopath, and he popped something in my right ankle, then my back and now I'm a bit scared of him.

Went for a x-mas run and am a bit sore, worked with massage balls on the TFL, butt muscles, back.
I was very good and "earned it" with core work (plank, side planks, one minute each) and the piriformis stretch they tell me to do.
I probably won't get another PT appt. before January 10th or so, so until then it is experimenting time ! (i.e. how much can I take)
Tomorrow the pool is open again. Maybe I'll even do a double tomorrow.

[alpinerabbit]

So since Dec. 24th, I did 5 runs, between 30 and 50+ minutes (that one was interspersed with walking over a total of 1-2 hours).

I massaged and stretched a lot and I stuck with my new year's resolution of earning every single run with a session of core work and stretching - either immediately or separately.
So far I've run "pain free".

Today in the PT session she advised to keep to the ~30-40 mins until the next appt. in 2 weeks. Ok, I'll be good. My body has been teaching me lessons:
As mentioned elsewhere I made up training time with too much swimming (was bored!!) - and ended up hurting my shoulders. So this means a week off, reduced yardage, no more paddles or attempts at fly, and more stretching.

Don't know yet what to do about the back which is still very tight. I'm a glutton for massages by DBF but it's only temporary relief.

[Jolt]

For the back, maybe try sticking a tennis ball between it and a wall and rolling it around?

[alpinerabbit]

Oh, I have these special rubber massage balls to roll around on. I just discovered the sticky yoga mat can double as a roller too. I worked thighs, butt and back and it felt real good (in a painful way).

Now for the rest of my yoga session and then the core work for yesterday's run (still my new year's resolution to do core to"earn" each run)