Winter Running Thread

[Catrin]

Graston is awesome, it CAN be too much in the hands of someone less experience! My chiro uses that on me from time to time. All Active Release techniques (tool or hands) can be excruciating but usually only during the application, as you found out. Sounds like you've a good one! There are still a few out there that think it must leave bruising and residual pain/soreness to be effective but that's just not true.

Sounds like the voodoo magic was the perfect followup - hope you continue to feel better!

[OakLeaf]

Nice!!

I've never had Graston done, but I had gua sha once, which is a TCM technique that's supposed to be the inspiration for Graston. Left some crazy marks, but no residual soreness. My experience with a lot of deep tissue work is that the amount of soreness that lingers for more than a day after treatment, really depends on the condition the muscle and fascia were in before. It's not necessarily the oldest stuff, either (that's usually the least painful, because it's so shut off, until it really starts functioning close to normally, when it can hurt). I pretty much always get stippled bruising if I roll my ITBs with a spiky stick, but they're never sore more than a day, even when a bodyworker gets into them super deep. Last week my suboccipitals were crazy tight, and they were sore for four or five days after my LMT released them, which is extremely unusual.

But for sure too, different practitioners have different approaches to a patient's pain tolerance. My chiropractor in Florida seems to have a very keen sense of it - there are newspaper photos on his wall, of him treating an NBA star, and the athlete grimacing. He can take me near my limit, but so far never past it. Then there are patients I overhear, who either have very limited pain tolerance, or are already in so much pain that anything additional is nearly too much, and he's only taking them to their limit. My northern chiropractor, on the other hand - I've never had an LMT who hasn't commented on my pain tolerance, but there were a couple of times when she was into my infraspinati, that I was literally holding back tears. Holey moley. I have a very high opinion of both of their skill, their understanding of fascial relationships and their ability to release adhesions, but they just have a different set of expectations from their patients.

[rocknrollgirl]

Poo.

So I went for more voodoo magic yesterday. Woke up feeling great. Planned on braving the cold and heading to our local trails to try so flat trail running. I seem to be fine on the rail trail, so I thought, why not. My husband went with me and we planned on running the first bit together and him taking off onto the harder trails.

I was fine on the double track, but as soon as we turned off on the single track my glute started barking. The problem area is where the hamstring inserts. The trail was not hilly by any stretch, but not flat like the rail trail. We popped out on the double track after a few miles and hubs went his way and I took the easy way back to the car. By this time I was feeling frustrated and a bit sorry for myself. I KNOW it is silly. Intellectually I know it is ridiculous to be upset and frustrated over running. For heaven's sake I do not have cancer. But emotionally, boo hoo.

So I had to wait about 40 mins for Chris to come back and by that time my blood sugar had dropped and I was not only feeling sorry for myself, but I was down right crotchety. Needless to say there were tears and apologies ( on my part) shortly after we got home. It is hard to go out and watch him have such a great run and I am feeling frustrated. I know that makes me sound awful. I am really not awful....I swear. If and when I try the trails again, 2 cars I will stick to the rail trail for now.

Oh well. Pity Party is over. And onward we trudge.

[OakLeaf]

It's okay to be frustrated! Some people having it worse, doesn't make things any better for you. It stinks being injured, it extra triple stinks being injured and cold and hypoglycemic and getting your abandonment feelings triggered.

Keep healing.

Day off for me. Yesterday the DC was about knuckle deep in my right glute medius, yikes. Didn't really realize how much that was involved in throwing my hip off, all the stuff we've been working on with the QL and the psoas and the obliques, the glutes are in there too. And having him do my adductors, even through tights, was definitely awkward. Made a difference I could tell right away though, looking forward to tomorrow's run.

[Catrin]

Hang in there everyone! Keep healing Rocknrollgirl, it will come, and I think you did great with everything that happened!

Oakleaf hope you have a great day tomorrow, it sounds like the DC found exactly what he needed to find!

[rocknrollgirl]

Thanks everyone for not making me feel like a big baby.

So today is another day. Got up, did 35 mins on the trainer, did all my at home exercises. I even ordered a stability pad to use at home. Lifted, did lots of core, so I am feeling less mopey. The good news is, the discomfort from yesterday did not radiate through my hamstring, it stayed very centralized. I think that is good. Back to PT tomorrow! I will try an easy flat run before I go.

[emily_in_nc]

You are not a big baby at all, RnR. As hard as you've trained, your frustration is completely justified IMO. Glad you're feeling a bit more upbeat and hope the PT goes well tomorrow.

Between one thing and another (including a very sore left shin from a long, hilly walk -- yes, there are hills in Florida, at least in Lake County!), I have not run since sometime last week, and tomorrow looks like a perfect day for a ride, so Tuesday it is likely to be.