Lesson 1. Do NOT stretch an injured muscle! My PTist started me on stretching toooooo early. What happened....more injury and pain. If the muscle is torn or pulled its injured so stretching is just making the injury worse. Let some healing take  place and then start GENTLE stretching.

 

Lesson 2. Stop running and rest! I didnt. Big mistake. I had 2 races and 1 group fun run planned. So I kept running and training for the race long after I should have stopped. Let me tell you, 7 months after the injury I am still sitting here on a heating pad wishing I cancelled those runs. But they were important to me at the time. I had recruited 21 women to run a race for special olympics and I was going to be there with them no matter what. Now I know I should have been there on the side lines shouting encouragements.

 

Lesson 3. Dont be in a hurry to heal. I said in my newbies thread that I was going to heal in record time. So I worked hard at what they gave me in physical therapy. I did more of it on my own thinking I was doing my body good. What i did was lengthen the healling time. Reiki therapists usually dont treat injuries because the body was meant to heal in its own time and Reiki could cause it to heal faster and incorrectly. Let your body heal in its own time.

 

Lesson 4. Find the right doctor. I wasted months with my orthopedic surgeon waiting for appts, getting MRI and xrays done only to find out he was a shoulder and arm guy and I had a leg injury. Then I got a recommendation for a sports ortho guy who knew his stuff. Recommendations are the way to go.

 

 Lesson 5. Dont listen to negative people! My former running partner told me twice that I was not cut out to be a runner. Hence the reason why I could still swim and workout but not run. After a few months of non healing I was starting to believe her. But then I wised up and took the negative people out of my life. When you are injured and not running surround yourself with possitive people. Dont let the negative people change your way of thinking.

 

Lesson 6. Heat or ice? Do what feels best. Use what takes you out of your pain. Heat works for me. Ice just stiffens up the leg and causes more pain. Heat relaxes the muscle and takes the pain away. If it hurts dont do it. If it takes your pain away then stick with that.

 

 A little long winded but its important stuff. Not running for 7 months has affected my life in many ways. If I could prevent other runners from going through this then its worth the long post. Thanks for listening.

 

Oh and 7 months after stopping running I am finally starting to heal. The last two weeks has been my first without constant pain. My swims are getting stronger and longer and I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I AM cut out to be a runner and I will prove it to her by waiting for her at the finish line of a race, if you know what I mean.

 

Laurie

Laurie,

 

Way to hang in there !!!!!!

 

The very fact that not running has affected your life is proof positive that you ARE cut out to be a runner !

Laurie,

Those are EXCELLENT guidelines!  I can relate with each one.  That ice vs heat is a tricky one. Heat got me through my last injury to calm the nerve and muscle spasms that caused the pain. Immobilization and healing time are critical for some injuries.  Everyone is an experiement of one, but you have captured great guidelines! 

Sometimes it's hard to recognize or accept the "first signs of injury" but if you do, and shut down following the steps Laurie listed, recovery will be faster.  But then again some dings just go away on their own...  It's hard to decide.

 

I'd add: Know your limitations.  These are often overuse injuries.  By logging and reviewing your running history you may be able to identify conditions that lead to injury and back off before they happen.  As an example, for me it's not high mileage but high mileage at a faster than normal weekly pace that leads to trouble.

 

Steve

Excellent points!

Thank you, Laurie.  All excellent points that we have a tendency to stuff into the deep recesses of our minds.  I am happy to hear that you're healing well.

Thank you so much for sharing your hard-earned lessons with us.

Hi Laurie -- thanks for the important insight..........continue to heal on your time - hopefully we will meet up at a race one of these days!

This, my dearest one, is printed and will be kept in the center of my running journal. Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to share your lessons learned.

 

I wish you  smiles in your face and your heart as you await your first mile. Please let me know when that happens, I want to run a cyberspace mile with you on your first outing post injury.

 

You are a gem!!

 

Nancy