I thought that it would be useful for others joining us on the bench to have a detailed rundown of our injuries. Then people can browse this thread and see how others in similar situations have coped and hopefully overcome injury to return to running. I'll post a list of spotlight questions here that you can just copy and paste into the reply box. We can modify and update the details as they become relevant and fill in any spaces that we haven't been able to answer yet. Injury Spotlight Questions 1.) Where is the injury? 2.) How did it start? 3.) Is it a new injury or a re-ocurring one? 4.) What are your symptoms and how does the pain manifest? 5.) Do you have an official diagnosis from a trained professional? If so what is it? 6.) Is it preventing you from running? 7.) What treatments have you received if any? 8.) What have you tried yourself to resolve this ? (orthotics, new shoes, strapping, running on grass etc.) 9.) What have you done to cross train and maintain fitness? 10) What is the prognosis for treatment strategies and returning to running? 11) Any tips for someone having a similar problem? 12) What do you think caused your injury? 13) Any issues with returning to running? 14) Now you are better - what was your total recovery time to the point of returning to running properly?

This post was a mistake...I don't know what happened

1.) Where is the injury? My extreme lower back. I can even claim it's my rear end. 2.) How did it start? No idea. One day in December, just out of the blue I started getting sciatica during a long run. I think the sciatica is gone, but replaced with piriformis syndrome. This is a self diagnosis, as no one knows what's wrong with me. 3.) Is it a new injury or a re-ocurring one? new 4.) What are your symptoms and how does the pain manifest? My piriformis (both sides, closest to the spine) hurts pretty much constantly. Hurts when I'm sitting down, when I'ms standing, when I'm lying in my bed. It's not unbearable, but enough to know if I run, it'll get a lot worse. 5.) Do you have an official diagnosis from a trained professional? If so what is it? No one knows what it is. It was sciatica, but my doctor thinks it might be a muscle strain. 6.) Is it preventing you from running? I was told my by physical therapists to stop running for a while. I probably shouldn't be running right now but since I'm not under anyone's watch, I started running a little again. As I see it, I can either get better, or get a lot worse, in which case I can seek medical care again. 7.) What treatments have you received if any? deep muscle massage, stretching, heating, icing, ultrasound therapy, strengthening, ibuprofen 8.) What have you tried yourself to resolve this ? (orthotics, new shoes, strapping, running on grass etc.) stretching, icing, heating, sitting on a towel folded into a triangle, sitting on a tennis ball, strengthening 9.) What have you done to cross train and maintain fitness? I tried, but nothing gets my heart rate up high enough to be effective. Did stationary bike and elliptical. 10) What is the prognosis for treatment strategies and returning to running? I'm in limbo right now, hoping that it'll go away eventually. 11) Any tips for someone having a similar problem? Nope. Don't wish it on anyone. 12) What do you think caused your injury? Too much running? 13) Any issues with returning to running? Yes, it hurts for a mile or so until I'm fully warmed up. Even then I can only run slowly. Any kind of strain will make it worse. 14) Now you are better - what was your total recovery time to the point of returning to running properly? I am?