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
Shamrock marathon March 2016. Burlington full or relay if I can find a partner May 2016. Wine and Dine half Nov. And a tri or two thrown in just for the hell of it.
We all should know these important lessons. But (speaking entirely for myself), injuries are sometimes accompanied by a certain bullheadedness. So thanks for the reminders. Meanwhile, I'm glad that you have adopted a positive attitude, and are starting to see some real healing. Keep applying all your lessons, but especially #3, and we'll look forward to having you back on the roads when you are able. And we'll share your joy when you wait at the finish line for your old running partner!
Jay
Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos.
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 !
You are spot on with your observations. I'm just sorry you had to find out these things first hand. In Oct of last year, I tore all the way through 2 ligaments in my ankle. The first doc I went to wanted me to immediately start on some excercises. Not only did it not make sense, he had the personality of wall paste. So, I went to a sports ortho that specializes in knees and ankles and what a difference. He immediately immobilized me with a boot so the healing could begin. He told me that had I started doing the excercise the other guy wanted me to do, I would not have healed properly and experienced instability in the ankle. The right Doc is critical!
The biggest problem I have these days is that I have good days and bad. When a bad day comes along I have trouble ovecoming my stubborness and bagging the run for the day. I've run through those days a few times and have paid the price by setting myself back a week. I'm getting better about taking an extra day when needed, but that makes me depressed. That's when positive people are invaluable. My DW is not a runner, but she is very incouraging and helps me during down times to remain upbeat by reminding me that my good days will increase and my bad days will decrease as I slog along the long road to recovery.
Thanks again for your post. Soon you'll be able to finish a race, grab a banana and go back to the finish line to wait for your negative friend!!
i'm lovin' it... MM#1949
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
Perch's Profile "I don't know if running adds years to your life, but it definitely adds life to your years." - Jim Fixx "The secret is to make in your mind possible what was not possible before. The secret is to make easy what was difficult, instead to make difficult what really is easy." - Coach Renato Canova
Tammy
Marathon Maniac #957
Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, "Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapenos."
These are all such good and important points. I just regret deeply that you had to go through all this and had to live through each point you make here. As one of the 21 women you recruited for the race benefiting Special Olympics, I could tell how important it was for you to be there and to run it yourself. I met Laurie in December and her leadership is fantastic and the women in her running club run and live better thanks to her.
Come back slowly and heed your own advice. Give me a holler when you are ready to run around the reservoir---I'll be there happily and we'll run some pain-free miles together.
You ARE a runner.
Karin
Leslie Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain -------------
Trail Runner Nation
Sally McCrae-Choose Strong
Bare Performance
King of PhotoShop
CNY, thanks again for running with us. I am happy to see that you are running again too. I cant wait til we can run the res. Go easy on me. I'm slow.
huf and puf, Learn from my mistakes. On those days you cant run try something else. Swim, bike, workout, play music. Fill in with something you love. I am soooo glad I love swimming and can do it with no pain. Dont lengthen your healing by being stuborn.
denise
Live like you are dying not like you are afraid to die.
Drunken Irish Soda Bread and Irish Brown Bread this way --> http://allrecipes.com/cook/4379041/
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
"Champions are everywhere; all you need is to train them properly..." ~Arthur Lydiard