Thursday, June 5, 2014

A step in the right direction

I've been so frustrated with this cankle issue. 5 weeks ago it came out of nowhere just like it did 2 weeks before the 2012 Fox Valley Marathon. The main difference between this time and last time is i've pretty much stopped running since it happened, save for the first week when I was in NYC and HAD to run in Central Park. The result (not surprising): It has significantly improved and I feel very little discomfort in my cankle.

But it's still present.

I'm giving it all the TLC I possibly can to ensure it goes away fast. It is killing me that I cannot go run right now- specially with the great weather we've been having. I'm so bummed about this cankle thing. Some days I feel the way CB looks below- and I'm all "I MIGHT BE ABLE TO START RUNNING AGAIN" and then the next day the cankle is cranky and then I feel so bummed about the situation because it has been 5 weeks and while it's better, I don't feel comfortable running on it again. I'd hate to aggravate it more and set myself back.
I went to Athletico for an injury screening about my cankle. I hit some sort of breaking point this week and made the appointment not because of the cankle, but because i'm sick of this continual cycle of injuries i'm in. I love running, I love getting faster and improving and I feel like each time I take 2 steps forward, I end up taking 1.85 steps back.

My legs were poked, twisted, and tested for strength and movement. Surprisingly, my hips are strong, have little to no imbalance issues on my legs, and have good range of motion- although the right (problem child) leg has a little less range of movement than the left probably due to the tendon issue.

The likely diagnosis was tendinitis of the peroneal tendons. I was told they seem tight, although I still have decent range of motion. My right hip is also more forward than my left I've got some exercises to do to help fix the hip issue. The calf also could be the root of my issues. But it's so difficult to know for sure.

I never considered PT or ART before, but lately i've been thinking how what I have done in the past (nothing) hasn't changed the fact my right lower leg consistently has issues. This past week I was debating whether or not I would give up going after any serious running goals so I could (eventually) continue to just run and simply enjoy it. Consistency over time is the only real way to have big gains- being injured just doesn't fit into the improve at running equation. I came to the conclusion that doing something should yield better results than my usual "do nothing" and I need to give that "something" a try.
My next steps are to get a referral from my doctor, get a gait analysis and start some PT on whatever is wonky. In the meantime, I'm going to continue cycling and start swimming laps in the very near future.

I'm excited to set this all in motion and hopefully fix my janky right leg.

I hope this will be a step in the right direction.



-Xaar

12 comments:

  1. I hope it gets better soon! Do you find it more of an issue after wearing dress shoes? I hear flats are to be the worst for your feet/legs, but that is all I wear.

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    1. Thanks! :) I actually thought about that recently and switched my commuting flats to some shoes with more stability. The flats are awful for feet and seem to magnify my issues a lot.

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  2. injuries are so frustrating! I feel your pain, the last year was so tough I never dreamed it would have taken me so long to feel good running again. I hope you get it all figured out and back to running soon!

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  3. Shit girl. I'm so frustrated for you, but I'm really glad you're getting help or at least discovering what your options are... and I'm mega impressed (and majorly respect you, well, more, anyway!) that you're pursuing the biking/swimming stuff in the interim. I can't speak for ART experiences, but I'm pretty sure Corey and Declan have had them in the past 12 months, so maybe they'd be worth talkin to about it. Anyway :P thinking good and healthy vibes for you, and I absolutely agree that your approach--thinking long-term consistency instead of short-term "gains"--is absolutely the way to go. Hang in there, babe! xo

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  4. Glad to hear your getting some help with the cankle!. I'm in PT right now for mine. Just knowing that I am being proactive about my ankle issue makes it feel better. I am also liking the strengthening exercises which are helping with my leg imbalances. I hear you when you talk about consistency being important. I have to work on that myself. Instead of going from 10 miles per week to 50 the following week, maybe I should do 10, 15, 25, 30 and camp out at 30 for awhile, and just be happy with being injury-free! Good luck. :)

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  5. I am happy you are giving "something" a try! I know a lot of people who have had success with PT and ART and that might get you back on track! :)

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  6. I know your frustrated, but it seems like you're slowly making steps forward. PT really helped my injury, hopefully it does the same for you!

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  7. Sorry to hear this is still an issue. Bummer.

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  8. I can totally relate to the "just rest" attitude towards aches, pains and injuries. That's what I've always done, and I've always felt that if I'm already resting, why go to a PT/doctor, who is just going to tell me to rest?? However, this time around, resting didn't work, and I was surprised that when I did go to the PT for the screening, I seemed to have lucked out, and the diagnosis and suggested treatment was not scary and was not "don't run." So now I feel like I was silly for waiting for long to go. Anyway, I'm glad you got it checked out and it sounds like it's possible to fix/improve things so you can go after your goals!

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  9. I hope you can get some answers soon. And I just wanted to say that you seem to be handling this set back very well. I know it can be hard to take time off and not run but it's probably the best choice! I imagine it's probably very frustrating not knowing what is causing the injury too!

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  10. I am glad that you've been swimming and cycling, and that you went to Athletico. I've found that the cross-training really does help out a lot with my aches and pains, and I had a good experience with Athletic when I worked with them in the past. PT in general has worked wonders for me, so I am very optimistic for you. I've never tried ART but have also heard good things about it. I continue to wish you a speedy recovery, as always!

    It was so, so good to see you on the course this past Saturday. Can't wait to brunch with you next weekend!

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  11. Injuries suck, but I am glad to hear you are still getting out there with the bike...maybe your ankle just needs a little break...xo

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