When I see the folks at Valley, this is an option, depending on what they see on ultrasound:
I don't yet know how I feel about this particular therapy, because it hasn't been explained to me in any kind of detail, but I'd be willing to give it a shot if it doesn't break the bank and heals the tendinosis.
7.29.2011
7.28.2011
The six-month mark of my injury is just around the corner, and I don't know that I'm any better for any of the various therapies that I've undergone since May 25th. Perhaps I've been kidding myself through recent posts about progress (and thanks for reading and understanding the ups and downs). No doubt, I've been encouraged off and on, but overall, I feel that I'm not even close to being healed.
I've logged thousands of miles over the course of the past decade and never have I been so frustrated with my running. This is even more frustrating than when I was trying to get to the bottom of the injury to my left foot from Spring 2005 to Fall 2007. At least, then, I could run some appreciable amount. Now, I can't do much of anything. I feel like a 70-year old man. When I'm out "running" for only a few minutes at a time, it feels so foreign, like I'm learning how to do it all over again. Something's just not right.
I've been seeing Gene Zeitler, a chiropractor out of Newtown, since June 13th. He has referred me to Paul Tortland, an osteopathic physician, out of Avon. Unfortunately, he is booked until October, so I will be seeing one of his colleagues on August 10th. It's my understanding that he will use diagnostic ultrasound to get a better idea of what's going on with my leg. And it's also my understanding that he may recommend and perform Prolotherapy, which is some kind of injection to promote healing of tendons and ligaments. Zeitler has told me, though, that Prolotherapy sessions run about $800 a pop, so that's out if my medical insurance doesn't cover it.
I've logged thousands of miles over the course of the past decade and never have I been so frustrated with my running. This is even more frustrating than when I was trying to get to the bottom of the injury to my left foot from Spring 2005 to Fall 2007. At least, then, I could run some appreciable amount. Now, I can't do much of anything. I feel like a 70-year old man. When I'm out "running" for only a few minutes at a time, it feels so foreign, like I'm learning how to do it all over again. Something's just not right.
I've been seeing Gene Zeitler, a chiropractor out of Newtown, since June 13th. He has referred me to Paul Tortland, an osteopathic physician, out of Avon. Unfortunately, he is booked until October, so I will be seeing one of his colleagues on August 10th. It's my understanding that he will use diagnostic ultrasound to get a better idea of what's going on with my leg. And it's also my understanding that he may recommend and perform Prolotherapy, which is some kind of injection to promote healing of tendons and ligaments. Zeitler has told me, though, that Prolotherapy sessions run about $800 a pop, so that's out if my medical insurance doesn't cover it.
7.25.2011
Chiro Decides to Change Approach After Watching Me Run in Parking Lot
The chiro decided to move away from the leg/knee and focus on my right hip, which, according to him, is not firing AT ALL and likely the cause of my leg injury. He was able to conclude this by watching me run and seeing that my right knee rotates inward excessively. This is a tell-tale sign of a weak hip.
He first had me run in shoes and then barefoot in the parking lot of the office. He didn't hold anything back when analyzing my stride. His criticisms were as follows: 1) my stride length is pathetic (but that if I work on it, I could be a lot faster); 2) my stride is too tense (i.e., I need to relax); 3) my stride looks like that of a marching soldier. He talked about the importance of running drills like high knees, etc., to get the heels kicking up to the butt.
He said that I need to strengthen my right hip by doing lunges and hopping on one foot while keeping the hips aligned. The only way to know whether the hips are aligned while doing these exercises, though, is to do them sans shirt in front of a full-length mirror. I guess this means that I need to invest in a full-length mirror. He also said that, eventually, he wants me to do a lot more multi-directional excercises, like running trails, to develop the hips (that whole group of muscles). I guess my days of running on cambered pavement are just about over, with which I'm fine. It just makes the mountains of Bozeman that much more appealing.
He first had me run in shoes and then barefoot in the parking lot of the office. He didn't hold anything back when analyzing my stride. His criticisms were as follows: 1) my stride length is pathetic (but that if I work on it, I could be a lot faster); 2) my stride is too tense (i.e., I need to relax); 3) my stride looks like that of a marching soldier. He talked about the importance of running drills like high knees, etc., to get the heels kicking up to the butt.
He said that I need to strengthen my right hip by doing lunges and hopping on one foot while keeping the hips aligned. The only way to know whether the hips are aligned while doing these exercises, though, is to do them sans shirt in front of a full-length mirror. I guess this means that I need to invest in a full-length mirror. He also said that, eventually, he wants me to do a lot more multi-directional excercises, like running trails, to develop the hips (that whole group of muscles). I guess my days of running on cambered pavement are just about over, with which I'm fine. It just makes the mountains of Bozeman that much more appealing.
7.20.2011
Back in Connecticut After a Week in the Mountains of Montana (and Wyoming)
I have nothing meaningful to report other than that I'm still injured and now seemingly puttering around Stony Creek and Guilford Town Green for a pathetic 6 minutes at a time. I don't know that I'd go as far as to call this progress, but it is nice to be moving on my two feet with purpose again.
Also, we're back from Montana, where we spent a week in various locations (Missoula, Bozeman, and Cooke City). We ventured into various National Parks and Forests (the Forests are so much nicer than the Parks, in my opinion) and took 3,762 pictures (i.e., a lot but likely not that many), all of which can be seen on Facebook. It'd be well worth your time to take a peak.
Highlights of trip:
1. Being in bear country (knowing that Grizzlies are lurking out there somewhere is pretty thrilling); the folks of Cooke City (pop. 133) were rather alarmist about the Grizzlies (perhaps because of the recent Grizzly-related deaths so close to home...)
2. Bozeman
3. Several mile and vertical feet hike (pain-free) in Gallatin National Forest; iced in the creek at the top
4. Swimming the crystal clear waters from the pebble beaches of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park
5. Beartooth Pass
6. Yellowstone National Park (not really a highlight, but feel need to mention; not at all what it's cracked up to be; touristy); lots of Buffalo, Mule Deer, Black Bears, etc.; not too exciting
Also, we're back from Montana, where we spent a week in various locations (Missoula, Bozeman, and Cooke City). We ventured into various National Parks and Forests (the Forests are so much nicer than the Parks, in my opinion) and took 3,762 pictures (i.e., a lot but likely not that many), all of which can be seen on Facebook. It'd be well worth your time to take a peak.
Highlights of trip:
1. Being in bear country (knowing that Grizzlies are lurking out there somewhere is pretty thrilling); the folks of Cooke City (pop. 133) were rather alarmist about the Grizzlies (perhaps because of the recent Grizzly-related deaths so close to home...)
2. Bozeman
3. Several mile and vertical feet hike (pain-free) in Gallatin National Forest; iced in the creek at the top
4. Swimming the crystal clear waters from the pebble beaches of Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park
5. Beartooth Pass
6. Yellowstone National Park (not really a highlight, but feel need to mention; not at all what it's cracked up to be; touristy); lots of Buffalo, Mule Deer, Black Bears, etc.; not too exciting
7.06.2011
Update on injury
Zeitler cleared me to start doing some running again (well, walk-running for 10 minutes at a time) after I reported to him today that over the past 4 or 5 days I've been feeling some improvement in my injury. It took 6 visits over about 3 weeks for the treatments to start bearing fruit (today was my 7th visit). I guess that's pretty good considering that it takes 8 to 16 weeks to turnover the damaged tissue and, in worst case scenarios, 8 to 16 MONTHS to return back to running from tendinosis. He also has emphasized that, in some cases, tendinosis is career-ending...especially of the high hamstring (which I don't have). However, I'm not worried that this might be the case here, though. Anyway, all of this makes me pretty happy and hopeful that I'll be back in action in relatively short order. In the meantime, I'll continue to bike, water run, etc.
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