November 16, 2012

Still on the Sidelines...

This post was written by Andrea...

I hate injuries. Especially the ones that put me on the sidelines for 3 months... with no end in sight. Without having a specific diagnosis, it's really hard to know how to treat my current issues. The short rundown is that my right iliopsoas and glutes are irritated constantly and sometimes my distal hamstring and IT band hurt.

-I've had two MRIs and two X-Rays.
-I've seen three physical therapists, two massage therapists, and one orthopedic surgeon.
-I've tried no running, only cross training, minimal running, backwards running, pool running, walking, yoga, strength training, and strengthening exercises. 
-I've taken two regimens of oral steroids and had an nerve-block injection into my back. 
-I now own an E-Stim machine, inversion table, and all kinds of rolling devices.

The living room is a PT clinic
You would think that something would work or give me a better indication for how to make some progress. Maybe I'm just not doing all the different combinations in the right order. I don't know, but it's very frustrating! This is definitely the longest I have ever been out of running. And its not just the lack of running that makes this injury a bummer - I can't do most "fun" things that I can think of - hiking, backpacking, skiing, cycling, walking, rollerblading, etc. 

I know it's not the end of the world. It's merely an injury, not some life-threatening disease or anything (I hope, at least! Luckily I didn't get meningitis from the spinal injection.).

I am super thankful that I have a great life with awesome friends and family. I just wish I could do something with them besides eat! :) 

Hopefully, there will be a light at the end of the tunnel soon...

6 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry!! I can totally relate! I had similar issues, and it was an awesome sports chiropractor who finally got me running again. He used ART, graston, and dry needling. Just a thought, if you haven't tried that yet...

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  2. I'm getting over an injury at the moment too--one that, like yours, wasn't ever specifically diagnosed. I felt like I had to comment based on athletic chick's comment above. It wasn't until I saw a sports chiropractor that I began to feel better and could finally start running again! I go about twice a week, with hopes of decreasing that down to once a week, then every two weeks, and so on once my body begins to "stick" aka stay in alignment for a longer period of time. I went from not running at all to running my usual frequency pretty much overnight after visiting this guy. Highly recommend it if you haven't tried it already.

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  3. Thanks! I have been to a sports chiropractor but he didn't help much. Probably just not the right guy for me...too bad your chiro isn't here in Utah or I would go to them! I'll have to look into this a little more and try to find one that works!

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  4. Andrea - I'm a Houston triathlete, and I really feel for you, having gone thru this recently myself. I'm glad to give you my doc's contact info, if you want to email him and ask his thoughts. I told him about you, and he said he's glad to help if he can. Feel free to email me (argonne99@hotmail.com), if you want his info. And if you'd rather stick to local practitioners, no worries, just ignore the message. :)

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  5. I wish I had the miracle doctors at my finger tips and all of the names in the world to give you. It is the most frustrating feeling not having tangible results for something we can't control. With my stress fracture, I even went to the most ' renowned' sports ortho in Boston who worked with runners and ballet dancers and he honestly had be balance on one leg and then told me to take another 8 weeks off. Thanks buddy. I know there are miracle workers out there, I am wishing this clears up or you can get some answers soon.

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  6. Athletic Chick - I'll email you, thank!

    Pearson - I had a similar experience with a Dr. in Arizona where all the elites go...granted I only had one visit with him, but his treatment made me hurt for a week and did not help at all.

    I'm so glad that you're healthy again...marathon in 2 weeks!! The only problem with the timing is avoiding the 5lb Thanksgiving weight gain! BTW, when are you moving to Utah?! :)

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