So this week I let a complete stranger put an injection of cortisone in my ITB, right near the outside of my knee. In fact not just 1 but 3 needles...
Well OK he wasn't a complete stranger, I've already let Dr.Andrew Smith inject Traumeel into my calf muscle and that's what helped me get to New Zealand in a 'competable' state; but still...I wasn't really banking on letting him put another needle near to my leg anytime soon!
The first 2 days of my week was spent realising that I was going to have a week of not only not running, but not riding either! I needed to go crazy fitting stuff in right (yeah I know it is supposed to be for the better good!)?! Mmmm well after a Monday morning criterion session I got told off by my physio for pushing things a little too far...yeah OK Leon, I hear ya, but I didn't get to the start line in New Zealand by totally listening to everything you said... ;-)
So with the agreed approach being to finally bite the bullet and see if a cortisone injection would calm down my inflamed ITB, I headed off to do the deed Tuesday morning. Following it up with an afternoon of standing up and massaging probably wasn't the best idea, but I left the surgery pretty positive, being told that I could get back on the bike for an 'easy' ride Saturday if my leg was feeling OK.
Yippeeee!
Well it is now Sunday evening and I haven't been back on the bike. I have had one swim with a pull buoy, lots of aching leg syndrome, a little frustration, and 4..count them..4 migraine headaches! What the?! There is a little stress in my life at the moment, but not to the extent to cause that! I have missed 2 days at work, suffered tunnel vision, pounding eyes and head, nausea, and finally today my body decided to vomit too. So strange has it been that I've even Googled whether there is a correlation with the Cortisone....check this out: Cortisone
So what is the next bit?! I was hoping 'One step forward two back' wasn't a saying that was going to be applying to me right now, but that's what it feels like. I am tentatively heading out to play on the bike tomorrow morning...just for a short easy ride you understand, and dearly dearly hoping that a new day doesn't bring another migraine. The desired effect of the cortisone injection has temporarily been forgotten (albeit a nagging little ache still present in my knee!), but hopefully it'll be the thing to concentrate on again for the new week!
Wish me luck!
f
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Showing posts with label injury. Show all posts
Showing posts with label injury. Show all posts
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Shortest Marathon Campaign in History!
So I guess that I have been harbouring a little secret... Since signing up for IM over 8 weeks ago, I haven't run one step...
Now you may be thinking, hang on a minute aren't you supposed to be doing Ironman? Isn't that a marathon run at the end of the swim and bike? Well, yep to both of those. I have 2 new pairs of trainers ready and waiting to be broken in; some racing flats all primed for March 6th; routes worked out; a nutrition plan to avoid the awful cramps I experienced in the 1/2 IM; keenness to prove my ability in a marathon; and legs that want to get stuck in...oops hang on, no that last point might not be quite true.
So the week of signing up to Ironman, I had a 'not so good' feeling in my left calf. Having experienced shin splints before, it seemed that I might be suffering the same again. Being proactive and knowing that I needed to keep on top of any niggles, I booked in with the physio for assessment. At the initial appointment I nearly jumped off the bed when he touched the sore area, and the consensus was shin splints. Treatment? No running, light massage, compression.
So for the past 6 weeks I have been going around with a compression sock on (and it's not 34 degrees!). Only a 30% improvement - I now don't jump off the bed. So I was told in no uncertain terms to get an MRI scan before further treatment could be done because it could be a stress fracture. So I did.
And it's not a stress fracture - Yipeeeeeee!
It was however short lived elation. I went into my physio appointment yesterday with my trainers thinking that a 'muscle tear' would mean that my now 7 weeks of no running would have me doing some running by next week. Mmmmm, I got laughed at.
As it happens, it is a fascial tear deep in the left calf between two muscles, that is 2cm long and 1cm deep. My physio has never seen it in a calf before, and one of his colleagues only once. Excellent. And recovery time......16 - 24 weeks. And the advice....absolutely NO running, No long walking, No fin work in the pool, NO hills on the bike, No rides longer than 4 hours, Compression Compression, Compression.
So taking the middle ground of 20 weeks would take me exactly to race day. Cool, skip the run training, go straight to taper and race day! So I have 12 weeks to be running again - nope actually make that 9 to be marathon ready cause then it's taper.
Best case scenario from the physio of 16 weeks, I get 1 week of training, 3 weeks taper. Worst case scenario and I'm 4 weeks past race day. Right!
And now the realities? That the prognosis isn't too good. That what was my racing strength may become my Achilles heel. That I have paid my money and I will be there. That I will be cycling, water running and swimming. That I will make the concession of no fin work and limited 'big' hills.......promise! And if you see me in those silly compression socks please do not laugh...or at least laugh with me :-)
Now you may be thinking, hang on a minute aren't you supposed to be doing Ironman? Isn't that a marathon run at the end of the swim and bike? Well, yep to both of those. I have 2 new pairs of trainers ready and waiting to be broken in; some racing flats all primed for March 6th; routes worked out; a nutrition plan to avoid the awful cramps I experienced in the 1/2 IM; keenness to prove my ability in a marathon; and legs that want to get stuck in...oops hang on, no that last point might not be quite true.
So the week of signing up to Ironman, I had a 'not so good' feeling in my left calf. Having experienced shin splints before, it seemed that I might be suffering the same again. Being proactive and knowing that I needed to keep on top of any niggles, I booked in with the physio for assessment. At the initial appointment I nearly jumped off the bed when he touched the sore area, and the consensus was shin splints. Treatment? No running, light massage, compression.
So for the past 6 weeks I have been going around with a compression sock on (and it's not 34 degrees!). Only a 30% improvement - I now don't jump off the bed. So I was told in no uncertain terms to get an MRI scan before further treatment could be done because it could be a stress fracture. So I did.
And it's not a stress fracture - Yipeeeeeee!
It was however short lived elation. I went into my physio appointment yesterday with my trainers thinking that a 'muscle tear' would mean that my now 7 weeks of no running would have me doing some running by next week. Mmmmm, I got laughed at.
As it happens, it is a fascial tear deep in the left calf between two muscles, that is 2cm long and 1cm deep. My physio has never seen it in a calf before, and one of his colleagues only once. Excellent. And recovery time......16 - 24 weeks. And the advice....absolutely NO running, No long walking, No fin work in the pool, NO hills on the bike, No rides longer than 4 hours, Compression Compression, Compression.
So taking the middle ground of 20 weeks would take me exactly to race day. Cool, skip the run training, go straight to taper and race day! So I have 12 weeks to be running again - nope actually make that 9 to be marathon ready cause then it's taper.
Best case scenario from the physio of 16 weeks, I get 1 week of training, 3 weeks taper. Worst case scenario and I'm 4 weeks past race day. Right!
And now the realities? That the prognosis isn't too good. That what was my racing strength may become my Achilles heel. That I have paid my money and I will be there. That I will be cycling, water running and swimming. That I will make the concession of no fin work and limited 'big' hills.......promise! And if you see me in those silly compression socks please do not laugh...or at least laugh with me :-)
Faye
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