This has been a busy week and so very confusing at times. Of course if you read my last post, you will know that I have a new grand baby. A grand baby that I have not seen in a few days due to the fact that I am home with a pretty bad cold. Certainly would not want to get her sick. And nothing confusing about that….:)
But what is confusing….Why am I still injured? Why is this taking so long to heal? Technically this injury has been going on for some time, but I am using the first of March as my time frame for when it happened. That is when it finally forced me to stop running. I have actually had tightness in the ITB for over the past year, but I could stretch it out (well stretch the muscles around it anyway) and loosen things up to where I could actually run. Even though the pain has subsided quite a bit, there is still tightness around the ITB and at times I have pain in the lower hamstrings and upper calves. I still believe it has to do with some former weaknesses and something that I am doing every day such as how I sit, walk, stand…drive…:) everything….
The other thing that is confusing is that I am not sure which treatments are working and which aren’t. I think I may have mentioned that before…several times. So, recently I have just been seeing the chiropractor, and I do feel like things are starting to get better. I just never knew that it could take so long for soft tissue to heal or that muscle and ligament tightness could be so stubborn. Hopefully, my chiropractor will eventually get me back to running.
Speaking of which, he did say that I should go out for an easy run and see how things feel. Hmmmm….if I still have pain with walking at times, should I really go for a run? I am so confused right now that I am not even sure what I should do, or which shoes to even run in? Maybe its not confusion, but paranoia. I do want to run, but I don’t want to set myself back either. Of course, he did say to stop with any discomfort at all. I am not sure that I am ready…..
Because….with everything else that is going on, I started having this thickness or swelling at the ball of my foot (the same leg with the ITB syndrome) with burning at the base of the middle and third toes. Maybe I should just hang it up!!! Geeeezzzz…..WTH! On a side note, I did ask the chiropractor if it would be best to just take me out back and put me out of my misery. He said he didn’t think that was covered by insurance. Ha! So, I started wearing metatarsal pads in my shoes. I have never even heard of them until recently, but I have to say they felt really good. This foot problem does come and go, but what is causing it? What…What…What!! Metatarsalgia ? Morton’s Neuroma? I read that a tight shoe box can contribute to this problem. Recently, I have felt like almost any running shoe that I buy has more of a narrow shoe box except for my Altras. I love them, but I have never run in them before. I usually run in Saucony with a 4- 8 cm heel to toe drop. I am not sure I should go to a zero…..another post maybe.
Anyway, I guess this is another running related issue that has been coming on for a while. I do remember times on long runs when my toes (this particular foot) would actually go numb towards the end of my run. Apparently, these metatarsal pads help to realign your toes. I think I need a whole realignment of my body! 
Speaking of which, my posture does need some work. Duh! ha ha I literally am starting from the very basics trying to fix all these issues that may be contributing to my running injuries. What I have learned is that they can stem from so many areas, posture being one of them. Recently, I started paying more attention to my posture. What I realized was that I am a very tense person…I mean literally. I hunch my shoulders literally all day. Every time I check in with myself, I have my shoulders drawn up. I was walking through the store with my daughter and noticed that my shoulders, chest and arms were very tense. I think this comes from constantly feeling like I am cold, so I tense up trying to generate heat. I even drive slightly slumped over my steering wheel. My Mother says that I have done this as long as she can remember. Yikes! My Mother by the way, has the most perfect posture of anybody I know! She is 85! Anyway, I would think that because I tense up so much now, that Jay Dicharry (if you remember from previous posts, I am following his book Running Rewired to hopefully correct some of my running issues) would say that I have rewired my brain to constantly be in this state.
I don’t know, but what he does say for sure is “sitting and slumping for hours on end tightens the muscles around the front of the hips and pulls the shoulders forward…..this becomes the new normal as you stand, walk, and run”. No doubt that this is a contributing factor to all that is going on. So, I have incorporated some exercises from his book to improve my posture. My most favorite one is the overhead carry where you lift a 45 lb bar and walk for 45 seconds. This exercise is suppose to “put your shoulder blades back where they belong”. (Running Rewired)
Even in the photo, I can see how uneven my shoulders are and still a bit forward. I’ll get there!!
In the directions on how to properly perform this exercise, Dicharry says to “focus on keeping your rib cage dropped down slightly in front to avoid arching your low back.” I just don’t know what that means to drop your rib cage. So, of course I consulted youtube. And I found this video of how to do this. It affirmed that I have some significant tightness in my chest and shoulders. Watch the video for more details, but I couldn’t put my forearms flat on the wall without arching and pushing my ribs out. Wow! So much to work on! This video did answer my question! With all I need to work on, I’m not sure when I will ever have time to run!!
https://youtu.be/Utm4RTkvzvw
The above exercises was more about the “posture fix”. After doing them for a couple of days, I did the posture test from Running Rewired. Obviously I need more time….
And my weight was at the rearfoot. I am not surprised. Most of the exercises from the book for “wiring posture” will require me to go to the gym because I do not have a suspension trainer at home. I hope to start these next week.
The reality is that I can’t have poor posture all throughout the day and expect to have good running form. I believe part of my injuries have to do with this very concept. I try to have good posture throughout the day, but just like those last few miles of the marathon, your posture and running form suffer as you get tired. Same thing happens to me during a 12 hour shift. I just get so tired and all of my efforts go out the window. It is a constant battle.
Paying attention to every detail is a constant battle also and all of what I am doing seems like a lot. But, if you just flip through my numerous blog posts, you will find a lot of post on injury. Too many! That is why I think paying attention to all of these details is important. And I hope I will be posting more about my runs than my injuries in the future!
On a more positive note, we finally got some sunshine in Alaska and temperatures went to the mid 60s! Heat wave! Beautiful!
Happy Running!
I don’t want to be the armchair quarterback here, but do you have access to a trainer who specializes in corrective exercise? Since you keep getting injured on one side, it sounds like an imbalance or weakness. Most of us are weaker on one side. When I kept getting injuries, I saw a coach who analyzed my gait and worked on strengthening my left hip and my glutes. It made a huge difference in my running and is why I continue to do strength training. Just my 2 cents…but since you haven’t really gotten any answers, it might be worth pursuing!
I think you are right, something worth looking into! Thanks for the feedback, I really do appreciate it!