a little improvement

So, I had my midway progress appointment with my doctor on Monday (12/13).  My personal analysis prior to the appointment was:
1) my lower back had improved, but was still tender and sore at times especially upon waking
2) my upper back felt worse than when I began
3) I was managing my calf discomfort and the knots/adhesions seem to have gotten smaller from using my foam roller daily and getting the muscle work done during appointments.
Overall) I feel like I had plateaued and was not improving anymore.

He took a thermography scan of my back.  What this means is he basically ran this instrument from my buttocks up my spine to the top of my neck.  The machine senses heat in the areas along my spine, the purpose being to identify muscles that are emitting heat from irritation.  The results showed far less irritation in both the upper and lower back, although my neck still had some inflammation.

Wednesday I had another appointment.  I was feeling as though I had made slight improvements since Monday.  Much to my surprise, my doctor stated he really liked how I was aligned even though I may not feel the improvement yet.  He did a few extra adjustments to try and alleviate my upper back stiffness.  It seems to have helped.

Also, I was the first patient to experience the deep muscle stimulator.  He used it on my calf on the scar tissue buildup previously diagnosed.  I'll have to pay attention to see if it works.

I am feeling even better today.

Dec 6 - Dec 12

Mon: 4 miles
Tue: off
Wed: 4 miles
Thu: off
Fri: 4 miles
Sat: off
Sun: 5.77 miles

Total: 17.77 miles

That is the most miles I have run in a week since I have been seeing my doctor.  Too bad that my back, both upper and lower, hurt like hell most of the week.  All the miles were easy miles.

I'm still in a sensitive state when it comes to my back pain.  Not sure what to think about it right now.  I have another doctor appointment this evening.  I am halfway done with the expected treatment.  They will take some x-rays and other tests to determine the progression I have made.  I'm curious to see what the results are because I do not feel good right now, physically or mentally.

I want to be pain free before increasing mileage and/or adding another day.  I am sure my doctor is going to share this view.  How long is that going to take???  Man, I am frustrated.

Nov 29 - Dec 5

This was a week for three runs: Tue, Thur, Sat.  I had planned (and was allowed) to run 4, 4 & 6 miles on the respective days.

Up to this point in time, my progression had been steady and successful.  My doctor had outlined a good, conservative plan and I agreed I needed to take it slow.  I was resolved to the fact that if I wanted to return to pre-injury levels of performance and higher that I was going to really have to focus on a long term approach.

This past week was the first chink in my armor related to my approach so far.  The runs on Tue & Thur went as planned.  Saturday's run seemed to go as planned as well after initially finishing it.  I had no back pain throughout the run and my left soleus only tightened up a bit the last few miles (the soleus is seems to be an ongoing problem but I am managing it for now until my back is 100%).

Then came Sunday morning.  It was the first morning I had woken up with back pain for as long as I could remember.  The pain was pretty constant throughout Sunday and Monday.  It was a feeling very similar to the pain I had prior to first seeing my doctor though not quite as severe.

Monday night I had an appointment with my doctor.  I told him about what had happened.  He instructed me to continue with 4 miles during the week and this coming weekend I will "retry" 6 miles.  That night was also my first experience with a flexion table.  My doctor said the muscles in my back were tighter than he had felt in a while, so the flexion table would stretch out my back and spine to ease the muscle irritation as well as decompress and rehydrate the discs.

So, progress has turned to pause or maintenance.  I've got my fingers crossed it is just a hiccup in the greater scheme of things.  It does bring back a wave of caution, concern and fear.  The reason is because I expected small problems and setbacks, but not such severe regression in terms of pain.  I'll have to wait and see what happens during my appointment this evening.  I continually come back to the word hope...do you ever run out of hope?

Good news!!!

I had an appointment with my doctor on Monday evening.  During that visit, he informed me that my back was ready for more mileage!!!  I am sure a smile spread across my face from ear to ear.  I couldn't contain it.  I'm now good to run 4 times a week: 4 miles 3 times a week and continue to extend my weekend run one mile each week (6 miles this coming weekend).

It's PROGRESS!

BUT, his comment was quickly followed with, "but I'm not sure your left calf is ready for it."  We had discussed how it constantly felt "tight" during my runs.  He told me to ice it after runs, self-massage and to use "The Stick".  I told him I have been using a foam roller.  Regardless, it looks like I need to go get myself one.

My leg feels like it has improved a little.  I'm going to continue to work on it each day to see what that results in after a month or so.

In conclusion, I'm optimistic and excited but grounded.

so what does all this mean???

In my last post, I explained the various physical ailments I had.  I wanted to try and explain the consequences,. or effects, these ailments were having on me, both running and in daily life.

I had constant back pain most of the time.  It seemed to be the worst in the morning.  I couldn't stand up straight.  I was leaned over to the right significantly and hunched forward at the same time.  When I went from a laying or sitting position, I would have to lean to the right, stand up, then slowly rise to an upright position (if possible).  My misalignment and posture were causing difficulties digesting as well as reduced lung capacity.  I was holding about 20% more body weight on my left side.  My doctor wasn't sure, but my lower left leg problems (soleus) may be an effect of my physical ailments as well.  The jury is still out on this one though.  It was a pretty miserable existence the last few months.

Things appear to be significantly improving.  I have now been seeing my doctor for about three and a half weeks.  I have been running every other day and I do not feel any discomfort in my back while running.  Also, I am completing those activities and projects I had put off for fear it would extend or increase the pain.  I can't wait for my reassessment exam to actually have the factual data to support my improvement.

Now, on to specifics of running.  Actually, I should call it jogging :)  I ran 3 miles on Mon, Wed & Fri.  Sunday I did 5 miles...14 miles for the week!!!  For me, that is exciting.  Baby steps, right?

I am having some lower left leg tightness when I run.  It appears to feel the same as all the problems I've had before with the leg.  My doctor wants me to continue to run in the cushioned-type shoe I have for the last couple years.  I am foam rolling it everyday for 5-10 minutes and I am wearing kinesio type on the calf.  I am going to continue to treat the problem/injury this way until told otherwise.

I have another appointment with my doctor today.  I am going to ask if I can run more...hopefully, he says yes!

My situation

They say its not if, its when.  I am referring to a runner getting injured while training.  For the better part of three years, I was able to avoid injury for the most part (I did have two bouts of time I took a short amount of time off due to injury).  Little did I appreciate my durability and resiliency at the time.  I had no idea what was to come.

At the beginning of November, I finally admitted that I was not going to get better on my own.  This conclusion came about when for two days I was unable to stand upright.  I had been dealing with two major injuries over the last year+: chronic lower back pain & lower left leg pain in the calf/achilles area.  I kept thinking taking time off would get me healthy.  But, the truth was my back pain kept flaring up with less and less activity each time.

So, I decided at that moment I was going to do whatever it took to finally get healthy.  After I did some research and found what I thought would be a good doctor for my situation, I made an appointment and went to see him.  I believe I made a good choice.  After performing a series of tests, here is what my situation was:

1) collapsed left arch
2) pelvis tilted back on right side, tilted forward on left side
3) L1-L4 discs shifted to the right
4) discs in upper back shifted to the left
5) spine curved to the left in my upper back
6) reduced curvature of neck
7) head sitting too far forward
8) right shoulder sitting higher than left shoulder

The important thing: he said he could help.  Knowing I wanted to get back to training and racing and the high level I want to attain, he stated that we needed to get my body in a state of perfection.  He explained for the opportunity to shoot for my goals, it would require 100-mile weeks.  At this volume, even a small imperfection/problem could be exposed and cause injury and an extended disruption to training.  Those statements may not seem like much, but it provided a glimmer of hope that my current situation was correctable.  Plus, it gave me confidence he understood where I was coming from and he believed enough in his ability that he could get me to where I wanted and needed to be.

It's not easy.  Even though I have made great strides and feel infinitely better, it is still a challenge.  An example is yesterday...Thanksgiving.  Everyone knows this is the most popular racing day of the year.  I was no where near any of these races...not by choice.  I can't stand to be near racing, its too difficult knowing I can't participate.  The difficulty was compounded by the fact I had hoped (back this summer during one of my short-lived periods of feeling healthy) it would be my first race back.

Also, there is the fact I have lost much, if not all, of my fitness.  My running pace is glacial.  I am forced to consider and question whether I will ever be able to regain the fitness and ability I once had.  Hope and desire only get you so far.  And, what will I do if I can't recapture that form?  I try not to think about it too much because to be honest, it scares the sh*t out of me.  That may sound ridiculous to most people, but that fire has become a part of who I am.

Don't get me wrong, I don't have this grand idea and goal to be something that I am not and I could never hope to achieve.  But, I also understand to reach the running goals I have is going to require a little luck.  Here's to hoping luck is on my side.  I still have quite a ways to go before I find out...quite a ways to go.

Nov 8 - Nov 21

Baby steps.  That's what I keep telling myself.  I have been able to run every other day for the past two weeks.  I have to start somewhere.  Three miles, every other day increasing one run per week (11/20 was 4 miles).  Time is inconsequential.

It is nice just to be outside and running.  For some reason, I enjoy running in Denver in the winter.  It's dark and cold.  It feels so calm and quiet, comforting and relaxing.  Peaceful.

It has not been easy getting here.  At the beginning of October, my body seemed to finally succumb to the stress it was under.  I couldn't stand up straight.  I don't know how long it had been since I woke up without any back pain.

I thought I would get better on my own.  I figured if I gave it time, my body would heal itself.  The only problem is every time I felt better, I would try and run.  Eventually, the pain would return.  Even more concerning, each time I returned to running, the pain returned sooner.

Well, I found a doctor who believes he can help.  He got me back up and running within a few days.  I am sticking with his advice and his plan to get me healthy.  We defined health as waking up without back pain and being able to run 10 miles a day without pain.

I trust in the rehabilitation plan he has laid out for me.  I am hopeful for things to come.  But, I am also trying to enjoy the journey.  And, maybe I'll even learn a little more about myself.

Nov 8 - Nov 14: 4 runs, 3 miles each
Nov 15 - Nov 21: 3 runs, 2 x 3 miles & 1 x 4 miles