I left my ART appointment this morning and experienced a bit of anxiety as I said goodbye. My chiropractor is going on vacation for a week, so I won’t see her until next Thursday.
Her parting words were: “this week will be a good test of how things are going.” Eek! I am not sure how I feel about looking at it that way! The tightness is definitely decreasing in my calf muscles, and that should help with the hip injury. The adductors are “getting there.” I know the hip flexors can be really slow to heal and it’s only really been a few weeks, but sometimes it feels like an eternity! Meanwhile, I am just keeping the muscles moving and doing my strength training exercises.
The psoas is still pretty tight, but that was to be expected since I ran Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It’s kind of weird being on such reduced mileage, though I look forward to every two mile run with the excitement of a small child getting ready to open gifts on Christmas morning!
I am diligently stretching, foam rolling, and icing. I am also making sure I get a really good warm up in before running. Today I did the elliptical for 25 minutes before jumping on the dreadmill. One thing I am trying to do is not pay too much attention to the way I am running.
Those of you who have ever had a running injury know exactly what I am talking about. When one part of your body is injured, other parts start to compensate for the injury. This can really tweak your running form. As I have started running short distances, I am trying not to over-analyze my form and just zone out. Easier said than done! Today was a good day for zoning out, and I was able to just relax a bit and enjoying just moving.
Have you ever had to re-learn to run after an injury? Did you find that you subconsciously compensated for the injury by adjusting your stride?
yes I def compensated….which I found that I was better just waiting until i was 100% and could run with my normal stride and form. It’s so hard, I know, but you’ll get there!
I worry about every little twinge for fear of tweaking something. I know this is not good, but it is impossible to stop. You’re not alone, haha!
I feel like I’m one big lopsided injury right now actually. I have not been able to run for 3 weeks (going on 4) and am certain I will have to start from square one.
Yes! I know what you mean about your stride changing… this fall I was so aware of how I was running when coming back from injury that it felt really awkward at first. And I was nervous with every little twinge I felt. Sounds like you’re making some great progress!
Yes, I know exactly what you’re talking about. It’s so hard to not run ‘gingerly,’ and be hyper-aware of every stride you take. Sounds like you’re making really good progress, though. Glad you were able to zone out and enjoy yourself for a while, though : )
After my bout with endometriosis I had to start back with the basics of just getting out to run. As for “relearning” with my form and all, I had to do that after breaking my toe…I had overcompensated while limping around and it threw everything out of whack. Yargh!
Good luck with your recovery! I have a stress fracture right now so I know all about running injuries, unfortunately.
Reading your post made me anxious because I’m dealing with an injury now too. I am at 2 weeks of no running and I definitely feel like I’m compensating even when I walk (finally limp free after about a week). I’m anxious to be able to run or do anything “normal” again but also scared that I will have to relearn everything from square one. Oh boy. Good luck with your recovery!
When I’ve been hurt in the past I have totally found myself changing how I land or push in order to “protect” what had been hurt. So not good probably, but it happens