Re-training the brain to run 04/25/2010
 “My dear, it’s not your body that’s broken. It’s your brain.”That’s just what I wanted to hear during the first consult with my new physical therapist. There’s nothing like hearing a medical professional tell you your brain isn’t working right, especially when you walked into the office thinking the pain was in your hip.
I didn’t want to believe him. But he told me to lay on my stomach and lift one leg using my glute muscles. “Nope. Try it again,” he told me. Whatever! I thought. I can do this, my stubborn mind said. So I tried again, and failed again. I failed all the tests he threw at me that day. “How do you think you can run properly if you can’t do something as simple as lifting your leg?” The new PT said. It was a rhetorical question. So we started retraining my brain. Add Comment PRP: PART TWO: Long-Term Recovery Plan 04/19/2010
 A couple weeks ago I wrote about Platelet Rich Plasma therapy (PRP) for chronic injuries. In that post, I explained that short-term recovery means no activity for at least two weeks after the injection. Doctors also tell patients to stay away from anti-inflammatory over-the-counter drugs (like ibuprofen or naproxen) and no icing the injection spot for six to eight weeks.
So once patients clear those hurdles, what comes next? If you’re considering undergoing a PRP injection, here’s what you can expect during your recovery... A new runner asks: How can I run farther? 04/07/2010
 “I wish I could run a 10k! I can do 2 miles but can’t seem to get past the 2 mile mark. I’m not sure if I psych myself out. Any advice?” How do you push past your mental mileage barrier, especially if you’re a newer runner? I started thinking about the topic when my cousin Dana the above question on my Facebook wall. Well, Dana, here’s what I would say. Are You Ready for it?Before you go pushing any mental boundaries, you have to make sure you’re physically ready for more mileage. This means no aches and pains. If you’re saying “My knee has been hurting a little after my runs,” then by no means is this the time to run more. I know it seems like common sense, but we’re runners and we don’t always think like rational people. ( We wake up early on weekends; we run in the cold and rain - are those the actions of rational people??!!)
If you don’t have any aches and pains, then proceed with prudence. Remember the 10-percent rule: increase your weekly mileage by no more than 10-percent.  Us runners have relationships with our running shoes. A runner may not remember what happened on last week’s episode of 30 Rock, but she could tell you what shoes she wore when she set her 10k PR. A runner could tell you the merits of last year’s version of shoe x versus the updated version of shoe x. I think I have more pictures of running shoes than of my sister on my iPhone. (Granted, she lives 600 miles away. I see my running shoes every day).
I have a hard time parting with my running shoes, and I know I’m not alone. The pile of shoes that build up in our closets and our car trunks represent sacrifices and silent victories. But at some point, when the piles get too high, too smelly, or become a sore spot between you and your spouse, something’s got to give. So what can you do with your old shoes? Throwing them into the garbage seems wasteful. You probably know to donate them, but did you realize there are a lot more options out there than the local thrift store? Here are a few ideas... I’ve struggled with the same injury since I was 25. My left hip area would simply “go dead” on me after squats, lunges, running uphill, or wearing shoes with any sort of heel. The injury came and went every nine to twelve months. Sometimes I could run through it, which I’m sure wasn’t bright on my part. Other times it would hit, I’d have to stop running for weeks. It was really, really frustrating. It took three doctors, half a dozen wrong diagnosis, and five years before someone finally figured out what wrong. Last fall I was diagnosed with tendinopathy of the left gluteus medius, which is basically chronic tendonitis... My choicesMy doctor gave me three choices: either return to physical therapy, have cortisone injections, or undergo a treatment called platelet rich plasma therapy – or PRP. Physical therapy wasn’t my first choice because I’d been through a couple rounds of PT for the same injury, so obviously it wasn’t helping me avoid it. There was no way I was doing cortisone shots. It’s purely a personal preference, but I’m dead set against them. I have this lovey-dovey hippy hope that my body has the power to heal itself , and cortisone shots go against that. That left me with one option: PRP.
 Winter is supposed to be cold and snowy, right? So why did the winter of 2009-2010 seem so awful? If you live in parts of the South and Mid-Atlantic and feel like you were complaining about winter weather even more this year, don’t worry. When you look at some of the facts, I think you’ll feel you’ve earned the right to complain. I know I do.
It’s hard to imagine that just a year ago, states from Texas to Alabama to North Carolina were as dry as a bone. The Southern United States was in a drought. As a runner living in a drought-affected area, I never thought about needing a rain shell. The trails I ran in North Georgia were so dry, any light wind kicked up a mini dust storm. I cringe to think of how I was taught to stretch back in middle school gym class. We’d run around the gym a few times, gather in a circle, and then push and pull on our muscles until they hurt a little. That’s how we knew we had a good stretch. Eek! The number one rule of stretching is it shouldn’t hurt! As a runner, I’ve learned a few different methods. Most physical therapists I know use a static stretch, where you hold your muscle in a set position for as much as thirty seconds. But static stretching isn’t the only technique. Atlanta-area message therapist Robin Rogers relies on Active Isolated Stretching (AIS) to help his clients, which range from the regular joe runners like me to professional athletes competing on the world field... We runners are a committed bunch when it comes to putting in the miles. But when the run ends, most of us aren’t as dedicated when it comes to strengthening. I promise I’m not judging you. I’m guilty, too. But we all know that without strengthening, we run the risk of injury, or just plain plateauing. So here’s a question: think of something you can do in 15 minutes. Maybe shower, get dressed, and brush your teeth. How about run a mile or two – maybe three if you’re a stud. Or maybe scan your three favorite blogs. Today, let’s add increasing your strength to that 15 minute list.... Running is infectious – in a good way! 03/01/2010
 source: rds “You’re like the Pied Piper of Waterville, Ohio,” my boyfriend said. Not that I want to be compared to a character who apparently led rats and kids to their deaths (thanks for the refresher course Wikipedia), but I could see where he was going with it... Trigger Point Therapy 02/27/2010
 I’ve been through traditional physical therapy so much in the last six years, I feel like I’m close to earning my PT certification without stepping foot in a classroom. I can walk you through typical therapy routines off the top of my head.
So when my reoccurring hip injury cropped up last summer, my doctor suggested I take a new route and try trigger point therapy. “Some people hate it and swear they’ll never do it again.” I remember my doc saying to me the day he suggested it. “But some people love it. I have a feeling you’ll be one of those people....” |  Navigate using the topics belowAll Follow us here
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