It’s been a while since I posted as I always have trouble writing about not running when I am dealing with an injury or illness. The last two weeks have been no different in not feeling motivated to write but then I considered what I have gone through the last 2 weeks might be of interest.
I aggravated a lower back muscle 2 weeks ago and it’s probably the 5th or 6th time I have had an issue with it over the last couple of years. Last year I even aggravated it just by getting a massage. I had been running quite a few races and had been increasing my distance so I thought a massage would be a great reward. Instead, when I turned over after the masseuse finished and left the room, it was like lightning bolts shooting through my back. In the spring, I aggravated it doing flutter kicks and had to go to the doctor because it took a while to get over. This time it became aggravated once again after doing flutter kicks (though it was a delayed response) and once again the pain was worse and was not going away.
In describing the pain, it’s very sharp in the lower back to the right of the spine and when I walk or stand, the pain radiates to the hip and down my leg.
After a week, I finally went to the doctor and received pain meds and was referred to a physical therapist. I went to visit the PT the next day and Andrea had me do some tests to isolate the muscle and what was happening. Fortunately, my doctor and PT agreed it wasn’t sciatica and was an aggravated muscle that runs down toward the hip. Andrea then gave me some stretches and a couple of lower ab exercises to do over the weekend and asked me to come back on Monday dressed in workout clothes.
I performed the stretches and exercise twice a day over the weekend and returned on Monday. Over the course of the weekend, the pain localized in the hip rather than the back and I explained this to Andrea. She wasn’t surprised and said “Good because your hip is what we are going to work out today!”
She had me warm-up on a stationary bike for about 5 minutes and then we began the workout. We started using a resistance band that was wrapped around a pole and my right ankle. I slowly brought my foot straight back and returned to normal, then brought my foot back and to the right and returned to normal. I repeated the sequence 15 times and then changed to my left foot. This was even more difficult as the movement of my left foot was working against the stabilizers on the right side where my aggravated muscle is located. I then did another set on each foot. From there, Andrea had me stand on a rubber “blob” where I balanced on my right foot for 30 seconds and switched to my left foot for 30 seconds. I repeated this 3 times on each foot.
She then had me run through my stretches as I was really feeling it in my back and hip. The stretches loosened things up and Andrea then asked me to run through the two ab exercises she had given me at my first visit. The first was a very slight pelvic thrust in which I focused on just tightening my lower abs for 10 seconds and then releasing. I did this 10 times to complete the set. Then I turned over on my stomach and with my hands at my shoulders, slowly pushing up as my back curved backward. I would hold for 5 seconds and release and repeated 10 times.
The last exercise was laying on my side with my hips rolled slightly forward and with my top leg/foot lying slightly behind my lower foot. I would then raise my upper leg slowly from the hip and release repeating it 15 times. Then I flipped over and did the same on the other side. I finished with my strech routine and then laid on a pad of ice for about 15 minutes with my legs bent and raised.
The rest of the day, I was in a lot of pain and tried not to walk too much. Unfortunately, the pain meds that my doctor had given me the week before were not working very well. On Tuesday, I woke up and performed the exercise routine and stretches and, while I felt loose for a little while, the pain returned quickly when I had to walk or stand for any period of time. If I sat on a soft surface without support, I would also have pain so I really needed to work on sitting up straight to give my back support.
On Wednesday, I had a semi-annual physical already scheduled so of course the main topic of discussion was my back and hip. I explained what the PT and I had worked on and that I was still experiencing a lot of pain. She had me do a series of leg movements to test when I experienced the pain just to make sure they were on the right track. The doctor told me that it definitely wasn’t the sciatica and that we were on the right track but it would take a while. She thankfully upgraded my pain medication and gave me some adhesive pads with Lidocaine to put on my hip and back. One thing she did mention was that if after 3 weeks it was still hurting, she would order an MRI. Hopefully that won’t be necessary!
The meds did take a little of the edge off the pain and I continued to do the exercises that the PT gave me. By Friday, it felt like the intensity of the pain was beginning to subside though it still hurt. My doctor told me to make sure that I remembered to get up and walk around every once in a while so I did every 30 minutes or so. I return to see Andrea this Thursday and I will continue to do the exercise, take the meds and use the pads.
I asked Andrea what I should look for activity wise as things start improving. She told me that when I get to a point where the pain is consistently low, I could try jogging a short distance and see how it goes. If the pain doesn’t increase, I could continue jogging short distances until the pain was gone. She then recommended that only after the pain is gone should I return to boot camp as it is much more physical obviously than running.
It’s been two weeks and feels like forever but I have kept my spirits up and haven’t gotten to glum. I think part of it is the fact that I get to do a little exercise each day. I also realize the reality is that I will get over this and I will start running again. I had to drop out of the North Face Endurance Half Marathon next weekend but I am hoping I can get back into shape for the Serenbe 15k in November. For once, I haven’t let myself get all nuts and worry that all my endurance will all be gone. I realize I will have to work back up to it but that’s OK.
I really miss being at boot camp with everyone and the group runs but hopefully I will be back soon. A big part of being involved with boot camp and running is the social aspect. Most of my friendships locally come from boot camp and the folks I have met so it’s a bummer to be away from it. On the other hand, it’s been kind of nice sleeping late the last couple of weeks so it has had one or short-range advantages. But I am ready to get back in the game so hopefully things will continue to improve and I will be pain-free soon!
Filed under: Off Day Thoughts | Tagged: 10k, 5K, boot camp, challenge, exercise, Garmin, Half-Marathon, Physical exercise, physical therapy, run, running, Trail running, workout | 3 Comments »
Henry Runs 