The Injury thread

[kleph]

got an ache or pain you need some advice about or just some degree of commiseration? this is the thread for it.

[kleph]

and i'm already fighting a battle here. my last marathon effort was capped with a strained iliopsoas muscle (don't know what that is? neither did i. but oh did i find out (http://www.kleph.com/blog.php?v_blog_id=5&v_blog_entry_id=459)) and it looks like it has already decided to make a return to the scene of the crime.

basically i'm fighting a stiffness in my right hip that simply doesn't ease off. it doesn't hurt per se except for twinges now and then after sitting for a long period of time and, of course, workouts.

it isn't limiting my running but i'd like to figure out a way to make it go away if possible before it decides to graduate to an actual pain in my ass again.

[Glompbot]

Shin splints.
Lower back aches.

Have friend who owns business providing remedial massage... will indulge.

[BtrFly]

sore ankle. the only shoes that fit atm are my runners.

but its getting better

[Benwah]

If you can stand it Ice can be very helpful with shin splints and sore anything really.

At the height of my training I will be having full body baths in Iced water it's bliss on the sore bits!

[Bostonmess]

I was told (and I believe pretty much anything) that there's two kinds of shin splints. One is where the muscles pull away from the shin a bit. Maybe caused by the vibration impact and the muscles not being warm. Toe raises should warm these muscles up. Stand with your heels on a kerb or something and lift your toes upwards and back down until you feel a bit of burn.

The other was where there's actually little hairline fractures in your shin bones (tibula) caused by, yup you guessed it, vibration impact. So rest.

Also, think about shoes and running style.

I used to have 'em all the time when I used to play footy.

[Glompbot]

http://www.zgeek.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1162108&postcount=6

i posted pics of where it hurts.

[kleph]

sore ankle. the only shoes that fit atm are my runners.

but its getting better

how old are the runners? if more than four months, you might want to consider a new pair. when your shoes lose their cushioning one of the first things you notice are little aches and pains at various points.

my hip is still stiff but my agressive stretching campaign seems to be helping. now i'm fighting the ravages of early overtraining. the piper came to be paid this week and i felt like i was hit by a truck most of the last two days.

a lot of this is my body adjusting to these new demands and i'm switching out off days to give it adequate opportunity to bounce back. the big worry is if i keep pushing it when i'm feeling flagged out i'll develop an actual injury of some sort - which is the next step in the process.

[kleph]

Shin Splints threads in runner forums

http://forums.runnersworld.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/678106477/m/333103969
http://www.coolrunning.com.au/forums/index.php?showtopic=14679
http://www.coolrunning.com.au/forums/index.php?showtopic=13948
http://www.coolrunning.com.au/forums/index.php?showtopic=2
http://www.coolrunning.com.au/forums/index.php?showtopic=14096

[Glompbot]

"The symptoms you are likely to experience for compartment syndrome would be a pain that does not begin until 5-10 minutes into every run and stopping shortly after you have stopped running. "

This fits for what happens to me.
But reading up on it it seems fairly serious, so i doubt it is.

[dwarfthrower]

Ow, ow, fucking ow!

Managed to bang my knees up pretty badly yesterday it seems. I'd say the culprit was the very proppy way you have to run downhill to avoid building up too much speed.

Lateral tibial condyles seems to be the major points of suffering (top, outside sections of the major shin-bone, where shin meets knee) Left being worse than right. Might have to ice them for a bit today and see how they pull up.

[Glompbot]

Ouch :(

I'm thinking I might need to pull back and only do the 4k run because of my shins.
But i'll still train up as if I'm doing the 9k...

[Benwah]

4K is an excellent distance Sapia, A mate of mine did a 4K on Mothers day she loved it.

[Glompbot]

Well, I know I can walk 4k with no isssues. For that matter I can do a nice stroll for 9k... but I would like to jog/run 4k.

[Glompbot]

I ran yesterday
I now have slight bruising on my shins and it hurts when i put a bit of pressure on those areas...

I don't think I'm going to be doing any more running until I see a doctor about it.

[kleph]

as much as i'd love to see you succeed at this, it is not worth pushing yourself to an injury to do it. see the doctor, get the 411 and make the informed decision.

[Glompbot]

Yeah, Ive just been walking as normal, but not trying to walk fast or give myself any time/distances to go. I think I've lost weight... for some reason, either that or all my pants have stretched... because they can all be pulled off without undoing buttons/zippers... i need belts :(
Until I get to the doctor

I've found some part of my leg are fairly sensitive to pressure and they weren't before... thats the parts where i had the bruises (they're gone now) so I need to see the doctor first.

[Bifrost]

I've got pain in the top of my right foot.

I asked Google what was wrong with it and it said that I tied my shoes too tight. Unfortunately I've only done one run since Tuesday because my foot has been quite agonising every time it enters any type of footwear.

On Friday I thought I'd turned the corner, but on Saturday morning it was back to its painful best.

[kleph]

try lacing your shoes differently.

http://www.kleph.com/blog.php?v_blog_id=5&v_blog_entry_id=430

[kleph]

aaaaannnd... now i've got the 'grippe.' of course spending a week plus at 3,500+ meters in elevation then diving into the shit weather that is lima's winter didn't help much.

[Glompbot]

the what?

[Benwah]

Mega cold, usually complete with a chest infection ++ snot ++ tiredness. Bad luck Kleph, 'leest it's nice and early on in your training.

[Bifrost]

I think I've got the stupid grippe too. Picked it up early yesterday morning.

:grr:

More details here: http://blog.iekenner.com/

In other news my foot is feeling better.

[kleph]

actually, it's the flu. but i've been lucky to avoid the resperatory fun of it.

sounds like your foot needed rest, bifrost. keep tabs on it when you get back in the routine and see if you can nail down the root cause. i'm almost certain this is a shoe-related issue.

[Bifrost]

actually, it's the flu. but i've been lucky to avoid the resperatory fun of it.

sounds like your foot needed rest, bifrost. keep tabs on it when you get back in the routine and see if you can nail down the root cause. i'm almost certain this is a shoe-related issue.Yeah I'm pretty sure it was too. I think I just tied the laces too tight, then foolishly went out and did a sprint sessions for the first time. But it feels pretty good today.

If only I wasn't breathing solids...

[dwarfthrower]

If only I wasn't breathing solids...

++

Add to that my daughter dislocated her elbow... at 9pm last night, requiring x-rays. reduction, and an overnight observation left me sleeping on a mattress on the floor of a hospital ward last night... well all two hours of sleep that I actually got. I don't feel much like running at the moment.

[kleph]

Yeah I'm pretty sure it was too. I think I just tied the laces too tight, then foolishly went out and did a sprint sessions for the first time. But it feels pretty good today.

look around for variant lacings as i suggested before. often these substantially alter the way your shoe holds to your feet. if it is related to the shoe, this may be a solution. and make sure you bring it up at the store the next time you purchase a pair.

also, it might be worthwhile to poke around on the runner's world forums (http://forums.runnersworld.com) for comments about the brand. while i'd never buy a pair of shoes on another runners recomendation alone, if there are a number of folks with the same complaint about a shoe it could be worth heeding.

sorry about the kid, dwarfy. but you've got a lot of miles in the tank, a slight alteration of your training schedule shouldn't be a problem.

[kleph]

alright. since i got back from the south of peru, my running has been intermittent and unpleasant. this has been due to a many-headed hydra of reasons which have been constant pretty much since i got back to lima. as much as i'd like to whinge on at length about these problems, i'm gonna keep it on topic with just the discussion on my injury.

which has been pretty much my whole right fucking leg.

the focus has been the outside of the knee. a stiffness that moves fluidly into the realms of soreness and beyond into the regions of actual pain. the cresendo is a piquant sensation not unlike having an ice pick shoved into the side of the joint. ahh... a true classic in the realms of agony.

anyhow. the reindeer games seem to start there and then spread to my ass (Whoo!) and then reflect into the inside of my lower calf. the times i have pushed it have put me at the point where the leg says 'nuh uh' and i fall down. not fun.

so, to remidy this i have tried stretching, applied bands with compression pads, rest and cursing at length at with vigour. nothing seems to help.

today was a bit of a breakthrough. i went down to the seafront to run rather than on the clifftops and put in a solid hour. i found that it didn't give me much of a problem on the dirt but about 50 meters on the concrete and it was making itself known.

looking through the logs this actually makes some sense. i have run most of my workouts on the malencon which is concrete. the day this happy horseshit started was the long run i added nice big brutal hills with a side of hard pavement the whole way thrown in.

my hypothosis now is that my quads simply aren't strong enough at this point and the stress of running under the abuse concrete and asphalt dish out is screwing with my mechanics. running on dirt today and focusing on posture (i.e. form) seemed to remedy the situation.

so the problem is solved! right? i'm not convinced it is, but - at the very least - i have a strategy to combat it for the time being.

[dwarfthrower]

If it's muscular Kleph, have you tried getting to a gym, or even just working out a regimen of body-weight exercises you can throw into your routine three times a week to build muscle strength.

I'm fairly certain that the base of strength training I had down before I started running is what has allowed me to actually get to a decent amount of miles without doing myself a serious injury.

[Benwah]

My feet are flat as pancakes so when I land they roll in, my quads are massively strong (no serious, they are! I can ride a bike up big hills all day and never get sore) and have been allowing me to run without injury thus far BUT beyond 50 HARD KMs a week (lots of up and worse DOWN hills) my Quads simply can't compensate for my poor mechanics and my left knee is beginning to play up (just tendonitis thus far). SO what to do.

1. Strengthen my Quads even more
2. Avoid down hills (makes for boring runs....)
3. Walk down hills..... makes me feel like I am wasting valued running time.
4. Get Orthodics

So I've done 1 to 3 with a degree of success, and tonight I went to a chap at the uni, he tapped some thick foam to the inside of my foot and I went for a run in that.... Well! The control! the power! my knee is no better BUT it is no worse either.

So Orthodics it is! I'm actually excited, this means I can only get better/faster and will hopefully run with less pain, I'm not out of the woods yet and the Marathon is looking very daunting for down here in the flat footed dolldrums.... but there is a glimmer of hope there, that and I have only missed 2 runs thus far so my training hasn't derailed totally...

[Glompbot]

Its amazing what orthotics can do isn't it?
I had some when I was younger due to hyper-flexibility and because of that muscles were doing the jobs of other muscles they shouldn't... and my legs had retarded under developed and over developed muscles... I also used to walk for hours just on my toes and on top of that I danced, all of which has given me crazy calves.

Even on the first day it felt weird... but other people commented that i looked taller and slimmer... and the burning pain I got on the soles of my feet when I walked stopped (it was caused by friction because of the hyperflexibility and muslce thingo caused me to move my feet for balance after they were solidly on the ground rather than before they hit the ground)

then they started cutting the shit out of my heels a few years later (mine were solid plastic ones)... and I stopped wearing them.

I should go back because they'll probably help fix the shin splints if I get them again.

[JumpinJez]

Orthotics are awesome. They fixed up my burning calves and plantar faciitis(sp?). I have huge arches and the big toe tendon was sticking out and being irritated. They also raised my left heel which evened out my hips and stopped my calves from trying to stabilise my ankles.

The Podiatrist gave me hard ones for my dress/workshoes, and cos I know him I get temporary soft rubberones that last about 6 months which I put in my sneakers for exercise type stuff.

[beerbaron]

when i wore orthodics in my soccer boots the first time i got blisters on the underneath my foot ( in the arch )
unfortunately because i had stress fractures in my ankle ill have to change them in the boots

however i do have a comfortable pair for everyday shoes, so that is helping

[meg]

I know I need them, but I also know the hassle of finding shoes they fit in.
I'll continue to put it off. As I do with everything else!

[beerbaron]

agreed
the orthotics dont fit in every pair of shoe ( mainly my aquila dress shoes )
however i try and wear them in other shoes for work

[Benwah]

Well, I hope they help, I really thought my running mechanics were top notch given the KMs I've clocked over the years.

Just the combination of 50+K a week, lots of downhills and concrete have helped me in a way to figure out that no, I'm not perfect (far from it) there is going to be a lot of effort to retrain my muscles and get used to them. At this point the Marathon dream seems a long way away and I certainly am not aiming for an good time anymore, but all is not lost. another week lost and hopefully, with the good base I have and a bit of luck I should make it to the start line.

[Benwah]

I just read my post and that's loser talk.

I will make it to the start line and I'm fit and strong enough to run a good time dammit, I clocked 45 mins flat for 11K just 2 weeks ago.

*Ices Knee*

[dwarfthrower]

I clocked 45 mins flat for 11K just 2 weeks ago.

Christ... you'll be on your third latte before I get to the finish line.

[kleph]

my aching shin is really starting to worry me...

[dwarfthrower]

Aching bony parts = not good.... Achy squishy bits generally sort themselves out with a few days of taking it easy.

[kleph]

the good news is it is not a bony part. it's clearly a soreness in the tibileous posterior that has extended downward. the main concern is that it is putting too much stress on the achilles.

*ices ankle*

[dwarfthrower]

Stabby pain, bottom centre right kneecap. Suspected patella ligament strain.


Do not want.

[kleph]

man, i saw that you posted in this thread and clicked on it with the worst feeling of dread.

stabby = bad

i'm hoping for the ligament assessment to be true because the host of other possibilities in that area are not good at all.

ice and rest my friend. ice and rest.

you've got weeks of solid training under your belt and a solid six weeks until the race. you should be ok if you can get this under control. BUT DON'T PUSH IT!

[dwarfthrower]

The ligament is the only thing in the area that's sore - there's no generalised soreness around the knee... certainly nothing like the tibial bruising I was getting a month or so ago. It's definitely the anterior surface of the kneecap, there's no soreness behind at all, so either it's the ligament that holds the patella onto the tibia, or I managed to thump a large inanimate object with my knee without realising it.

I had a very slow 2k this morning before I came to the conclusion that this wasn't something to let mr ego deal with. So I hopped off and did some core stability exercises.

A few days rest won't kill me, I was planning on knocking the remaining three minutes off my 12k time at some stage, but that was a month-end goal that I still have more than half a month to work on.

[kleph]

like i try to remind everybody who undertakes this. it's your first marathon. your primary goal is FINISHING the first marathon. everything else - speed etc - is gravy. treat it as such.

[Glompbot]

I fell over twice yesterday (once in a shop, the second time when on my scooter)
both my knees copped a bit of a bruising... so I'm giving today a break.

blah