Stretch yourself!

[AnneDroid]

My running history - all three years of it - has been two steps forward and one step back. (Not literally as that would be weird, even for me.)

But following the latest disaster I have decided that I might actually start doing this stretching thing I hear about...

1) My two and a half year old Piriformis Syndrome might have gone by now if I'd done some stretching.

2) The knee pain which developed a few months ago and turned out to be caused by very tight quads might not have happened if I'd done some stretching.

3) I might not have been "shot in the leg" on Saturday morning. I was just two or three minutes away from leaving the house to go and climb a mountain when I remembered that I had meant to replace the toilet roll in the bathroom. Rather than taking the toilet roll up the stairs (like a normal person would) I lobbed it from the foot of the stairs. As I threw it, something twanged spectacularly in my calf sending a shooting pain right up my leg, which was followed by severe calf pain and I could barely walk to the living room. I RICE'd it all of Saturday but have been working since (mostly sedentary fortunately) and am walking with the most embarrassingly theatrical-looking limp.

Lesson learned. Once this gets better, which I'm sure it will, I'm going to do those stretching exercises. I might even blow the dust off the foam roller!

[steviej99 Graduate10]

Ouch sorry to hear that, I feel your pain as I am now in my 4th week recovering from a minor groin strain. 2 weeks ago, like you, I said that's it, it's time to start yoga and stretching. Now I near the end of my recovery my will to do those things is already waning! Anyway I'm going to try. I wish you a speedy recovery

[AnneDroid Graduate10 in reply to steviej99]

Thank you. Hope you're fit again soon.

Yes, it's hard to be motivated once we feel all right again!

[Deals1 Graduate10]

Ouch.

Wishing u a speedy recovery.

I'm guilty of this too.... Do some stretches when it necessary.. But need to get into habit of it!!!

[AnneDroid Graduate10 in reply to Deals1]

Thank you. Making it a habit is probably the key.

[Joy57 Graduate10]

Good to see you back Anne. I've had a knee problem, also related to lack of stretching, I took 6 weeks off running and had 2 sports massages a week apart. Thankfully it seems better now, I'm going through c25k again, stretching, foam rolling and doing yoga whenever I can! I learnt my lesson 😄

[AnneDroid Graduate10 in reply to Joy57]

Glad you're progressing.

I benefitted hugely from a sports massage for my last problem but since they're not for the faint hearted I'll wait till this one's less sore before I try!

[Joy57 Graduate10 in reply to AnneDroid]

Yes they are quite ouchy!

[grumpyoldgirl]

Oh, that sounds so painful! Hope the stretching helps to get you fighting fit again.

[AnneDroid Graduate10 in reply to grumpyoldgirl]

Thank you. It was VERY painful when it happened but it's only sore now when I use it. It's fine when I'm not doing anything!

[grumpyoldgirl in reply to AnneDroid]

Glad to hear that, hopefully it won't take too long for you. Hope you've got other people running round making you cups of tea.