Advice on getting off the IC

[HeleneCorsa]

Hello all!

My knee and foot are getting better but they are not quite right yet. Tomorrow it will be a week since my last run and realistically, I don't think I'll be out there again until the weekend when my husband returns to Rome (assuming of course that I am fully recovered by then, which I am hoping I will be).

My last run was W7R2. Do you think I should go back and repeat any runs, or just pick up again where I left off? Obviously no-one likes the idea of going backwards, and I felt I was doing well and not struggling at all, but then I don't want to land straight back on the IC. And if I do repeat, at what point should I pick up again?

Thanks!

[Irishprincess Graduate]

Why not try an initial walk/run approach to test the knee and foot? It's lower impact than running all the time but I think you'll know pretty quickly if all is ok. Start off with 10 minutes and see how it feels. If it feels ok then maybe do 20 minutes for the first venture back. Do LESS rather than MORE.

One physio told me to jump on one leg to "test" an injury before running again because that's essentially what we do when we run. I wouldn't suggest you do that now as you say you're still feeling it's not right but perhaps when it feels better.

I wish you well. Have you been able to do any gentle exercises/stretching?

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to Irishprincess]

Thank you! That sounds like very good advice.

I have been doing some gentle exercise most days, all very low impact. I also walk a lot as part of my normal everyday routine and that doesn't cause any discomfort.

The thing that worries me a bit is that this started after my ill-starred afternoon run on a dodgy surface but at the time I had no inkling of there being anything wrong, and it was only afterwards that the pain began, so of course I am wary of making the same mistake again, i.e. thinking I am fine and discovering later on that it is not so.

[Irishprincess Graduate in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Therefore it's always sensible to take things really slowly at the beginning and build up from there. If there's no pain the following day then that's the best result. Physios always ask that.

Have you seen a physio?

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to Irishprincess]

Not yet - am up to my neck in commitments at the moment but will try to find the time.

[mrrun Graduate]

That will largely depend on how long (overall) you will be away, as you don't want to rush your return.

What I expected to be my quick return turned out to be 3 then 3.5 months away, first knee then ankle, so l had to start from scratch twice. Please let a physio decide when you should be back and seek advice on whether your shoes and insoles are compatible with your feet. That can be done through gait analysis and would save you a world of hassle, pain & frustration, and that's just my own experience.

All the best of luck & keep us posted!

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to mrrun]

Thank you. I agree that I need to get the situation checked out as I have a feeling there is something 'weird' about my right foot. I can't put my finger on what it is, it's just that it doesn't seem to plant firmly and naturally on the ground like my left one. (It's a very slight thing, but just a feeling I have about it). My suspicion is that this is the cause of my sore knee - my left knee seems far more resilient. I am sure a physio will be able to enlighten me on this.

[mrrun Graduate in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Please do. My left knee put my hips off balance first and was the cause of the right ankle injury. A few simple tests, putting one or two things right, and you are likely to avoid more serious problems. I wish I'd read this forum better when I started

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to mrrun]

I so am grateful to have found this forum too. I know what I am like: I am stubborn and if I had been doing this "alone" I would definitely have tried to power through and would have done who knows how much damage. The wisdom and experience I am finding on here is definitely having a huge impact on my attitude (for the better)!

I also find myself thinking about my mum - she has always been active but was reduced for quite some time to hobbling around with a stick, with terrible knee pain. We had assumed the knees were the problem but it turned out they were perfectly fine. Her hips, however, which had caused her no pain, were the culprits, which we would never have imagined. She had them both replaced very successfully a few years ago, and has had no further knee problems.

I will definitely get things checked out, and will report back.

[Hidden]

Hi Helene

I'm just getting off the IC after a 5 day break and did my first return run on Sunday. Although I am further on than you in the plan, all I did was a run/walk combo, stopping when I felt like it and it seemed fine.

I'm with Irishprincess on this go for fewer mins and build, because that's safer and you don't want to end up back on the IC.

Good luck with it

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for answering! That is what i'll do when the time comes. Further improvements today but still definitely not right. It's probably just as well that work and kids are getting in the way of running anyway as at least I am forced to stay put. I do keep doing stupid things by mistake like running up the stairs and so on. Very fed up now...

[Hidden in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Yes I know exactly how you feel, I did a 'jogette' Saturday morning twice around the house and mmm not good. But Sunday funnily enough was as right as rain. But a 5 day rest did the trick. Keep the faith, btw weather here is utterly rubbish I think Lucifer is now back but with rain

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Oh no! We had a few days like that, hot and humid but wet. We had a huge storm at the weeked and it's beautiful now - clear and dry air, cooler in the mornings and warm and sunny later, about 25 degrees, so it's comfortable. September and October in Rome are glorious.

Am I right in assuming you are in/near Bologna? As I think I mentioned I used to live in Ferrara so I know that the climate is a bit, um, challenging up there on the Pianura Padana...

It's a monstrous week here what with work (if you have seen the Italian papers you'll know why) and adjustment to the new school routine, but at least this is saving me from myself by stopping me from getting off the IC too soon.

[Hidden in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Yes saw the press and don't envy you at present . We are about 2 hours south of Bologna, nearer to Ancona I guess. But storms finished today big drop in temperature to about 15 or 16 degrees now, but at least it is now dry....

Running tomorrow yay!

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to Hidden]

I suppose the cooler weather is much better for running (although that's quite a large and sudden drop in temp). The mister returns home late tomorrow night (bringing man 'flu with him, apparently...) so I plan to lace up my shoes and try a cautious return to running on Saturday morning before work, while everyone is still sleeping at home...

Good luck with today's run, hope you remain injury-free.

[Mummycav Administrator Graduate]

I'm glad you're nearly off the IC it must be so frustrating...I'm no running expert by any stretch of the imagination so I would just listen to the advice you've be given so far & whatever you decide, do it slowly...you don't want to be back on it...we'd all be sad at that!!! Keep us posted & remember, we're all running along with you so if you hear a whisper to stop...that's the best thing to do x

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to Mummycav]

Thank you!! I think I should be ok for a walk/run on Saturday morning before work. I'm still walking loads, as always, and have no trouble then. My knee is basically fine and my foot has improved greatly although as I mentioned I have thought for a while there is something not quite right there.

My husband's friend and former colleague is an orthopaedic surgeon who was very helpful to my daughter when she had mystery joint pain. Since my husband will be home this weekend we are going to see if his friend can take a look at my foot informally and then take it from there.

I am missing my runs horribly. What a buzz they gave me. Hope to be back out there asap!