A visit to the physio

[vikicats]

So yesterday I went to see the physio. This is a first for me. Lovely bloke. First he looked at the front of my legs then the back and repeated a couple of times. Then he had a look at my knee. Bent my leg, stretched it, poked and prodded my knee and generally caused pain and discomfort.

Anyway the good news is is that it isn't anything too major. Apparently I have torn my medial collateral ligament. This is also linked to the fact I have tight hamstrings and calf muscles and overpronation of my left ankle. The physio has given me some exercises to do to stretch my muscles and some felt to put in my running shoes. He advised caution when I talked about gait analysis.

The good news is that he said I could try running from middle of next week but suggested I took it easy and started off with run/walk sessions.

Viki

[Fingalo Graduate]

Glad to hear it Viki.

Out of interest, was his caution of gait analysis a general thing or just in cases such as yourself?

[vikicats Graduate in reply to Fingalo]

He said you can quite easily be taken for a lot of money if you are not careful when in some cases all you might need is some felt to lift one side of your foot.

[Fingalo Graduate in reply to vikicats]

I bet. I asked because although I've been told I over pronate and need supported shoes, the ones I have are so comfortable and I have no injury issues that I prefer to find out as much as i can before I commit, that said, the girl in the shop was very nice and wasn't trying to push the most expensive models at me. Once I've read a bit more I'll probably have to dump 'Old Faithfuls' though as I understand that I'm injury free after only a few weeks means little and I don't want to do long term damage.

Thanks for the reply.

[swanscot Graduate in reply to Fingalo]

Rather than just the cost of shoes, I'd imagine he was referring to the cost of custom-made orthotic insoles.

[Fingalo Graduate in reply to swanscot]

Sounds as if you know a bit about the subject Swanny, any sites you can recommend I should check out for info on shoes? I'm reading The Runner's Handbook at the mo and the next chapter is on them but you can never have enough knowledge when making a choice.

[vikicats Graduate in reply to Fingalo]

I think is like to look at that book Fingalo. Who's the author please?

[Fingalo Graduate in reply to vikicats]

Bob Glover.

Some more recommendations on this on a Question I asked previously:

couchto5k.healthunlocked.co...

[vikicats Graduate in reply to Fingalo]

Thanks, I'll have a look. Have already got a few but once you're bitten by the bug ...

[swanscot Graduate in reply to Fingalo]

No, not really. All I know is a hiking friend's teenage son needed custom orthotics for his walking boots. I believe they cost a lot. For him, they were a necessity and one time they drove 100s of miles for a long weekend backpacking, only to discover he had forgotten to pack them! They had to shorten their planned trip as he would have suffered too much without them.

[swanscot Graduate in reply to Fingalo]

The Sports Physio I visited asked me on my first visit if I had undergone gait analysis before buying my running shoes. She praised the staff in the local running shop where I had got mine done, so she obviously believes it to be a 'good thing' and believes they are professional in their approach.

When I had my gait analysis done, the staff member showed my my running style on the video shot of me on the treadmill. I tend to under-pronate a little, but my Achilles straightens by the time the whole of my foot has touched the ground and they said neutral shoes were fine for me.

The physio agreed with this assessment.

[vikicats Graduate in reply to swanscot]

I am still planning on having gait analysis done but I will be cautious. Most people seem to think it is a good idea and have found it useful. Hopefully as long as I use a reputable company I should be ok.

[Genome911 Graduate]

Wow- you get to go back soon! I'll bet that's a relief! Do you use foam rollers in the UK? Have you tried one? You probably would have to ask your physio first, but a foam roller is commonly used in the US by running coaches and physios alike. It provides deep tissue myofascial release which may prevent and treat injuries to soft tissues, especially helpful for knees and hamstrings, but also quads, calves and back.

Here's a link to a video demonstration (ads, sorry- you might be able to find one without advertisements by doing an internet search):

runnersworld.com/running-ti...

and here's a good one to buy should you be interested (cheap ones don't work well!):

amazon.com/SPRI-36-Inch-Hig...

Good luck with your injury!

[vikicats Graduate in reply to Genome911]

I do have a foam roller. Thanks for the links, I'll take a look at them.

[SBG356 Graduate]

Sounds horrid Viki but looks like you won't be out of action for too long thank goodness. I am getting a foam roller delivered today and looking forward to getting to grips with it

Sue

[Fingalo Graduate]

Thanks Swans.