Don’t jump to conclusions; you or your pra

It’s been a painful three months, in more ways than one.

For the past three months I have been injured, let’s at the moment say I have been suffering from a tenacious Achilles tendon problem.

Symptoms: Swollen and inflamed right lower leg just above the heel. Pain, at the point where involuntary limping occurred after resting for any period, severe tightness of the Achilles [area] and some discomfort during running but more painful after resting.

Diagnosis 1 [Recommended Physio]: Achilles tendinopathy

Treatment: One month of physio and ultra-sound treatment with accompanying stretching and strengthening exercises.

Restrictions: No competitive running.

Results: No change.

Diagnosis 2 [Recommended Acupuncturist]: Achilles tendinopathy

Treatment: One month of twice weekly acupuncture and herbal poultice.

Restrictions: No competitive or hard running.

Results: No change.

Diagnosis 3 [Self-administered]: Assumed the last two were correct

Treatment: One entire month without a single run. The ensuing period of inactivity beingone month was entirely coincidental as I had banned myself from running until there was absolutely no pain or tightness in my Achilles.

Results:

One very grumpy old man.

At the point where I was satisfied that things were back to a state of equilibrium I ventured out for my first tentative run, as a considerably less fit individual. My first run was a highly pleasing nine kilometres of jogging that gradually increased through the gears to a satisfying above easy effort. Pain free, and only laboured by my loss of condition. A day of rest before my second run, at my local track, a somewhat slower than normal session of four-hundred repeats, again a little laboured but promisingly pain free. Day fours run was to be an easy ten, things didn’t bode well as my Achilles [ankle area] felt tight and immobile. After around two-kilometres the increased stiffness was beginning to turn to a slight pain. Unusually for me, I saw sense, I aborted my run for fear of further damage being caused.

Back to Physio, this time, back to my local Banting branch of MyPhysioWorks where I spelled out my woes to the wonderful Alice, who, after a thorough examination, pronounced the following

Diagnosis 4: My trouble stems from a muscle problem in my lower back.

The muscle problem has caused me to change my gait in such a way that I have displaced my left hip slightly. This displacement has caused some minor muscle damage in my left calf which in turn has made me increase the dependence on my right leg creating a disparity in the muscle strength of my inner and outer right calf. This disparity has caused my right foot to turn in and consequently lose mobility and impinge on the a nerve in my ankle. That is what has been causing the inflammation, pain and stiffness.

Well who would have thought it!

I don’t blame either of the two previous practitioners, as Alice said “If it had not been for the lack of success shown by your other treatments I doubt I would have looked any further than the obvious”

Let us now hope that with the treatment being targeted to the correct area I will be back soon.

Thought for the day: Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'