Injuries?

[tink65]

Hey there,

I have been having a terrible run of bad luck with injuries! March 2010 I stepped in a hole and tore 3 ligaments in my ankle. Fast forward to sometime around June 2010...started having alot of pain in my right tibia. Finally went to DR mid August.....2 stress fractures. Out of commission until the middle of December! Started back running slow & easy. My leg never really felt "right". I started to have alot of numbness, tingling and pain while trying to get over the stress fractures. I waited 3 months thinking it was just taking time to get back to normal. Finally went to DR today and guess what? He thinks I may have a herniated disc! Have an MRI scheduled Monday. Anyone else ever had a herniated disc? How did they treat it? Thanks!

 

[Frau Farbissina]

I haven't had that but I am dealing with an injury right now which is keeping me from running and making me reconsider if I want to go back when I can, so I feel your pain.

Good luck to you. I hope everything works out.

 

[tink65]

I haven't had that but I am dealing with an injury right now which is keeping me from running and making me reconsider if I want to go back when I can, so I feel your pain.

Good luck to you. I hope everything works out.

It's sad to say but I know exactly how you feel about going back! I love running and feel likes it such a part of who I am but............ I just can't seem to stay injury free! My DH & DD and my friends have all told me that I may have to give it up.

Good luck to you too! I hope that your recovery is swift and complete!

 

[lukacseven]

Hey there,

I have been having a terrible run of bad luck with injuries! March 2010 I stepped in a hole and tore 3 ligaments in my ankle. Fast forward to sometime around June 2010...started having alot of pain in my right tibia. Finally went to DR mid August.....2 stress fractures. Out of commission until the middle of December! Started back running slow & easy. My leg never really felt "right". I started to have alot of numbness, tingling and pain while trying to get over the stress fractures. I waited 3 months thinking it was just taking time to get back to normal. Finally went to DR today and guess what? He thinks I may have a herniated disc! Have an MRI scheduled Monday. Anyone else ever had a herniated disc? How did they treat it? Thanks!

Depends on the disk...I've been diagnosed with 3 herniated disks in my back and 2 in my neck. Been dealing with it for about 18 years. My lower back has actually improved since I started running about 6 years ago. I spent years going to a chiropractor and was pain free for many years as a result. I had a flare up in the fall of 2009 and went through alot of treatment. I find that stretching my hamstrings really good after a run helps alot with the lower back. I still have some problems, but it's limited to stiffness, mostly in the morning. I've been working with TP Therapy, which helps relieve any issues quickly if I have a problem. I also started running with a midfoot/forefoot strike over 4 years ago. I fell like that eliminates the pounding on my back.

As for the neck, it will probably require surgery. It affects a nerve, which causes migranes and pain/numbness down my arm, sometimes my sinuses and vision. Again, something I've learned to deal with. I ice it and lay down if it gets bad. Unlike my back issues, this can be triggered alot easier, simply by sitting or sleeping the wrong way. The positive thing is that running does not cause or contribute to the severity of the problems.

 

[Mystic]

It's sad to say but I know exactly how you feel about going back! I love running and feel likes it such a part of who I am but............ I just can't seem to stay injury free! My DH & DD and my friends have all told me that I may have to give it up.

Good luck to you too! I hope that your recovery is swift and complete!

For the stress fractures, here's some tips to help prevent further issues. As much as you may not like it, train on a tread mill. It will help cut down on the impact of the road, and only do races on the road. This is what my orthopedic doctor told me after my 3 (yes 3!) stress fractures 2 years ago. 2nd, look at your shoes. Do you have the right type of shoes for your type of foot. I have extremely flat feet so I roll my foot in so I have to have a shoe that is wide with almost no arch in it and that has a rollbar in it for support. Third thing, and this is coming directly from Jeff Galloway, who I was lucky enough to get some direct input from. How long are you running for? Do you run straight through or do you run in run/walk/run intervals? Jeff told me one of the biggest causes of my stress fractures was that I was running in too great of an interval. I was trying to do a 10 minute run interval with a 1 minute walk interval. He told me that was way too big a run interval for me and given the fact that I got 3 stress fractures (I had two in my right leg and 1 in my left - my right leg had to have a cast on it for 2 months) was indicative of that fact. He told me I needed to doing intervals of run 30 seconds/walk 30 seconds or even run 1 minute/walk 1 minute, in order to say injury free. I've taken his advice to heart and I've managed to stay injury free and my legs haven't felt stronger. I am currently training at the run 1/walk 1 minute interval. I recently did a 5K run 3 weeks after gallbladder surgery and I have a 10K coming up in 3 weeks and last week, which is a month after my surgery, I comfortably complete 4.5 miles doing run 1/walk 1 minute intervals.

As for your back, I don't have much advice other than to rest it when you can but maybe slowing your running pace down might help. Also have you tried taking up yoga? Yoga is great for runners. It helps stretch out your muscles and helps build the muscles that get overlooked. It will also help you find out which stretches are right for you to do after your runs. Also a good yoga instructor will be able to help you pinpoint stretches that will help you ease any tension in your back that will be causing you pain.

 

[tink65]

For the stress fractures, here's some tips to help prevent further issues. As much as you may not like it, train on a tread mill. It will help cut down on the impact of the road, and only do races on the road. This is what my orthopedic doctor told me after my 3 (yes 3!) stress fractures 2 years ago. 2nd, look at your shoes. Do you have the right type of shoes for your type of foot. I have extremely flat feet so I roll my foot in so I have to have a shoe that is wide with almost no arch in it and that has a rollbar in it for support. Third thing, and this is coming directly from Jeff Galloway, who I was lucky enough to get some direct input from. How long are you running for? Do you run straight through or do you run in run/walk/run intervals? Jeff told me one of the biggest causes of my stress fractures was that I was running in too great of an interval. I was trying to do a 10 minute run interval with a 1 minute walk interval. He told me that was way too big a run interval for me and given the fact that I got 3 stress fractures (I had two in my right leg and 1 in my left - my right leg had to have a cast on it for 2 months) was indicative of that fact. He told me I needed to doing intervals of run 30 seconds/walk 30 seconds or even run 1 minute/walk 1 minute, in order to say injury free. I've taken his advice to heart and I've managed to stay injury free and my legs haven't felt stronger. I am currently training at the run 1/walk 1 minute interval. I recently did a 5K run 3 weeks after gallbladder surgery and I have a 10K coming up in 3 weeks and last week, which is a month after my surgery, I comfortably complete 4.5 miles doing run 1/walk 1 minute intervals.

As for your back, I don't have much advice other than to rest it when you can but maybe slowing your running pace down might help. Also have you tried taking up yoga? Yoga is great for runners. It helps stretch out your muscles and helps build the muscles that get overlooked. It will also help you find out which stretches are right for you to do after your runs. Also a good yoga instructor will be able to help you pinpoint stretches that will help you ease any tension in your back that will be causing you pain.

Now don't shoot me...........I don't take walk breaks! I run 4 miles with no breaks. Or, I should say I used to run 4 miles with no stops! Now, I have to. The numbness, pain, and tingling in my leg forces me too. I want to do the Wine & Dine 1/2 on October 1st and have been looking at Jeff Galloway's training method to get ready for it. Shoes are good. I get fitted at a local running specialty store. I don't have a treadmill. Maybe that's an investment I need to make! Got good news on the MRI. No herniated discs. Bad news.....compressed nerve or nerves somewhere in my leg. Tomorrow I have an electromyograph (EMG) to see about the nerves in my leg. Very frustrating! I do mat pilates to help stretch. Will have to check out the yoga. Good luck in your 10K. It sounds like you are running/training smart. I need to listen!