A slap in the face

Still singing the injured ankle blues, unfortunately.  I felt pretty good after the adjustment the podiatrist did.  I I ran on it the next day, then that Sunday, and I was a little sore.  I called her and her staff relayed messages back and forth between me and the doctor.  She said it was normal to have soreness after the adjustment.  So, why didn't she tell me I needed to rest for a week or something?  Instead, she tells me it's ok to run, and I'm wondering if I'm hurting myself even more!  After Sunday's run, I stayed off of it till Thursday.  The funny thing is, I was having this little funny feeling in my ankle the day before and the day of my run.  I decided to run Thursday anyways, then I ran Friday, did Zumba Saturday, and ran Sunday again.  Four days in a row of physical activity.  I think it was a little too much, lol.  Today it was pretty sore behind the ankle.  I'm hoping it will be a little better because I plan to run tomorrow morning.  Here I am still wondering if I should just stay off of it for a while, but then I only have 11 weeks till the Charleston Distance Run.  I may have to forget about this race this year, which is devastating for me to think about, but if I can't do it then there's no reason to push for a faster recovery than I'm capable of.

I went back to the physical therapist.  The same guy who saw me free the first two times.  I told him I wanted to be a paying customer this time, so he doesn't get in trouble.  He said ok, and he did a full workup on me.  He even had another physical therapist take a look at me.  At this point, the other PT just starts ripping me to shreds, lol.  My left hip is weaker than my right hip, and this is what's causing my ankle problem, because other muscles are trying to compensate for the weakness.  My core is weak.  All my leg muscles are tight, which prevents my running form from being at his full potential.  My upper torso tightens up when I run.  I arch my back and throw my hips back when I walk and run, and that is just wrong.  At this point, I'm thinking holy cow, how do I even get through a day by myself, lol??  I had not one single problem last year and now I apparently don't know how to run or walk, haha.  They gave me strengthening and stretching exercises to do, and I'm supposed to go back this coming Thursday.  Apparently, the shoes may have been the culprit, but I would've eventually developed a problem sooner or later, according to the PT.  I'm just really overwhelmed at the fact that these measley little exercises are supposed to transform me into a better runner and cure me.  The last few days, I have really focused on keeping my hips forward when standing and walking.  It's really hard teaching yourself to stand and walk differently.  Something that you never had to think about, now you have to think about all day long.

I am just venting, lol.  I am taking this seriously.  I really love my physical therapist(s), and I understand what they are telling me.  Under all the whining, I am determined to beat this and to get stronger.  It's just really hard to hear that something you do so naturally has been wrong your whole life, lol.  I just want my ankle to heal so I can run like everybody else.  I miss it so much, it tears me up inside.

And all this because some new stinking Asics and a treadmill........

Peroneal Tendon Subluxation??

Say what? Peroneal tendon (the tendon running behind the ankle and up the side of the fibula) subluxation (a partial dislocation).  That's right!  My peroneal tendon somehow decided it didn't like living in its nice little home and ventured off to cause all kinds of ruckus in my ankle/achilles area.  How ridiculous is that?  What did I ever do to you, PT?  I have suffered 3 months with this crazy injury, hoping it would heal up with some rest from running and light cross training.  Stupid me.  I saw a physical therapist a couple times, who helped me alleviate much of the pain through stretching.  But, I knew there was something else wrong going on in there.  I booked an appointment with a local podiatrist, Dr. Carrie Lakin.  Her staff was very nice and got me in the same week I called because there was a cancellation.   

I went in and gave all my history to Dr. Lakin's nurse.  I explained where the pain was and how it began the day I ran in a new pair of shoes on a treadmill.  I explained how it didn't hurt during running, but would kill me the next day.  How if I rested, it seemed to get better, but was always bothering me.  Dr. Lakin came in and listened to my story, watched me walk down the hall a few times, moved my foot around a little, then told me what she thought.  She told me that when I walk, I come inward on my big toes.  She said that I probably had peroneal tendon subluxation and that sometimes that tendon slips out of place.  She also said that because of my mechanics, I was a little more prone for this to happen.  I guess the new stiff shoes on the treadmill just pushed me over the edge.  Then, she told me what she was going to do to fix it!

She said a colleague from another state told her about a manuever a few years ago, and then she saw it in a podiatry journal the next year.  She told me she was going to push on my fibula, pull down on my foot, then dorsiflex my foot, and that if it worked we should hear a sound.  It all happened so fast, I didn't know what to think!  Sure enough, she did the 3-step move, and sure enough, there was the clunk sound!  When we heard the sound, we looked at each other with wide eyes, lol, like we were shocked it worked.  She told me I could run and see how it felt, and that if it happened again I could come back and she would fix me.  She said she could make me an insert if I needed it.  I saw the doctor for less than 10 minutes, I paid $120, and went home.

My ankle definitely felt weird the rest of the day.  But, I could tell that the pressure and tightness in my ankle and along the tendon was gone.  There is still a little soreness and tightness in my achilles, but I believe I am fixed!  I ran with my best friend, Becca, yesterday.  She is a Zumba instructor and just had a baby about 3 months ago.  I talked her into starting a Couch to 5k program, although she is no couch potato!  I started her off on week 3.  She is doing so great!  I decided that I should run with her so that I ease myself back into running and don't do too much too fast.  I was a little sore today, so I took the day off.  We are supposed to start on Week 4 tomorrow.  I just need to be sure and stretch really well, and I think I will heal up nicely.  I have heard of this being a recurring problem for some people.  I hope that is not the case for me.  Hopefully, my tendon will stay in its home and behave itself!

Picture courtesy of https://www.northcoastfootcare.com/footcare-info/tendonitis.html