I hope I have turned the corner this week on the road to recovery.
I stayed with the cross training much of the week. I also, made it through two spin classes. But the “breakthrough” came Thursday evening.
In Dr. Tim Noakes book, Lore of Running, he states the only cure he has found for chronic muscle tears is cross-frictions. According to Noakes, “A better term would be crucifixions, because nothing, not even the runner’s toughest race ever, is as painful as cross-frictions applied, however gently, to a chronic muscle tear.”
Noakes goes on to say, “Most chronic muscle tears respond rapidly to a few sessions of cross-frictions. The treatment is correct if the pain while running becomes gradually less so that progressively greater distances can be covered.”
When I went to see my doctor and I described the issue, he said that the problem could be on either side of my knee. But because the discomfort was below my knee, that is where both he and the orthopedist focused.
The orthopedist got the diagnosis correct but did not even try to locate the site of the tear or knot.
After reading Noakes, last weekend, I called a massage therapist who had been recommended by several of my friends. I was disappointed to learn that the earliest she could see me was a month away.
When I got home from the Y Tuesday evening, I had a message to call the massage therapist an appointment slot had opened up.
Thursday evening I met Eva Su. She is a marathoner and understands runners. Perfect. After describing my saga, she said she wanted to check out the hamstring in addition to the calf. It took her only a minute to find the trigger point and, believe me, Noakes got the description correct! The knot was in the hamstring about 3 to 4 inches from my knee.
By the time Eva finished, the knot was gone and my leg was sore, but it was a good sore. She told me my leg would be sore for a few days but if it was not too sore, to try and run on Friday. She also said that there was some swelling in that area and that I might need to ice it down after each run in this training cycle.
Friday afternoon, I spend a little while stretching and then ran an easy 5 miles. It felt like I had new legs. Toward the end of the run my right leg was tightening up but nothing like in the past few weeks.
When I got home, I applied ice most of the evening.
Saturday morning, I spent time stretching, and then ran 8 miles. There was some tightness, but improvement. Again, I iced my leg.
Today is a rest day, I just plan to do some stretching. I figured it would be good to recover from the two runs and the week of cross training.
My doctor was right. The problem could be on either side of the knee. We just focused on the wrong side.
Tomorrow is the test, but I am encouraged.
