Thursday 3 March 2011

Farewell Physio...

Yesterday I said a sad goodbye to Ms Physio. This was not, I hasten to add, because I have suddenly exorcised the curse of Plantar Fasciitis, but because she is leaving. Ms Physio is abandonning me to jet off to Boston (yes, the one in the States), to live and work for the foreseeable future.

I was quite sad when she announced this two weeks ago. I've been seeing her for almost a year, and we've always got on well. We've had some laughs too; I well remember the hilarious time when she zapped my foot with an electric current and made me lose all feeling in my toes. Then there was the fun session when she found a knot in my calf and kneaded it until I thought there was a burning needle in there. And how could I ever forget the numerous sessions of having her push down hard on my back and crack my spine all the way along? Ah, memories...

When I first went to see her, I had calf pain which two previous physios and a sports masseur had failed to help me with. Ms Physio diagnosed it as a nerve problem, rather than muscle, and corrected it in a couple of weeks. Her expertise and friendliness kept me coming back with every niggle. Although she never really cured the Plantar Fasciitis, it is much better now than it was, and I think our sessions were helping.

But I have had a change of thinking this week. After reading some articles about PF and reflecting on friends' and other bloggers' experiences with it, I've concluded that it is a condition to be managed, rather than cured. I don't think it is ever going to completely disappear, so I've just got to deal with it.

To that end I'm dipping my toe back into 'running' water (pun!), with Ms Physio's approval. I started on Wednesday with a mighty 1.5 miles! The reappearance of the sunshine this week has really made me want to go out for a run - so I did. And so far no worsening in the heel. However, having hardly run for 6 months, my legs were more achey after a 15-minute jog than they are after a 60-minute bike ride! It's going to be a long road back to running fitness.



The plan is:
  • only one or two runs a week
  • increase mileage by no more than 15% each run
  • plenty of cross-training
  • ice packs after running; ibuprofen if necessary
  • a firm belief that this will work and I'll get back to where I was!

3 comments:

  1. Good luck managing the PF. I think you are right. Mine is the best it has been since I "got it" so many months ago. I am feeling great.

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  2. I understand your relationship with your physio. Shared pain can bring two people quite close together. I have that type of relationship with mine and with the girl who's been giving me occasional massages. Honestly, her fingers should be registered as lethal weapons.

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  3. That's too bad you have to say goodbye to your physio! I see my osteopath twice a year now and I always look forward to getting "readjusted". But you sound upbeat about moving on and working with your PF. I think we all have some kind of injury or chronic pain that we have to learn to manage - it will probably be a question of finding your mileage threshhold. Good luck!

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