This has been a long time coming, physical therapy was inevitable. I first wrote about my Plantar Fascitis in my left foot leading to pain in my right Achilles over a year ago. I finally went to the doctor and as one of the trainers at Orange Theory Fitness said, “it’s about damn time!”
I want to say a quick thank you to everyone following the blog and interacting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A reader who’s a physical therapist (and long time family friend) messaged me recommending I see someone.
That outside voice prompted me to seek getting the help I need. Thank you for the support and caring!
In full disclosure, event after she messaged me, waited a month. I needed to get immunizations for an upcoming over seas trip for work, and I asked they check out the Achilles while there.
I think I procrastinated for so long out of fear I would need surgery, and I hoped it would just go away. Plus, the pain never got intolerable and hindered my daily life. Still, it’s stupid and I should know better.
Either way, I finally did it and it immediately eased my mind. So now begins a new recovery period.
Beginning Treatment
At my first physical therapy session, he pokes, prodded, and stretched to determine the underlying cause of injury and to make a plan of attack.
I’ve speculated over the past year what could be the cause of the pain, turns out I was correct about EVERYTHING. Everything I speculated and a few extra surprises contribute to the nagging pain.
- Weak & Tight Calves: My primary focus.
- I’ve written countless times the link between Achilles pain and calf tightness. I need to get them stronger and I need to keep them loose.
- Walking/Running Form: I walk with my feet pointed outward. This is something that I’ve done all my life and apparently. The twisting motion adds unnecessary stress.
- After discussing with my mom, she reminded me I wore inserts in my shoes as a child. I thought I wore the inserts to correct my flat feet, but apparently also meant to correct pointing my feet out.
- I need to break 33 years of habit, not an easy task! I’ve caught myself doing this while brushing my teeth, doing chores, and everything in between. I even sit with my legs pointed outward when I’m on the couch!
- I need to teach the muscles to move the correct way and focus when stretching. I’m going to reduce the weight/intensity at the gym to focus on my form and break those lifelong habits
- Hip Strength: Hips are part of the chain. Lower leg injuries affect the mid leg, which affects the hip alignment. The reverse is also true: if hip movement isn’t correct, it can lead to funky knee movements and unnecessary strain in the lower leg region.
- This isn’t a primary focus, but there could stand to be improvement.
- Core Strength: This coincides with hip strength. My core needs work, time to do planks!
- Flexibility: Having a full range of motion helps pretty much every physical activity. Plus, it decreases the risk of more injuries.
The good news is I don’t need surgery or any kind of operation. The bad news, I have a LOT of work ahead of me. Why in the world would I ever think it would be easy?
A surprising thing that did NOT come up was my weight. I always figured the injury will never fully heal until I drop more weight. I think I was just rationalizing any excuse to not get it checked out, it’s silly and it’s really dumb of me.
Moving Forward
My new daily routine now has the addition of stretching the calves, legs, IT band, and hips. Then do exercises he taught me daily to strengthen the calves and hips.
I know initially the discomfort will get worse, but it’s a necessary evil so my body can build up strength in the muscle, tendon, and connective tissue.
What I thought a year ago was going to just be a bump in the road turned into massive potholes similar to after winter here in Chicago. It’s time to put in the work and ACTIVELY work through this physical therapy to get myself to where I need to be.
I absolutely can not wait to push myself at the gym and on the pavement and not have the lingering thought in the back of my mind, “am I pushing too hard? Am I going to hurt tomorrow?” That will make all this very much worth it.
I’ll keep you up to date as I progress through the rest of my treatment.