HOPE!

Thankfully there is HOPE for my achilles problem! I went to an injury prevention clinic last night through Team in Training where Linda Jannelli from Elite Care Chiropractic Center was speaking to us about running injuries. She specializes in running, is a competitive runner herself, and knew SO MUCH! Of course as she was going through the laundry list of common running injuries I was going check, check! Thankfully when she was through with the lecture we were able to ask her specific questions...she said as a runner there will always be one nagging thing to deal with.

Linda said that my achilles problem most likely stems from my calves being tight and having knots in them, because if you look at the biomechanics of things you question where it stems from- as nothing is just independent. It made a lot of sense, as my calf seized up during a run a week ago Monday and I had been having calf cramps since then from doing too much running on the balls of my feet trying the new chi running, and also having a new orthotic that I didn't necessarily need. She said don't get correctional items if there's no problem- so I was a bit premature getting the superfeet orthotic even though Road Runner Sports recommended it with their Shoe Dog system (I found out later they may tend to over recommend orthotics as a way to get more money with their sneakers, something I'm not too pleased with).

Her "prescription" for me was to get the stick and do some self massage on my calves to get out the knots, RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation), take the orthotic out of my shoes, and put in some heel risers in both sneakers whenever I run until it gets better. And to wear heels to work, which REALLY surprised me since I wear heels about once every 5 months, but she said it'll feel better on my calves. And so I'm wearing my boots with my sweats, which is kind of strange, but if it works, then great! She said that if the pain doesn't go away in a week, then to go to a podiatrist, but her goal is to get us out running again with home remedies, and podiatrists generally have people not use the foot until it's better, with shoe boots etc.

Some other remedies for runners that she recommended-

Get a foam roller, about 12" long for ease of use and ability to travel with it. She recommended rolling along it using your body weight on top of it for momentum every day for about 15 minutes to get all the kinks out, spending more time working out areas that need it. She said to do it all over EXCEPT for your knee.

For your ankles, use a resistance band- sit on a chair, put the center of the band on the ball of your feet with your leg straightened up parallel to the floor. Then flex your foot, then bring it to the right, left and back.

Since as a runner you are strengthening your outer and upper thighs, your inner thighs get neglected and tend to cramp up during a run. She recommended using the abductor machine at the gym, or at home use a basketball between your thighs and squeeze it while watching TV.

She addressed the different sort of running styles and the injuries that came with it- ie pronators, subpronators, etc, and recommended getting a running shoe that addresses your style.

She extolled upon the merits of ice, and says it's a good idea to ice your problem spots as soon as you're done with a run to recover quicker.

The North County Team in Training coach that was there said that if we have pain during any of the runs to stop, and not feel like we have to get our mileage in because that will just exacerbate the injury. He said that since we're not looking to win the marathon, to take it easy and let our injury heal before getting out there again.

I feel so, so much better about my injury and am excited to get out there running again, soon!