I was pretty sure how that appointment would go: he'd take a good look at my leg, ask me some questions, determine he could not tell what the problem was, and refer me to an orthopedist. It's a little dance the two of us have done before, and sure enough, that's exactly what happened this time. The only things that were different were that he gave me a prescription for some pain meds... and that his nurse misunderstood me when I said I ran a half marathon. Apparently she took that to mean that I ran half of a marathon; that is, that I tried to run a marathon, hurt my leg, and only ran half of it.
If that's not a strong argument for re-naming that race, I don't know what is.
So, I spent Monday through today hobbling along. The leg has gotten a bit better every day, but I still look pretty pitiful. I was really eager to see the orthopedist today and find out what was what.
They started out by doing an x-ray of my leg. Then, I met with the doctor and she asked me some good questions about my injury, how long it had been bothering me, how severe the pain was, and how many miles I run at any given time.
She showed me my x-ray and said that she is 95% sure that it is not a stress fracture. Without a bone scan, she can't tell for sure, but evidence is that it is instead a stress reaction.
I know: stress reaction sounds totally made up. But I got a second opinion from Dr. Google. He explains that it is a trauma to the bone that doesn't actually fracture it. Silly name, bona-fide injury common in the tibia in distance runners.
So, here's the plan: no running for a while, though biking and swimming and the like are fine. Gradual return to running. I invest in a pair of orthotics. And I am also investigating the possibility of some physical therapy to build strength.
It's sad to be injured, but I know it could be a lot worse. And come next spring, I'll be back and ready to race more half marathons.
7 comments:
Sorry that you are injured but at least you caught it early enough that it didn't become a fracture. Hope you heal fast and be hitting the road soon.
Good luck with the recovery. You must be relieved to know that you can still be active, even if you need to lay off the running for a bit.
Until very recently, my mother thought the same thing about half-marathons . . . That I signed up for a marathon, ran to the half way point, and then called it quits! I laughed so hard when I realized that.
Wow, this happened to my running buddy, too. Hope you're feeling better soon.
Oh no! Injuries like that are the worst because they're so conflicting. You feel like, I'm not in a cast, so I'm a wuss for not running. When really, you're not because if you run they you really WILL be in a cast. It sounds like you have a good recovery plan. Feel better soon!
Ugh! So sorry to hear this. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Poor girl! Rest up and you'll be back before you know it!
That sucks about the stress reaction. I'm seeking out a physical therapist also to balance my business out.
Congrats on the one-legged ass-kicking trisko though!
Post a Comment