Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Injury post #1

Two days ago on Monday October 17th, 2016, I was diagnosed with osteitis pubis. I'm starting this blog for a couple of reasons, but mainly because next month when I'm all depressed because I still can't run, I want to be able to look back and see how far I've come.  There will also be some longer stuff and some of the pictures I've been taking.

10/17/16 - 2.74 miles of run/walk with Kathryn and Greg, total of two miles running. This was likely my last run for a while. Kathryn is recovering from a really nasty case of acute plantar fasciitis and this was her fourth run/walk session since Tenex surgery last month. It was a good last run for me - she's optimistic and getting stronger with every session, and we stopped before my groin started hurting too much. She went off to work and I went to see Dr Cutter.

Osteitis pubis is degeneration or inflammation of the pelvic bone around the pubic symphysis, which is the cartilage that sits in the middle of your groin and separates the two sides of your pelvis. It's caused (in athletes) by a muscle injury or stress fracture. In my case, the x-ray shows problems on my left side.  I'll be posting more about this later.


His tech recommended no exercise at all, but any runners out there will understand why this was not an option. She amended her recommendation to avoid anything that hurts. I will need clarification on this when I go for a follow up Friday. Distance runners have their own scale and definitions for what hurts.


10/18/16 - 40 minutes of aquajogging at SwimRVA. I got myself a 10-visit pass. I'm hoping I'll be able to go once a week, but it's possible that after Friday's MRI and followup that I'll find I need to hold off on this for a while.

I did aquajogging once before - I was at peak fitness a few weeks before Erie Marathon, and honestly it didn't feel like much of a workout. My fitness level now is much lower now after five weeks of very limited running. It was a much better workout this time.

Back to the runner's definition of pain - I could feel some discomfort when I used a full range of motion in my legs. Is that what the tech meant by pain? I stayed conservative and kept my kicks much smaller and tighter.


10/19/16 - Strength workout with Kathryn at the Y. She went to Munford beforehand for her run/walk session (up to three miles total in 30 minutes! Woohoo!!) while I slept in a bit.

For the last few months my hips have been really tight. I haven't run now (except for Monday's run/walk) for four days. My hips are much looser than they've been for a long time. The downside is that all that tightness was keeping my groin from moving around much, and now that it's moving it's a lot more sore. It woke me up last night every time I rolled over.

There are a lot of exercises I'm assuming are a bad idea right now - anything with lateral stress on my hips, anything that activates my deep abs and anything where my legs move independently. This rules out side planks, Russian twists and leg lifts. Kathryn has others she can't do yet, so we're on the lookout for exercises that don't overly stress the heel or the groin.


Right now I'm alternating between optimism - this has been building for a while and I'm pretty sure it has affected my performance for most of the summer. Fixing it will fix a bunch of stuff that's been bothering me for a long time - and feeling really down. Down has been winning lately, and having to wait until Friday to learn more has been really tough.

1 comment:

  1. Kit, I'm sorry to hear about your injury but glad that you're on track for recovery - even if that means some [very tough] non-running time. You'll be back stronger than ever soon! I'll be thinking about you and sending good vibes your way.

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