I bet you've all been wondering where I got to. Aye right. None of you missed me eh? Well let's bring everything up to date. Last time I blogged I had just completed the Great North Run, and had been injured at mile 5.
I'm still injured. I went to the Walk in centre 3 times immediately after the Great North Run although they should have called it the limp in centre. I felt like something was stabbing into the bottom of my foot. I thought maybe I had a stress fracture or something but the nurse practitioner assured me that where the pain was located wouldn't suggest a stress fracture. Eventually my GP arranged an x-ray for me just to be on the safe side and it came back clear so it was obviously soft tissue damage. I thought a bit of a rest and ice and stuff would sort it. So I rested, and iced, and did some basic stretching and got frustrated as September turned into October into November and Christmas arrived with me still sore.
I knew there was a problem with my Achilles' tendon but my foot felt so weird. It was as if I had a tight rubber band across the sole of my foot. The GP arranged for me to see the bio mechanical people at the hospital and although I saw the NHS physio I didn't really get any relief.
When the New Year came I decided to try and run a mile to see what my foot felt like. What a mistake. My Achilles' tendon tightened straight up, the stabbing pain in my foot returned after half a mile and although I finished the mile I limped back home feeling dejected and down.
I needed to do something. Just resting my foot wasn't making a blind bit of difference so after seeking advice about private Physios I booked in for an assessment at Physio plus in Newcastle. Immediately I felt like I was addressing the problem properly. After explaining the symptoms the sports therapist checked my legs in various ways such as stretching to see how flexible both legs were, got me to push against her hands with my feet, or stop her from moving my feet, and standing on one leg.
She gave me a sports massage to loosen my tight calf, which wasn't the most pleasant thing when you are sore. She wasn't 100% sure what was wrong and so made an appointment for me to see the physio to check it wasn't a nerve problem as I could feel pain in my foot when she was massaging my calf.
The following week I went to see Helen, who repeated some of the tests done the week before, massages my very tight left calf,
massaged the sole of my foot and said she could feel tenderness and resistance in it. Then she taped my foot up. I was a bit sceptical that a bit of tape might make any difference but I walked out of the physio's that week a lot easier than I walked in.
The appointments since have seen me have my calf unknotted each week, as it seems to like tightening back up at any given opportunity, some ultrasound, which doesn't hurt, some tens therapy, which while it feels like pins and needles again doesn't hurt and taping of my foot. A diagnosis of plantar fasciitis has been made. My Achilles is also very tight and my calf is obviously a problem
too. I can link it all back to my sore calf after the Jane Tomlinson 10k in Leeds back last July. It goes to show that not getting treated swiftly after an injury can impact massively.
I've also seen the biomechanics department and after a similar assessment I was given orthotics to wear in my shoes, and have to go back in April. Helen the physio has suggested that I ask my GP to make a referal to the foot and ankle specialist at the local hospital to see what they believe the best treatment is for my foot as it isn't resounding very quickly to treatment and it continuously feels like two steps forward and one step back.
I have no return date set for running yet. We have to get to a point where I can walk comfortably without pain before I can even think about that. I have found it very hard to motivate myself and have been frustrated and even depressed about this injury. I used running as a way of dealing with my stress, and seeing others progressing while I have no light at the end of the tunnel is hard.
I'm now watching 10k's come up which I should be running but can't. The North Tyneside 10k is at the end of March and I have no hope of doing that. The Blaydon Race which I ended like a drowned rat last year is only 3 months away. It's very frustrating to not know if I'll be running any time soon.
