Have you
heard of Tennis elbow? Sure!! What about a runner's knee??
With my
little experience with running I never thought an injury can keep me away from
exercising and mainly running for that long! After I made an ambitious New Year
resolution, my left knee started to hurt from outside. I thought 1 or 2 days of
rest will do the work and I will be back on my feet running.. i wish it was
true!!
January 1st
after running a nice 8 km with Running Repel on the Lint “ New Year Run” , my knee
situation went only downhill.
The next day
I couldn’t walk the stairs but also I couldn’t walk at all without pain!!! This
is really a nightmare for a girl who is so ambitious as I am!! I stayed
positive and kept convincing myself it will go away and I will be ready to run
Egmond HM on 8th of January, Unfortunatelly Egmond has to wait another
year! I decided to see a physiotherapist just to have a look and to reassure me
that it is nothing serious and that the pain will go away in couple of days!
Well I definitely heard what I didn't want to hear. He said I am suffering from
Iliotibial Band Syndome (ITB).
What is ITB,
I have never heard of it!
The
iliotibial band, is a connective tissue sheet that runs along the outside
(lateral) thigh. It connects to the crest of the pelvis (where you would
put your hands if I said put your hands on your hips) to the shin bone (tibia)
just below the knee. The IT band's anatomy is complex but it's main job is
to stabilize the knee. Most people are blissfully unaware of the IT band's existence
until it starts giving them pain: iliotibial band syndrome.
The syndrome typically gives pain on the lateral aspect of the knee,
especially if running downhill or walking downstairs. Other than a sprain, the pain
is on the outside of the knee, so it makes diagnosis pretty easy. At the
upper outer thigh, the ITB passes over the greater trochanter, which is a bony
prominence of the femur close to the hip joint. If the ITB is tight it may rub
against the greater trochanter and give upper "hip" pain.
I thought
maybe physio # 1 didn't know what he was talking about because I was still
hoping I could hear the answer I wanted to hear...so I decided to have a second
opinion but Physio # 2 gave me the same answer!!! With a big disappointment I
started a little bit to accept the idea but as stubborn as I am I really had to
go to physio # 3 for a last opinion, maybe he had something else to tell me. Of
course nothing new came from Physio # 3. From that moment the idea of resting
and not running started to grow in my little head.
It has been
over 30 days without running and that
was hard just because when you enjoy something so much it is always hard to
stop doing it! Running has taught me about myself, it has pushed my limits , tested
and proved my work ethic, my dedication, my will and resiliency. It made me
stronger and developed my character it has also given me more than normal
amount of time of serious introspection time.
Running mainly brings peace and
happiness to my life as well as pain - but the
pain brings appreciation and growth.
Yes,
I am aware that running isn't the only activity in existence that can bring
this to a person, but it has been a very effective source in my life, and I
think it can be for most people.
Since last week I am allowed to start building up my running but I haven’t managed
to run more than 30 min without pain. I am appreciating every minute I can run…
On Sunday 12/2 I Will have to miss
another race “Schoorl’ . I am a bit disappointed but I have a lifetime in front
of me to run races and be a fast runner! For now I will be enjoying a nice
relaxing weekend with my family in Schoorl and on Sunday I will be cheering up
for my TL friends!
Pain is temporary,
It may last a minute,
Or an hour ,
Or a day,
Or a year ,
But eventually it will subside and something else will take its
place.
If I quit, however,it last forever .
(Lance
Armstrong)
and wade through a pool of mud, 
