Verdict & Plan

I visited another physiotherapist last night for a second opinion. I saw Jordan last year during my injury then and he was the one who suggested the treatment plan that allowed me to recover, so it made sense for me to reach out to him this time around.

The verdict:
I am more flexible now than I was last year. Yay! Though this may be a product of going to physio three times in the last 10 days.

I didn't do anything "wrong" with my training plan. Double Yay! This is not an overuse injury.

The problem:
The pounding of running causes my nerves to splinter and become irritated. The muscles guard the nerves to protect them. Then my back seizes up and all the joints in my back harden and compress the discs further on the nerves. And it goes around and around in a cycle. The remaining good news is that this is treatable, not just in the short term, but I can "undo" it with hard work over the long term. What that involves, I have no idea.

The plan:
I'm going to run the half marathon on Sunday. I ran a test run today of 5K and there was some discomfort, but no pain. I never stopped running and it didn't change my gait. It went in waves of no discomfort to more discomfort, and each subsequent wave was less uncomfortable than the previous one. The worst that could happen during the race is that I have to bail partway through, but then at least I tried.

I'm switching physiotherapists. Unfortunately my current one isn't the right match for my situation. I have a consult next week with a new physio that has been recommended to me by a couple of different people.

I want to thank everyone for their encouragement and support. This has been one helluva rollercoaster ride and it isn't over yet!