She has a plan...and she knows what she's doing!

Today I had a great experience. I had the experience of getting help for something that has been bothering me for a long time, something that could potentially bring me great joy!

A few years ago, I found a new love, one that I NEVER thought I would find...running! I started out small, just ten minutes on the treadmill one day at the gym and the next thing I knew running was my main form of exercise. The runner's high is something that brings me great joy. When I have just finished a good run, I feel great, I feel like I could do just about anything. I wasn't a marathoner or anything, but I enjoyed getting out and running a few miles a couple of times a week. I had done some 10Ks and was just kicking it up a notch to prep for a half marathon when I started having trouble with my knee.

I was in a car accident about 14 years ago in which my knee got pretty banged up. I, of course, thought this was the cause of my problem. I went to a chiropractor for months of treatment a couple of years ago and then the first time I tried to run again the pain was back. I have a pretty high pain tolerance...30+ hours of labour taught me that, but this pain is tough. I then got pregnant with Rusty and due to doctor's orders could not run at all. I took up swimming and put running on the back burner.

When Rusty was 6 weeks old and I got the go ahead to go back to running I was thrilled! I hadn't run for over a year and couldn't wait to get back out there. Sadly, after just a mile the pain in my knee was so bad that I couldn't even step down on it. I scheduled an appointment with my doctor. She's wonderful and sent me for x-rays, and when they didn't show anything, sent me to a sports medicine specialist. After just a brief visit with me he could tell that I had damaged my patellar tendon and prescribed physiotherapy. He insisted that I see a particular therapist in his building who had a great record with injuries like mine.

Today, I saw her for the first time. I walked into the basement and while it didn't look gorgeous and smelled even worse, I was immediately impressed! The energy in the room was incredible and when Karen, my therapist came over to get me, I noticed that she was working with several other people, all who seemed to know exactly what the plan was and seemed like they had great faith in her abilities. I soon joined them in those thoughts!

After just fifteen minutes with me, she diagnosed the problem. My right hip is weak, which causes my knee to rotate inward when I walk, run, every time I use it basically. She was surprised that I wasn't having pain simply walking! She showed me in a mirror and I was shocked that I had never noticed how badly my knee rotated before. She also showed me how my right tibia bows out slightly...a result of a broken ankle wayyyyyyy back in 8th grade! Who knew! That same broken ankle also caused my right leg to be shorter than my left, causing even more problems. The fact that I had taken up serious running made all of these things come together to create...you guessed it, some MAJOR pain!

I asked if she could help and she said for sure! She feels that I will get back to running, but it's going to be a long haul. I need therapy, and lots of it. We basically have to retrain my right leg to work properly...something that will take hard work on my part. I am determined to do it though. After just an hour and a half of therapy with her today I can already feel the work she did in my leg. I had a series of stretches she put me through that just killed, but I could feel them working. She also really explained things to me...I'm excited about what we are going to do. She gave me some exercises and stretches that I have to do every day, and each week I will be going in to the clinic to work out with her for an hour and a half.

She has warned me that it will be a long while before I can even attempt running but just the thought that it will come again thrills me! It makes my heart beat a little faster and it motivates me to get back to swimming in the meantime, knowing that it will not forever be my sole method of exercise.

She has a plan, she knows what she's doing...I'm thankful for Karen! Hopefully by this time next year I will be back to running full time...maybe even completing that half marathon I started training for a few years ago!