A Visit to Dr. Joe

For the first time in 14 seasons of running over the course of 23 years, I admitted defeat in treating myself for an injury and sought the help of a professional. And I'm glad I did too! Thursday afternoon I paid a visit to Dr. Joe Herbert at Wadsworth Chiropractic, co-founder of the Medina County Road Runners. I just couldn't manage to shake the pain radiating from the area of the Superior Extensor Retinaculum of my left leg. He treated that area, along with the muscles and tendons extending up the shin, and also found some tenderness on the inside of the shins of both legs that I wasn't aware I had. Shin splints. I guess when you run long enough with a minor pain you take it for normal and dismiss it.

Now, any runners reading this who have had a case of shin splints know what they feel like. They hurt. Compression feels good, but pressing and poking can be torturous. Dr. Joe practices A.R.T. or Active Release Technique. It's ALL about pressing and poking! From what I understand, the extreme pressure helps to realign the fibers of the injured area promoting healing. From my experience, I know it HURT LIKE HELL! Working the injury I originally went in for was hard and hurt, but when he began working the inside of my shins I thought I was going to start screaming like a little girl. I kid you not. Sweat was beginning to soak my clothes by the time we were done. And I was just sitting there!

After the hard part was done, he hooked me up to an electric-shock-muscle-stimulator-gizmo-with-electrodes-wires-buttons-and-beeps. That thing really got thumping! I'm sitting there watching my toes contract like they had a mind of their own. After turning it down a notch I received 15 minutes of treatment. It wasn't exactly painful, but rather uncomfortable. I needed to constantly check that nothing was laying across my leg as the tips of my toes would repeatedly get that blood-cut-off tingle in them during each cycle.

For all the discomfort I went through on Thursday, I've been enjoying comfort since. I haven't gone for a run yet, but the pain I would get from just walking hasn't returned. Yet. (Knocks on head with knuckles.) Hopefully this was what I needed to get me back in the game. I was beginning to worry about what was going to happen with my schedule this year if I didn't get back on track soon. Scrapping the whole thing wasn't out of the question. So, here's to logging some pain-free miles this weekend. Thanks, Dr. Joe!