I'm Healed!

......that's what I thought as I was leaving my appointment with the physical therapist on Friday afternoon.  For three weeks I have had pain in my right leg....sometimes a dull pain, sometimes it felt like a pinched nerve and sometimes I couldn't feel anything!  I kept running for the first two weeks until it hurt too bad.  My running partner suggested I go see a physical therapist, but I started wondering if it was all in my head, maybe I was imagining the only-sometimes-there pain.   Then, I must admit, I kept thinking, "What is a physical therapist going to be able to do for me?  Tell me to take some ibuprofen and not run?"  So, I didn't go.  After a week of not running, which honestly felt like a month, I wanted to run, but my leg was still bothering me.  So finally I made an appointment with a physical therapist.

Can I just say, I would like to visit the physical therapist at least once a week!!!  First off, as soon as I started explaining what was happening she thought she knew what the problem was.  I'm thinking, "Who is this lady?  How would you know what's wrong just by me explaining some weird pain in my leg? " Then she felt my hip bones and had me bend and said that she could tell I was out of alignment.  Next she had me lay on my right side and try to push my left leg against her hand....I could hardly do it and was feeling pretty wimpy.  She told me that my entire pelvis had rotated (to the wrong spot) and my left leg had become disfunctional........thus my right leg trying to compensate and bones all in the wrong spots causing some pain.  After that, I really am not sure how she got everything back in place....she was moving my legs around and pushing on my lower back.  Weird, but afterwards, she had me try to push against her with my left leg and WAA LA....I had strength again!!  Then she showed me a bunch of stretches that I need to do before and after I run (I am HORRIBLE about that!).

My next favorite part was that she hooked me up to some electronic heating device by attaching them to my lower back and let me lay there for 10 minutes feeling a nice tiny zap to relax my muscles.  See, why I want to go back.  It was very relaxing and when I walked to my car afterwards, it was the first time in weeks that there was no pain in my leg!! HOORAY!!

I did my stretches this morning and she said I could do a light run.  I only ran a mile and it felt good.  I'm still hoping to be able to run the half marathon, but also a bit nervous that I'll injure myself.  Anyway, I go back on Tuesday to make sure nothing has shifted.  I have a felt a little pain in my leg this afternoon, but I'm wondering if I'm just a bit sore.  I'm thoroughly looking forward to my next appointment.