Coming Back From Injury

nlm1980

I am new to running. 6 months and I got a bit enthusiastic and did too much all of a sudden and injured my lower leg (flexor digitorum longus says the physio). I only missed like 10 days. The physio got it back right and I went back to gym for a week and did my desired distance of 5km on cross trainer and stretched just as the physio told me. I then ran a mile and a half on grass and it felt fine and then did a 5km road run very steady (30min) and now I am crippled again.
Must i go back to walking and build up again over the summer or wot. I am so disappointed. I know the inital injury is my fault but I spent the cost of 3 physio sessions gettig back right and doing my stretches etc and i feel im going backwards fast.
What will I do???

Racing Flat

These tendonopathy type problems (if it's an FDL problem, it's more than likely a tendonopathy thype of problem but obviously go with your physiotherapist on this), like most other injuries are not either fixed or injured, but it's a bit of a continuum, going from being injured to less injured, starting to get better, nearly better, better. So it's not an exact science. You can't just be told 'Go back on this date and you'll be fine'. It's a bit of trial and error and at that, often 2 steps forward one step back. I'd look to the physiotherapsit for advice on this, thay might be able to do it over the phone, as in give you advice on return to sport, an extermely improtant part of rehabilitation that is often rushed, or not done with the proper graduated progression. e.g. if you are a soccer palying full back where a lot of your game is running up and down the line and kicking the ball long down the line. Well if you had a leg injury, it's no good to just fix the injury so the pain is gone and then to go straight back to football - you'll just break down again. You need to first get back to normal jogging in straight lines, then introduce some faster work in straight lines, then bring in running in bends and zig zags gradually progressing to shuttles and always gradually, slowly increasing the speed. Until you can sprint off the turn you're not ready to go back. These are the type of things that would make up a fitness test when you here them talking about it with the pros. But his kicking would also have to be rehabilitated. So start off gentle 10 yard passes, gradually increase the power and distance until he can kick full force. This whole return process might take 8 sessions or so, over 2 weeks or maybe 6 weeks if the person had been out for longer, but needs to be individually prescribed for the individual and their specific injury and sport needs.

nlm1980

yeah, i hear what u are saying. its just so disheartening. Patience is my problem. Thanks for taking the time to give me such an in depth and useful opinion.

Racing Flat

nlm1980 wrote: »

yeah, i hear what u are saying. its just so disheartening. Patience is my problem. Thanks for taking the time to give me such an in depth and useful opinion.

I find with time off, the early period is the worst. The first 2 days as I miss training I'm going mad, but then once I accept it and see the positive (faster recovery, bit of a break, time to refresh etc.) it gets easier until I don't want to go back training!

What you often find with these injuries, the first time you go back, the pain comes back say 80% or maybe in your case 100%. But the second time it's only 70%, then 50, 40, 20, 10,10,10,10,10 (as it niggles on a tiny bit but not really too noticeable or interfering) until a year later you think 'Hang on, when did this actually go away? I can't remember it getting better' as it's so gradual.

Best of luck anyway.

TheRoadRunner

+1 with everything RF has said.

I recently had a tendon complaint and wanted to know when I could run without causing it any damage. I'd feel fine one day be crocked the next so rest then run the following day, then be crocked for 2 days etc.

I went to a great physio and asked him how long did I need to rest for. His advice was so simple it was genius. He told me not to even attempt to run until I felt absolutely no pain first thing in the morning (I had a good bit of pain first thing but it would loosen up as the day went on). Once I had no pain I slowly went back doing 10 minutes slowly building up. Patience really is important, you need to take long term view.