Friday, August 14, 2009

PT - also known as legal torture

I am SUCH a bad blogger lately. I'm so sorry guys - life's just getting in the way and work is always crazy this time of year. It's the end of fiscal year so time to spend, spend, spend which means work, work work for poor lil me. (but I have a great job - I ain't complaining).

I had my first week of PT this week. Tuesday I went in for the initial evaluation and I really, really like the head guy. He said a lot of things that really made sense to me. And he says that we can alleviate a lot of the cause oh my issues through PT. He said my main culprit is that I have weak hips. He said it's very, very common in girls and that my injuries and pain are very common. Yeah! - not quite as jacked up as I thought. He even said that we can fix a lot of that leg length difference through stretching and strengthening. Women's hips are flexible (for birthin' babies) and he said it doesn't take much for them to get out of whack, especially if they are weak. We did some stretching and adjustments and man, I'll be damned if the suckers didn't even out! We measured before and after and I was shocked! So our focus over the next few weeks will be hips, IT band and evening out upper legs (quad & hammies - about 2 cm difference).

Today I went for my first full session and boy did we work out my hips! Here's what I had to do:
  • Clamshells: 3 sets of 15 on each leg with resistance band.
  • Leg raises laying on my side (don't know if there's a nifty name for those): 3 sets of 12 on each side
  • Bent knee (@ 90 degree angle) leg raises - kind of a cross between a clamshell and leg raise: 3 sets of 15 on each side
  • Reverse clamshells with ankle weight: 3 sets of 12 of each side
  • Hip drops (stand on one leg on a stair and drop opposite leg a few inches and back up using only your hips): 3 sets of 15 on each side
  • Bent knee quad lifts with ankle weights: 3 sets of 10 on each side, holding in top position for 5 counts each time.
  • IT band stretch and massage: THIS SUCKER HURT!!! OMFG!!! Back and forth across the ITB 8 times on each leg.
It was a tough workout, but it really felt good. And I could feel a big difference with the ITB stretching. I was just walking easier afterwards. So, I'm feeling really good about PT and hoping for good things to come out of it. He gave me some exercises to do at home and I'm supposed to concentrate on standing correctly when I'm on my feet. No shifting side to side and re-distributing weight. Both feet firmly planted on the ground and weight evenly distributed. Otherwise it distorts the hips.

I've been running moderately lately. Just 3 miles here and there, nothing too strenuous. The knee is doing much better, but it lets me know if I overdo it. I was on my feet all day these last two days doing building inspections and that was rough on both knees. But I'm just working on short distances and consistency in cardio. Working it back up. I'm a little slower than I like right now, but I know it will come back with just a little work.

Today I LOVE: the after endorphine rush from PT!

10 comments:

Willie said...

TULSA! TULSA! TULSA!

Use crutches if you have to. Crawl if you must!

Stay with that PT and you'll be back to running sub-5 minute miles again soon.

Gotta love that government fall-out money! I'm a slimey contractor, we feed on it!

Mel-2nd Chances said...

welcome back! It's hard when life gets in the way of the things we enjoy :) Glad you're taking a measured approach back to running and getting the knee issues sorted out! Have a great weekend!!

Jo Lynn said...

I'm suffering through PT right now too. I know it's for the good but it sure does suck right now.

Matt (No Meat Athlete) said...

Great to hear that your PT went well and to see new post!

When I went in for therapy, my knee problem was due to IT band inflammation, which they said was the result of a weak TFL muscle in my hip. Or more accurately, one that wasn't firing properly. This seems like a very common thing!

Although as far as I know, my hips weren't designed to bear children.

kara said...

I had to go to PT for my back....the only thing I liked was the TENS

Keep on moving - it will get better!

Unknown said...

I didn't think about strengthening the hips, but maybe you could get some pictures of you doing the exercises? I would love to get into a daily routine of doing exercises for my hips.

My previous running partner had bad hips and had to stop running :(

Lindsay said...

glad pt is going well! thanks for sharing the exercises, i'm sure i could afford to do them at least every now and then - i know i'm not immune!

Marlene said...

I always have SUCH a good feeling after leaving PT. They just know what to say and do! Sounds like you're getting care you need and AWESOME improvements already!

Gina Harris said...

Sounds like you have a great PT! Good luck.

Anonymous said...

Your PT workout looks almost identical to mine! I credit those exercises, plus the balance stuff, core stuff and weights (single-leg presses) I learned in PT with making me a stronger, better runner and overall athlete. It's tough to stick with, as it's really hard to feel like a badass while cranking out leg lifts, but it's SO worth it. Keep up the good work!