Let's get physical... therapy

I finally broke down and decided to give physical therapy a try. The first session involved an assessment, followed by Dry Needling, and then Scraping. Yes, it hurt as bad as it sounds!

After injuring my ankle last summer while training for my last marathon, and dealing with the lingering discomfort ever since, I decided it was maybe time to do something. I saw an orthopedic doctor in January, and he referred me to physical therapy.

I waited a couple weeks before starting therapy for two reasons. For starters, I was honestly just kind of bummed (maybe even stunned) by the diagnosis. Mid-foot arthritis sounded a little too ominous for me. I was hoping for something easy, with a clear path back to pain-free living and running again. However, I also wasn't too excited about the prospect of physical therapy in general. It doesn't have a fun ring to it as far as I'm concerned.

There is actually a physical therapy office right inside the Y where I work. So at least I don't have to travel far. I set up my first appointment for this past Monday. The next hour was... yowza...*- a little more painful than I expected.

My PT agreed with me that she wasn't sure about the arthritis diagnosis either. She also admitted she had no idea what was causing my ankle pain. She had me do some different exercises and stretches, moved my foot all around, felt around on my legs. Whether it is related or not, she determined - and I agreed - that my right calf was very tight (and quite tender). She kneaded my calf with her fingers for a bit, then got out the NEEDLES!

I had heard of Dry Needling, but never experienced it. This particular PT uses Trigger Point Dry Needling with Electrical Stimulation. It involves sticking needles very similar to acupuncture needles into the muscle, then connecting electrodes to each and running a slight electrical current between them.

I can't say it really "hurt" when she stuck the needles in. There was a definite dull sort of pain involved though. When the electrical stimulation began, it had my foot hopping about with each pulse. Again, not downright painful, but not at all comfortable either.

Then the scraping... Ugh! All I knew about scraping was how terrible it sounds, and literally everyone who's had it done says it is painful. After reading a little about 'The Graston Technique'... it does make sense. However, it still hurt like heck!

Anyway, the PT gave me some ankle exercises I am to do every day, as well as continued work with resistance bands that I was already doing to strengthen my glutes. I was plenty sore as I left the office, though I did walk another 30 minutes on the treadmill afterward. That night it was really sore. However, by the next afternoon it felt fine again.

So, that was it for therapy this week. Starting next week I am to go twice a week, maybe for three weeks. We will see. I'm not looking forward to going back. I do hope it does some good.