Here is my gorgeous and strong friend Pauline! (Don’t you just LOVE her shirt?!?)
On Saturday, September 16, 2017 Pauline came to my office and was really worried about not being able to run her half marathon the next day September 17th. So she came to me for help…NO PRESSURE OR ANYTHING!!!
She was in a time crunch with her training program and “halved” the normal duration so that she could get her mileage in. Pauline hypothesized that ramping up in mileage too quickly brought on her shin splints. She stated that simply lifting her feet off of the ground as in a jogging in place motion was painful and was wondering how attempting 13.1 miles would play out the next day.
Luckily, at Rock Health & Wellness, we are advocates of keeping athletes moving! If at all possible, we stay away from the just rest and stop exercising train of thought. The up to date research in high level athletic training promotes active mobility, soft tissue mobilization, and muscle balance re-education.
After a thorough examination, Pauline presented with significant trigger points in her gastrocnemius and soleus muscles and ankle evertors (her calf muscles and the muscles on the outside of her leg). The first phase of her treatment session was to manually open up her muscles with trigger point release, myofascial release, and stretching. Then, we strengthened her lower leg in the new position. Next, we opened up her hips with manual therapy and stretching, because if she runs on tight hips, she will start to over use her calves again. Finally, we reviewed dynamic stretching for her pre-running routine.
With a fresh new set of legs, determination and a BIG HEART that only Pauline has…SHE RAN HER HALF MARATHON TOTALLY PAIN FREE AND TEXTED ME AND SAID “WHAT SHIN SPLINTS?!?!” I couldn’t be happier for this beautiful soul and am so grateful that she allowed me to share her story with you. Re-think your current view of physical therapy. Don’t go to a clinic for a short one on one time with a therapist and head out to a gym unsupervised. Your time is valuable! You can heal faster with focal attention on ONLY YOU for one hour. Be the best version of yourself today!
ROCK HEALTH & WELLNESS
-Denise Holan, PT, DPT, OCS
Doctor of Physical therapy and Orthopedic Certified Clinical Specialist