Torture at the PT

Yesterday I went to physical therapy to come up with a plan to get rid of my plantar fasciitis.  The PT and I talked pretty extensively about my running history, goals going forward and also, of course, the plantar fasciitis, symptoms and such.   He did strength tests to determine if I had any weaknesses in my ankles, knees or hips, and hellooo weak hips!  I guess they are super weak...who knew?

After his assessment, he decided that my weak hip doesn't hold my leg/knee in correct alignment which then causes my foot to overpronate and that is what is causing the plantar fasciitis (did you follow that?).    So now I have a nifty print-out of hip strengthening exercises to do daily as well as twice weekly PT appointments for the next 3 weeks.  Hopefully we've figured out the cause of the PF and if I can get my hip stronger, it won't keep coming back.

Next up was a nifty form of torture therapy called "ASTYM".  The hip exercises will help prevent the PF from returning, but this therapy supposedly will promote healing in my foot now.  Basically, the PT took this plastic tool that looks like a flat ice cream scoop and SCRAPED AND SCRAPED it up and down my leg.  The idea is that it will break up scar tissue and stimulate healing.  Oh so painful, so so so so painful.  This is why my doctor cackled when he told me it would be uncomfortable - clearly he is evil.  When he was scraping on the arch of my foot I could actually hear popping sounds of the tissue breaking up. 

The PT said I "might" have some bruising.  Um yeah...

holy bruises batman!

Lucky me, I get to have this done two more times!  If it will get me running again it will be worth it.

In other news I found a new pool that has early morning hours so I can get my super fun pool running done at the crack ass of dawn just like when I was road running!  This morning after getting in the pool at 5am I was greeted by Ron who wanted to discuss his knee injury, my foot injury, his grandchildren..all while I was trying to do an interval workout.  I need to get a waterproof Ipod!  Ron did make up for all of it though by asking me if I was a college student....I think Ron's eyes might be as bad as his knees...