Massage

Massage

Today was a change of pace and I found myself on Paul’s treatment table..

Paul is an outstanding therapist but I hate going to see him as it normally means a long lecture about not having stretched properly and ninety minutes of pain as he manipulates me back to health. His treatment table is as important as the supplements I am shovelling down, the weights I am lifting or the beastings that Trevor keeps dishing out.

Today was a painful session and Paul may as well have just hit me with an iron bar or stuck a red hot poker up my….well, you get my drift….but my knee feels a lot less sore and I now have much more mobility.

I also learnt that ITBS is one of the leading causes of lateral knee pain in runners. The iliotibial band is a superficial thickening of tissue on the outside of the thigh, extending from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserting just below the knee. The band is crucial to stabilizing the knee during running, moving from behind the femur to the front while walking. The continual rubbing of the band over the lateral femoral epicondyle, combined with the repeated flexion and extension of the knee during running may cause the area to become inflamed.

Although interesting and likely to win the pub quiz at some time in the future this was not much comfort and I did apologise for yelling, ‘get the **** off me your insane lunantic…’ at Paul several times as he pummelled my leg. He took this in his stride and shut me up by jamming his thumbs into my calves until I screamed like a girl and begged for mercy.

Running, as I have often said, is never fun and always painful.

I highly endorse Paul and can hardly wait to be back on the table in a week’s time….

(well, half of that is true…)