Physiotherapy

I started seeing a new Physiotherapist last night, Beth Wightman of Life Spring. She was fantastic. She's a competitive runner (just placed 3rd in the Naples half with a time of 1:17!!) and really seems to know her stuff. After an indepth assessment, including a run on the treadmill and gait analysis, she determined that the root of my problem is running mechanics (which actually makes perfect sense since the original injury occurred only a couple months after I started to run). I have a severe pronation (which my currnet shoes do not correct sufficiently) and a tendency to twist my hip (common in women), both of which are causing strain on my knee. Basically, the knee cap is supposed to move, but mine moves up and to the side when it should just move up. Over time this has caused wear and tear on the cartlidge, which is not causing the grinding.

Beth is confident that we can fix the issue relatively quickly before it starts to cause real problems for me. I will be going for weekly deep tissue massages of the inner quad, which will loosen up the muscles and encourage movement of my knee cap in the right direction. I also have quad stretches to do at home three times a day and a hip strengthening exercise for every second day.

I have also been 'prescribed' a new pair of shoes. I currently wear Brooks Trance but Beth recommended Brooks Ariel for more stability. I tried them on at Physio and ran on the treadmill and she could already see a significant improvement in my mechanics. Hopefully the Running Room has my size!