I went to the doctor today to get the results of my MRI. It turns out there’s more wrong with my knee than just the IT Band issue — I also have a bunch of fluid on the outer (right) side of my knee and a chunk of scar tissue sitting in the joint. The doctor told me the technical terms for both of these, but I didn’t write them down and can’t remember them now. He also pointed them out to me on the MRI images, but when I got home and looked at the results (I got a copy of the CD) I couldn’t find the spots — They all look the same to me. I did however, find what looks like a ghost. (See the fourth image below.)
These extra injuries at first seems like bad news, but actually I suppose I’m happy that I know what the cause of all this pain is. My knee has been getting much worse the past few days (to the point that I’ve been limping and hurting a lot even when I’m not running) and so I had a feeling that something else was going on. At least now I know how to tackle it.
All the stuff I’m doing for the IT Band continues (stretching, foam roller, Advil, smelly anti-inflammation cream). In addition, I have to start physical therapy and deep-tissue massage to try to get the fluid out. If that hasn’t cleared everything up in 3 weeks, then they do an injection to pull out the fluid. I’m not looking forward to either of these scenarios, but am willing to do whatever it takes to get this thing healed. He said surgery was a worst-case scenario.
The doctor was adamant that I get rid of the Nike Frees immediately. He thinks they were a significant factor in all this. And he gave me orthodics that I’m supposed to gradually start wearing. My current Vomeros are very near the end of their lifespan, so I’m going to head to a running shop soon and get my gait analyzed and all that to try to find the best shoes.
Thus, the Nike Free experiment is over. And, the Five Fingers expirement too (even though it hadn’t even begun yet). I know it was probably a case of me trying to switch too quickly and I still believe that they are a useful tool, but I’m steering clear of them until I’m 100% recovered. And, even then, I’ll be very cautious.
Good news from today is that the doctor said, once again, that I was fine to start running again. I told him that I had tried 3 times in the past week and had to stop because of intense pain each time. He said that was okay and that I could push through the pain without fear of injuring my knee further. I’m a little skeptical after seeing how badly the runs went this past week, but I have to hope that he’s right.
Since I have the green light, I’m going to head out for a 4 miler in the morning. If I’m able to finish it, it will be my longest run in over two weeks. Please, let me finish it…
I suppose it’s good if the doc says it’s okay to run. Just listen to your body (as you have been) and stop when needed. I’d hate to see it get worse, when you’re trying to heal it. Take care.
First, WHO is this doctor??? this is the only time I hear one saying to go run, even with pain…! I am in total shock!!!
Second… I know this sucks and that the fear of pain might paralyze you a bit, but if he says it’s ok… just try, and if you’re enjoying it, it can’t be bad, even if there’s pain! I know I don’t need you to be careful anymore! Let’s hope the PT and massage heals it in no time and you can be rocking the NY pavement soon!!!
I hope everything goes well. PT can be a challenge, and frustrating not being able to run like you want to. Good luck!
Too funny about the ghost, at least it’s a smiling one.
I find it VERY suspect that the doc said run “through” the pain. Speaking just on the IT thing, not even going to the other stuff…
1. never heard anyone say run with IT trouble until, at the very least, you have absolutely NO pain when sitting around. If you have IT pain before running, you shouldn’t run at all.
2. I’ve read repeatedly that you shouldn’t run through true IT pain, ever. You can run with slight discomfort and tightness, but as soon as you hit the actual pain point, you’re supposed to stop, so this is worrisome.
Maybe one of those words you can’t remember is “bursitis” or “bursa” because that’s where fluid tends to hang out. The shot to drain it sounds good, I hear it’s a pretty simple thing that gets results.
Here’s hoping you feel ok running today, but please don’t force it!
Yep, that’s a ghost, alright. You don’t need a doctor; you need an exorcist, mate!
[...] well. Not Jeff Goldblum bad (see below) but he (and his doctor) thinks his recent side-lining was hastened by the shoe [Warning: Gross MRI Images]. So that experiment is [...]