A Non-Runner for Now...

The back situation did not get any better but actually got worse this weekend. After encouragement from friends and family, I decided to go to a Chiropractor for the first time in my life. I thought he would bend me in half and twist my head around until it fell off, but it was actually nothing like that. I told him what had happened with the running and where my pain was. Then he had me stand on this crazy table that starts vertical and then lays down while you're facing it. It's hard to explain, but think dentist chair but as a table. Then he took his "hammer," which is more like a really giant click-top pen and showed me how the "adjustments" work. Basically, he had me lay down and do all kinds of movements (arm behind my back, head to my chest, arm up by my head.) When he found a spot that needed adjusting, he just clicked the giant clicky pen (aka the hammer) on that spot. Most of the time it didn't hurt, but a few areas smarted a bit.

Then he had me stand up facing him with my feet shoulder-width apart. After he did that, he had me sit down on a lower table and wrap my arms like I was giving myself a hug, put chin to chest and lay backwards. As I was laying down, he kind of squeezed me like a folded piece of bread, which lead to a very nice, non-painful pop in the back. After that, we sat down to discuss the results...

I failed the test. Big time. The hammer was a test to see if everything was aligned right and then help fix it. Out of 20 possible spots, 15 of them needed to be adjusted. NOT GOOD! The little back pop was also to help that. The standing test was where I really got myself into trouble with this running business. Apparently I am going flat-footed. Basically, my arches are lower, so it starts to bend my legs in toward each other. It's not so much that I would notice it in daily walking, but he said it would greatly affect my body with any impact exercise, like running. (His chart said that walking is like putting 100 lbs. of pressure on your body, but running is 400 lbs. of pressure! Holy cow!)

So I am put on hold for now (no exercise, no excess stretching) until my body starts to heal. I have another adjustment on Friday, so we are praying that this number will be less than 15 and work its way down to 0! The flat-footed thing might not change for a long time, but if I continue to run I will need orthotic inserts for my shoes to add extra arch support.

I'm so glad I went, but I genuinely miss the running. I hope to be back to it sometime sooner than later, but will follow doctor's orders. It's just nice to know that there's a reason why I run like a girl and that my injury can be remedied for the future. Thanks for your encouragement!