Running Injury Not Going Away?…. Autoimmune Connection … when doctors have no answers this may be the key to healing…
In my 40 years of being a physical therapist…an integrative manual therapist…I’ve kept one thing in mind. Does it work? Is the technique I’m using making a real difference in the runner….
By testing pre and post session, and seeing what works I’ve been led down an amazing path.
When I see a runner who comes to me with a chronic hip or knee or shin or ankle/foot problem… one that has stopped him/her from running for months or years…..
I’ve found that the 1° root cause is rarely if ever the actual muscle or joint….
yes the muscle may be tight or spasming, yes the joint may be painful and locked up and even having MRI changes like arthritis or tears….
But…. the actual cause is not the muscle or joint.
Here’s a few stories to help you see what I mean.
When I was 37 years old (I’m 66 now) I had been running over 70 miles a week for years… since college… but at 37 I couldn’t run more than 5 minutes due to a calf spasm. I had my PT’s work on it (I had a clinic in San Diego at the time)….
I had 3 different pairs of orthotics….
I rested it, stretched it, tried to strengthen it…
No running. 5 minutes of running and calf spasms would shut me down.
I went to one more PT who put her hands on me (myofascial mapping assessment) and told me I had a problem with my arteries, specifically my aorta! My heart!….
And she proceeded to do a 2 hour IMT PT session. I felt much better, and 2 days later went for a 30 minute run without pain or spasms. It never came back…. My body had been protecting a vital organ and artery by spasming my leg… Finding this 1° root cause was the key and of course having a technique (IMT) to fix it up.
Since then I’ve seen 1° root cause can be other organs, the liver, the colon, the men’s and women’s health pelvic organs. It can be arteries, veins, hearts, lungs…
The body… your body will do everything it needs to do to protect vital organs and vessels and this protection can be spasms and muscle tightness and joint pains. And all the PT or massage can’t touch it because just working on muscles or strengthening is not getting to the cause.
I’ve seen runners protecting what’s called a leaky gut syndrome and a congested pelvis. This can even show up as what’s called Autoimmune. Conditions such as Irritable Bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, thyroid issues, lupus, Sjogren’s, RA, migraines, heart burn, sleep apnea, chronic fatigue, insomnia and many more autoimmune conditions can be part of the cause.
Your body is smart and it will protect you. The problem is sometimes the protection looks like muscle spasms and joint pains. Think of a classic appendicitis. Now this is a medical emergency so not for IMT to fix up. But think of it. When someone comes in with spasm and pain in the abdominal muscles you wouldn’t want to massage or stretch it out. No of course not. You’d want to get to a medical doctor because the problem is in the appendix, the colon!
And if someone comes in with mid back pain, jaw pain and arm and hand numbness it could be a muscle joint spasm but it could be a heart attack! Again a medical doctor is needed.
The deal is though that low level issues in organs and arteries and veins etc can be at the 1° root cause of muscle spasms and joint pains.
You gotta find this 1° root cause and have a technique to fix it up for lasting change.
Now people do heal and a chronic pain can go away over a lot of time but then another pain can show up… You know like hamstring pain and then later hip pain and later plantar fasciitis and then later back pain…. It’s like playing whack a mole….
I’m telling you this because if you’ve been dealing with a chronic or reoccurring pain or problem that’s stopping you from running, there is a reason. Your body is protecting you. I can help you find it and fix it up.
Reach out to me if you’d like me to take a look and let you know what I see that’s at the 1° root cause and how to fix it up.
Let’s get out there and run!
Ralph Havens PT IMTC
Beyond Limits Physical Therapy
1134-10th street
Bellingham, WA 98225
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