Hamstring Update. (Mainly for friends who have followed my hamstring odyssey).

This post is mainly for those friends who have followed my hamstring odyssey; others, particularly those who don't like medical minutiae, may wish to turn away.  Probably TMI.

Background Precis:  Last April while moving into our new condo, I felt something pull in the back of my leg.  I kind of put it out of my mind because I figured it would go away.  Several weeks later, we drove 900 miles to Michigan and by the third day sitting was extremely uncomfortable.  I waited a couple of week and it didn't get better, so I saw a physician in Houghton.  At this point, the worst pain was while sitting, and the doctor I saw thought I had piriformis syndrome (inflamation of a small muscle deep in the buttock).  He sent me to a physical therapist who gave me exercises to stretch primarily the piriformis and also the hamstring.  Eventually, she said that what she could offer me wasn't working, and I needed to try something else, like consult an orthopedist.  I figured since I was going to be back in Louisville soon, I'd wait til then.

Later in Louisville.  Once I got home, I saw my wonderful doctor in Louisville who immediately ordered an MRI of my hip and upper leg and referred me to an orthopedist.  Voila.  It wasn't my piriformis.  I had a tear in the common tendon that connects two of the hamstring muscles to the bone, and I was referred to [hysical therapy,

Currently, I have been going to PT three times a week for about six weeks.  I have 4 sessions left before I leave for Budapest and Prague.  I am doing a lot better, though not completely cured.  However I feel confident about travelling in Europe.

My six weeks in theraphy here were eye-opening.  I  had no idea how many forms of treatment there are for muscle injuries.  Along with stretches, I have had dry needling (kind of like acupuncture, but aimed directly at the pain spot), exercises where I literally pull a person walking behind me or balance on one leg on a small trampoline while trying to do things with my other leg. But the breakthrough came when I started something called blood flow restriction (BFR) a week or so ago. 

BRF was developed for wounded soldiers who couldn't put a lot of pressure on their limbs but who needed to strengthen the muscles.  The idea is that the therapist cuts off the blood flow to the wounded spot (kind of like a tight blood pressure cuff except around my upper thigh), then you do what would other wise be pretty light exercises but  which are hell with the cuff.  When the cuff is loosened and the blood flows back, the brain senses the injury and sends growth hormones.  It is really, really hard, but when it's over there's no pain at all.  (The pain does sometimes return the next day but not nearly as intense.)

So the miracles of modern medicine.  My big take-away from this is that if it doesn't get appreciably better over a reasonable amount of time, go somewhere else.  Of course this is more difficult in a small town, but nevertheless. . . .

Thanks so much to all of you who have expressed concern about how I am doing.  At the advice of my wonderful physical therapist, I am going off for five weeks and try to just not think about it.  He reminded me that peaks and valleys were normal and constant monitoring might not be the best strategy.  So here goes.  

#Hamstring

#TMI