First, no the needles don't hurt...as in they are not like getting a shot.
Second, it can be a relaxing experience but if you are going to heal a pain..well umm it's kinda PAINFUL. They find the sore muscle and poke it...then if you are super lucky like me they hook you up to a machine and it pulses so you can actually see your muscles jumping...WEIRD. And of course well painful because my IT band was so tight and I have bursitis in my knee.
I was also suprised to see a day later that the location of the needles was very apparent on my sore hip. Yes, I am indeed going on a limb here and giving you a shot very near my sweet lady rump...not lumps.
Unfortunately this wasn't the instant panacea I hoped for, but I thought it was very interesting and the medicine man as we shall call my 6'0' chinese doctor had some great points: 1. Streets are slopped. If you run the same direction all the time you are forcing one leg to always be longer, change direction.
2. Use heat, not ice. Ice may create an initial good feeling, but if you have a tight IT band you need to be using heat. THis is not to say ice doesn't have it's place, but not for sore muscles.
3. Release the muscle. The electro-acupuncture is designed to release the muscle meaning it's tight and binded so you need to force it to let go...usually 1-3 sessions is supposed to help but I'm not sure yet if I can go back...it hurt.
OTHER TREATMENTS
CHIRO: Prior to seeing the medicine man I had been to a chiro/deep tissue guy and found that to be the most helpful so far. He released a strain in my back which made my hip feel better...but the bursitis in my knee is persistant and I'm only able to run 2 miles right now. I know many folks love their chiro and I have to say I am now convinced that when combined with the deep tissue work it is a very usful tool
PT: I am also still doing PT work, but I think my muscles are pretty strong now. I believe the exercises which I posted previously are very usful to all runners though as I know it improved form, balance and running.
Active Releast Therapy: I have used ART wayyy in the past, but not tried it again...maybe that's another thought. For those who don't know ART is: "ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles." Runner Leana has used this a lot and found success.
FEEDBACK
What therapies have you tried? Do you believe in alternative medicines?
Any other rehab questions? Any other therapies you need me to be a guinea pig and try out?
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Gratitude Journal
June 25
I am grateful for huge king sized beds 
I am grateful for jacuzzi tubs
I am grateful for steak houses with veggie options
I am grateful for super friendly hotel staff
I am grateful for friends who just say hi
27 comments:
i'm always confused on when to use heat vs ice. i think i do it wrong most of the time.
100% agree on the change directions thing.
i don't think i'd ever try accupunture, but i'm more likely to have my Trainer help me work out tight muscles or go to the chiro than go to a doctor these days
I'm a HUGE FAN of all of the above!!!
Do you see someone for ART? If not, there's a great guy in Shawnee - Dr Jesse Walden at Quest Performance Center. You should give him a call, he's awesome!! I had some IT band issues and he moved my IT band back into place for me. He works miracles! Here is the link to his site if you are interested: http://www.questperformancecenter.com/about.html
I have another chiropractor that I see on a regular basis and he does acupuncture too. He did it for me when I was pregnant to help with morning sickness, anxiety, and back/neck pain. There has also been a lot of research lately that acupuncture has produced great results for infertility! I have referred several friends to him.
Chiro is also great for overall health. I could go on and on....but I have already left a pretty long comment. :) Oh, and I just sent you an email about getting together for a walk or something...and also mentioned it in my blog...so yeah, I'm interested. :)
I've done electro-acupuncture, too! I had some unidentified hip problem, and it seemed to help a little bit. But it never really cleared it up completely, so I had to go to an ortho doc (who diagnosed me with a pinched nerve and put me on meds to clear it up).
I've always wanted to try ART! Everyone I know whose had it LOVES it.
The first time I had ITB issues, another culprit that was adding to the problem was my regular everyday shoes.. they really needed to be replaced. Just an idea..
I hope you get this puppy figured out!
Okay, that electro-acupuncture sounds/looks totally hardcore. I'm sorry it wasn't all that you hoped for. :-\
The changing direction is a big thing that most people don't think about. Great reminder.
hopefully you find some relief for that leg with all this searching.
great tips! I'm very excited to go to the doc and see whats the deal with my leg. But these tips are great and i'm definitely going to consider going to a chiropractor!
Totally have plantar Fascitis and tried acupuncture rather than a cortizone shot...with rest and cross training, it eased me a ton. Recently, I found that yoga and REST is the best for my health!
In college they used what they called "Stim" it was electrodes that they attached via little sticky pads to my legs. I LOVED my stim, always made my knee feel better.
One of the running stores in Austin gave me an introductory class on using this delectable package of thingies -- http://store.tptherapy.com/Total_Package_U6_Book_U6_DVD_p/tpt-ttlbd.htm
It's amazing how it just works out all of the kinks.
Well, I get weekly massage too so I kind of cheat ;-)
Good luck with your limbs!!
I'm currently off of running because of a back injury. I spent years (and a lot of $$) in physio after a boating accident but it didn't help. Acupuncture REALLY hurt me too (I refuse to do it again). I think if your muscles are in spasm, it's not such a good idea.
My fave therapy has been seeing an osteopath. They have 5 years of training on top of a degree, they are often RMTs, and for me they actually helped with pain and healing!! Osteos are now covered by most health plans too (at least in Canada).
I'm re-injured now but it was after a 3 year period that was relatively pain free!! And my osteopath has been helping me this time too!
Good luck!
ouch that would freak me out!! esp seeing the muscle
I love acupuncture - and wish I had more disposable income right now so I could go again. I also love my magic chiropractor, but again with the disposable income issue. Sigh.
The biggest thing that surprised me about acupuncture was that you can actually feel the needle going in - I really thought I wouldn't feel it AT ALL! And there are definitely some points that are super painful.
I actually prefer more holistic approaches to a medical approach 9 times out of 10. (I, too, have bursitis in my right knee, so I know what a pain in the [not] ass that can be.)
I think you were the one that was against the foam roller...if so, are you still? I seriously swear by this thing!!
I've had ITB issues, too, and have gone to a chiro, pt, etc., for it. The BEST thing for me has been rolling on a tennis ball. I believe in it. It breaks up any tightness and I can feel my ITB release. It really works for me!
I am a huge fan of ART. If you haven't tried it for your IT band yet then definitely go for it.
You are braver than I. Regular accupuncture, maybe. Electro-accupuncture, no way. I found a great chiropractor who is also a physical therapist that has been able to fix all my ailments without needles!
Thanks for the IT band advice. I have trouble with mine on and off, and usually it's a sign I need new shoes.
I really believe in alternative medicine because I think it provides answers when traditional doctors have none.
Hope you continue to heal!
Sweet Lady Rump??? You crack me up!
It was great getting together with you today. Thanks for listening to my story.
I am a huge fan of alternative medicine. I am in PT right now it's not doing much yet, but I do agree with what he is saying so going with it. Guess it won't be 100% after one week!! LOL I never know when to ice or heat. It's confusing!
I love acupuncture. Am a big believer in it. However it does not solve the problem of what caused the IT band problem. If you can, I'd have your run stride analzyed-that way you can find out exactly why you continue to have running related injuries.
Big fan of acupuncture and ART. Have used chiropractic treatment in the past (when I tore my rotator cuffs swimming), and though I really liked the therapist, I didn't find it to be quite as effective - but it may have been the nature of the injury.
I've tried ART and its incredibly painful. It did do some short term relief from the shin splints that I had for years, but nothing permanent.
The only thin that ever relieved the pain, was to stop doing what caused the pain, and that was running in high heeled running shoes.
For my ITBS, I used the cho-pat strap to reduce the strain on the tendon. That allowed me to run *a little* while I recovered. I ran just until I felt the first bit of pain and then stopped immediately.
Ultimately, the ITB injury comes from weak abductor muscles, which can't hold your femur straight when you foot strike.
Eventually, the tendon that stretches around the knee begins to "twang" on the bone, especially going down hill when the forces tilting your femur are greatest. You can't run through it. It will only get worse.
I did abductor weight training and built up the muscle, slowly weening myself off the cho-pat strap.
Interesting - that's actually not the first time I've heard to use heat, although it's often something I forget because we're so focused on ice, ice, ice. I'm starting to have issues with my hips again, I know one thing that helped me a lot in the past was ultrasound. But I'm going to try to remember now to put heat on the tight areas every now and then.
Given my ongoing problems from breaking my back a few years ago, I have tried many, many things. For me, I find ART, massage and similar acupuncture treatments to be the best. I did one series of acu treatments where she drove the needle really far down into the sore muscles, the muscles react, grab the needle and then slowly release. It was amazing, but i can't remember what it was called.
done the acupuncture, ART, deep tissue massage, orthotics, chiropractor, and ice. I also wondered about heat once any swelling has disappeared for muscles, but haven't tried it. Here's to hoping it starts helping to heal you up. :)
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