Thursday, April 11, 2013

Battling injuries

Getting injured is the worst thing that can happen as the race is closing in. All the hard work and hours of training put in, can go wasted. I have had my share of sports injuries and still it is endless. I'd give anything to know the secret of injury-free training. The obvious thing to do is to not go too fast too soon. I tried that, but it didn't work. Some would say I still ramped up my volume too quickly, or I went too fast too soon, but I'd like to hear something else. Anyhow, I have been battling a handful of minor injuries recently. Luckily, none have been too bad to significantly affect my training, but they have gotten me worried and cautious. Here's the list of injuries in chronological order:

Injury: Nerve pain in left arm
Date of infliction: Early February
Cause: Unknown
Status: Ongoing but improving
Past treatment: Gabapentin, Ibuprofen, EMG tests
Current treatment: None - wait and see

Injury: Left hip pain
Date of infliction: Early March
Cause: Change in bike fit, increased biking intensity
Status: Resolved
Treatment: PT, Strengthening glutes
Preventive measure: Foam rolling, Icing, stretching

Injury: Right knee pain - microtrauma
Date of infliction: Mid March
Cause: Increased biking intensity, tight right quad
Status: Resolved
Treatment: Reduced intensity on bike, foam rolling right quad
Preventive measure: Foam rolling quad, Icing, stretching, less riding in big ring

Injury: Right heel pain
Date of infliction: Early April
Cause: Long weekend ride with low fuel
Status: Ongoing
Treatment: Eccentric heel drops, foam rolling right calf, icing, rest

Gah! So annoying.




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