My Visit with the Sports Medicine Physical Therapist

Tuesday I had my first appointment with Steve Orrock, a Physical Therapist who specializes in Sports Medicine. Two of my "runner" friends recommended him, so I knew I was in good hands.

It was very comforting when I walked in his office/gym, and Ironman posters lined the wall. He was a runner. That's actually what swayed me most.

Typically when you go to a doctor, a physical therapist, or a chiropractor with complaints about running, and they ask you what makes the pain worse and you answer "running", they say, "well then, don't run." Simple solution, right?

Wrong!

I'm a runner. I have pain. I will run with or without pain. I'd prefer without.

I was completely expecting a consultation only. I was dressed in sweats, a warm t-shirt (with layers) and regular undergarments. Luckily, I had my running shoes on.

What I expected to be a 45-minute consultation turned in to a 2 1/2 hour treatment. Score!

First came the evaluation. He asked me so many questions. His goal was to rule out as many things as possible. He asked me where the pain was, when it originated, how long it lasted, if it occurs doing other things outside of running, what if anything prompted it, or if I could isolate a single incident that would have brought it on.

Then he wanted to see if my pelvis was balanced. He had me reach down to touch my toes both viewing me from the side and from the back. That checked out. Good.

He massaged my upper leg and around my hip. Found that my pectineus was knotted up primarily on my right side (the injured side). Okay, so we isolated part of the problem.

What happened next was a new experience for me. One of his assistants attached little connectors in the affected area for heat/electric current therapy. It was the ODDEST experience, but very relaxing at the same time. The heat felt great. Due to the currents flashing back and forth between the connectors, my pectineus muscle was forced to contract and relax involuntarily. This was supposed to relax the muscle. One of his assistants would later massage that area, focusing on the knot. Bizarre.

The reason I am blogging this is because I thought my experience might help my runner friends - regardless whether you are experiencing pain or not.

Steve Orrock video taped me while running on the treadmill. This is where the 2nd workout came in - really wish I had wore running gear. He taped me while walking, at 6.0 jog, a 7.0 run, and an 8.0 run (all programmed speeds on the treadmill).

He confirmed that I am really hard on my quads (thank goodness I lift). I land fairly flat-footed and then transition quickly off my toes. He says the turnover is fast, but he did say I don't look like I overpronate. Neutral shoes for me.

Side note - just ordered my favorite pair of shoes yesterday - going back to the Mizuno Wave Riders. Had the 11s and 12s, and now I'm going to try the 13s. I normally wear a size 7.5 in shoes, but for running I always going up 2 sizes, so I ordered an 8.5. Can't wait for them to arrive. My last pair are worn through. The rubber sole is starting to peel. I wore Saucony's for last year's St. George marathon. I bought them the night before at the expo. I would NOT recommend that to anyone. I purely lucked out that they worked. I could have had just the opposite experience. What a dork I was. After training as hard as I did, if those shoes would have given me grief...

I've always been very impulsive - ask me about how I chopped off my mid-back length hair (which Greg LOVED) one week before our wedding. Yup! Chopped it to my chin. Don't dare me to do anything. I'm a sucker. Same thing with the now regretted tattoo I sport on the back of my left shoulder. Some people, even old ladies like me, NEVER learn! I'm sure impulsiveness is a sign of something. Hmmm, I'll have to look that one up.

Anyway, according to Steve Orrock, my feet weren't the problem. It was the rest of my "gate". I am working my hips WAAAYY too much. I'm making my lower body do all the work. Too much rotation. He taught me some new exercises that should help me "re-train" my body to run more efficiently, more effectively, and produce a lesser amount of pain. Yes!

Exercise #1:

While running, count how many times your right (or left) foot hits the pavement in a given minute. Test it again. (just to make sure you were right the time before). He wanted mine to be hitting the ground 88-89 times. Mine was 89.

Exercise #2:

While running, focus on sticking your chin out about an inch in front of you. Lead with your chin. Do this for a minute. Then run normal. Follow by sticking it out again. Do this on and off 10 or so times. I did it this morning while on my run. It feels weird. I feel like such a dork, but I'm going to do what he says. By sticking your chin out, it's supposed to help put the rest of your body (especially your neck, spine, hips, etc.) in proper alignment. I am certain I don't look near as goofy as I feel. It will probably look less pronounced too as I practice it.

Exercise #3:

While running, be a Kenyan. Tuck your arms in tight high on your chest. Keep them in. This is what the Kenyans do. I've always kept my arms tucked in "tight" but never up "high". This was new to me. The other part of this exercise is while tucking your arms in tight and high try to lead with your elbows. Again, goofy! Feels so awkward. However, by doing this you are forcing your core to rotate more and your hips to rotate less. Okay, I get it. I'll do it. I practiced this morning, and it didn't feel quite as strange as the chin exercise. It actually felt fairly natural. And just the image of running like a Kenyan made me feel like a faster runner. Dumb, I know.

Exercise #4:

This one is all about balance and stretch. I hope I can describe it. Stand in front of a rail, table, or something about hip height. Raise your left leg behind you and rest it on the rail/table - still facing forward. Perform an exaggerated run - first your left arm reaching up high and then alternating with your right. Steve said it's all in the last two inches. Reach super high and back - full extension. Feel the stretch all the way from your extended fingers, down your arm, and down your side. Do 10 of these and then switch legs. He recommended I warm up with 5 minutes on the bike, then perform these both before and after my morning runs. This should help loosen my hip and all it's intricate muscles (not just the hip flexer like I'd initially thought).

Exercise #5:

Same idea as the last one. Reach your leg behind you and rest it on a rail or table. This time reach your arm across your body (kind of like a boxing punch) and fully extend it. He reminded me again it's important to reach as far as you can. It's all about the last two inches. You should feel the stretch starting from your extended fingers and all the way down your arm and down your side. Do this 10 times and then switch legs. He also wants me to do these pre and post run.

Sounds easy enough, but it's harder than you'd think. Balance and flexibility is critical. My balance is okay depending on the day. My flexibility is near non-existent.

All in all I loved my first session with Steve Orrock. He is amazing. He certainly is a wealth of information. I felt completely comfortable with him and wish I would have had all my questions written down beforehand to ask him.

He wants me back in his office again tomorrow. Wish I could make that happen. Instead, I'm hoping to get back in next week. I plan on seeing him fairly regularly leading up to my September marathon. Maybe I won't need that cortisone shot after all!

Oh, and one last bonus? It's billed to insurance. Even better.