Physical Therapy - the second therapy I've ever needed ;)

I finally got around to making my appointment for physical therapy.  Ryan Fuhriman is my physical therapist and so far it has gone really well.  He is one of the few physical therapists in the valley who is a certified ASTYM practioner.  Ryan has me working on my hip flexors and quad strength.  He additionally has me stretching my quads and hips since they are all related to the IT Band injuries.  He is also using ASTYM to help heal my soft tissue issues.  ASTYM is soft tissue mobilization that allows the therapist to stimulate the body's natural capacity to heal problems such as soft tissue degeneration, tendonitis, or chronic inflammation.  I really liked Ryan's confidence that the ASTYM treatment would cure my chronic, nagging inflammation.

Today was my first ASTYM treatment.  I first warmed up on the elliptical for ten minutes, then did some lightweight squats, and then did some rubber band exercises that were really fatiguing on my hip flexors.  I then went into Ryan's office to start the first ASTYM treatment.  Ryan put a bunch of cocoa butter on my legs, from my ankles to my hips and basically scraped at my legs with a plastic tool, kneading out my muscles.  For most, this process can be painful.  However, I'm one of five patients that Ryan has had in five years who actually finds the process theraputic and really enjoy it!  It's that good kind of pain that I crave!

Thankfully, during the ASTYM treatment, I can still run and work out as much as I'd like.  I will be seeing Ryan twice a week for the treatments and he is confident that after 6 or 7 sessions, that I should be able to run pain free.

After my treatment today, I went for a hilly and off-kilter run for 8 miles.  Knee pain was incredibly minimal and was only sore after the run.  I iced my knees for a bit since Ryan said that this was okay.  He did tell me to stop taking any anti-inflammatory medications because this would impede the healing process.  I'm really hoping that today's run is a good indication of what kind of healthy running I will have in the future!  The videos below will explain the ASTYM system a little better:

www.astym.com

For my friends with injuries, I would really recommend getting checked out.  In the mean time, pick up a foam roller or even a tennis ball and start rolling and stretching those hard to reach places.  I can't believe how helpful this has been.  Never underestimate the power of stretching!

I'll keep you updated after my next session on Thursday :)