I started physical therapy yesterday for my loose ligaments/a mild case of tendonitis in my knees. The therapist, an awesome guy named Joe, said I also had a “hamstring contracture.”
My ligaments are loose, which causes my muscles to tighten up to protect the ligaments from tearing — ESPECIALLY my hamstrings. When your muscles are tight, you don’t get a full range of motion, which can put a lot of stress on your joints. (Hence the knee pain.) Therapist Joe thinks that the contracture also contributed to the back pain I was having, since it’s all connected. We spent a lot of yesterday doing diagnostic tests and just basically stretching the hell out of me. He (and the sports doc, and earlier, Trainer Joel) recommended I get inserts for my running shoes. I went to JackRabbit and got SuperFeet today, which I will try out on a tempo run tomorrow.
(After which I will spend a looooong time stretching.)
I did a strength class tonight at my gym. It was decent, but it’s no Joel! I need to sit down and plan out some INTENSE strength workouts for myself. Afterwards, I did some yoga at home on Exercise TV. (If you have Time Warner, it’s 1025 On Demand.) I was going to stay at the gym, but I was getting sick of looking at myself in the mirror.