So basically I've spent the last three to four weeks resting, walking, foam rolling, keeping loose, and not running more than a mile or so at a time. As the woes in my left quad continued, I'd begun to experience SPASMS in the last few weeks, as a symptom of muscle dysfunction, likely caused by adhesions and/or knots. Anything so much as more than a cup of coffee per day, or the slightest bit of stress, would trigger even more spasms. And when the muscle wasn't twitching randomly, there would often be a dull ache like someone had punched it a few minutes before - chalk that up to a constant state of spasm. Or, if not all that, there would just be stiffness and more odd knee pains from the tendon and IT band being pulled/thrown out of whack (especially following sleep).
On Thanksgiving morning, I did a 2 mile run-walk, where stiffness and a bit of IT pain began to return on the descent of hills. Running either side of crested roads didn't feel right, while both power and shock absorption were lacking. I suppose one thing that wasn't so bad about not running was the fact that the weather's been poor. Cold, rain, wind, and snow. And forget trails - they're already mud pits and will remain so until next summer. I tried walking/jogging a couple "new" gas well trails in the valleys below my house, and only ended up spraining my right foot, which wasn't bad and quickly healed.
Finally, while I was foam rolling my lower left quad area on December 7, I felt a pop DEEP within one of the muscles, followed by a LOT more spring and looseness in the leg there. And of course, less pain. Tonight, I did another 2-mile run-walk, testing the leg on hills. No pain, no stiffness. Strength and shock absorption are very close to that of my right side. I'm still getting very small spasms while typing this, but they no longer seem to be interfering in my movements at the current time.
To make a long story short, I'd had this injury since about October 25 and simply had not been able to shake it, or make any discernible progress for SIX solid weeks. It took a miraculous pas with the foam roller to shake it. But staying disciplined with my diet, staying hydrated, and doing light exercises were likely also key to recovery.
Going forward, I will continue to roll and stretch after every run. Every attempt must be made as to prevent muscle adhesions that could potentially limit my abilities or lead to other injuries. Also, I will not push too hard or too long on any run and give myself adequate rest and recovery time between runs. Although this seems like common sense, there can sometimes be a fine line between not enough and too much. Learning how not to cross that line is the hard part.
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