Pieces of the Mystery Puzzle
Good news my friends! My MRI came back looking great. In fact, the PA and doctor said they wished they saw more MRI's like mine come through their office. So I have a backbone and it looks beautiful lol! Is it crazy that part of me was hoping for something to show up wrong? The frustrated part of me just wants a definitive and objective diagnosis. This small part of me didn't care what the diagnosis was, but just wanted an answer. I hate that I'm at that point now. I really didn't want to end up having a back problem. Of all the diagnostic imaging results to have show a problem, a lumbar spine scan isn't one of them! So I really was glad for the results I got, but am still without an answer. Grrrrrr.
I had a decent conversation with Lindsay the PA, though, that shed some light on what might really be going on. I told her everything about the history of my situation. She agreed that the initial problem started with my hamstrings from the speed work in December. I kept running on it and making it worse, and eventually, the weakness in my hammies led to me changing the way other muscles and joints compensate. It most likely changed my gait while running and walking. There is definitely inflammation in my piriformis, since the steroid shot helped a little with the sciatic nerve pain. She also said that even though the MRI looked good, there could still be nerve irritation in my lumbar or sacral vertebrae. She scheduled me for an ultrasound next Monday to confirm a tear in my hamstring(s). Once that is confirmed, she feels that PRP injections may be of some help in speeding up the healing process. She said that if physical therapy is aggravating my injury, (it was just enough to be a problem) I should just hold off on it for now. So having said all of this, I'll try to explain what some of these things mean.
Before I go into explanation, I'm also going to tell you guys about massage therapist I saw yesterday that just fell into the picture because I got a massage on Sunday. I go to Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa in Ahwatukee on 48th St and Ray. The therapist I saw was Cyndi. I found out through talking other about my injury that she is a Master Bodyworker. The best definition of Master Bodyworker I could find is:
"Masterbodyworker is a hybrid therapy using a wide variety of treatments ranging from fascial stretch therapy (FST), myokinetics, sports massage, deep tisssue, energy clearing and balancing, cranial sacral, visualization therapy, taping and nutrition." Source
It is basically a massage therapist that specializes in therapies specifically designed to help injured people (among other things.) She knows every bit of human anatomy and names and functions of muscles and joints and ligaments that she worked on with me. She did what she called a "sacral base release" on me,which took about 90-100 minutes.
I am going to go totally dork on you guys now with some explanations. Here are a few diagrams of the pelvic area that show the major muscles. I got them all off of a Google search of "pelvic girdle muscle diagrams."
Not only am I having my pain at the ischial tuberosity, (where hamstrings attach) but Cyndi found issues (pain/tightness/trigger points,etc) bilaterally in my piriformis, glute medius, glute minimus, tensor fasciae latae, and the right psoas and IT band. Check out the diagrams below to see where these muscles are.
You an see on the diagram directly above how the piriformis muscle lays across the sciatic nerve. This is the reason why I had burning pain going down my right leg a couple of weeks ago.
These are all small pieces of the puzzle we (doctors and I) are trying to solve now. A hamstring tear with tendinitis plus some piriformis syndrome and some abnormalities in neighboring muscles equals why I can't stand for more than 10-15 minutes without pain. It's just so interesting to me how this whole area is interconnected, and how one area of injury directly or indirectly affects another. So I'm still broken. I'm resting and staying off of my feet as much as possible. Next update will be results of my ultrasound.
On a happier note, I woke up this morning to rain. I opened my window and just laid there relaxed and enjoying every second. You midwest transplants get me. Rain is special around here, and I always love a good storm.
This was my day today. Well, I actually ended up blogging, not reading. Breakfast was super yummy-vanilla Greek yogurt, blueberries, banana, almond butter, flax and chia seed.
I'm getting ready to go to Ari's for a gluten free bake fest! I haven't seen this girl all summer, so I am really looking forward to catching up :-). I am so blessed to have such amazing friends out here in AZ! Y'all know who you are and know I love you :-) <3.
I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of your day!! Check back soon for more recipes!
Happy Trails!
Stacey
Posted with Blogsy