How Radical....?

So, here I am. Less than one month out to my first race for 2010. Yet tomorrow, I have an appointment with a Manual Therapist to receive the most radical/painful treatment he says exists... to fix my hammy. But, it WILL fix my hammy. Boy, could it really be true?

Yes, here I am, 9 months post injury running/biking in such discomfort, STILL. And, still running slooooowwww. Today during a threshold bike... I thought; my foot injury might be the best thing that could have ever happened at this point. Okay, so now you are saying... "I thought it was a hamstring injury". Well, a month ago, my foot became very painful and crippling after runs. I decided to go see this Manual Therapist. Because of all the overcompensation from the weak hammy, my ankle was freezing up on me. We are starting to get some results from his manipulations and I decided to ask him his opinion on my hammy. After some testing that elicited EXTREME pain... he had some answers for me. But first, I thought... this baby should not still hurt like this 9 months later! Tissues are healed! Well this is true... but

He told me I have neural entrapment and he can do neural glides to correct this. This is good. He also said my hamstring is NOT functioning normal as it is bound with scar tissue. Apparently, it continues to lay down collagen and when my hamstring contracts, instead of fanning like a normal muscle, it is bound and can't splay. Its like a brick. If you saw the back of my leg during a contraction, it looks like a brick. One straight line from my glut down... and its square. No joke. No attractive curvature that hammys and gluts make together.

So tomorrow I go to the Torture Chamber... willingly. I will put on my 'tough girl' while my leg is bound; literally tied down, and maximum repeated contractions are forced to start breaking up all this scar tissue that has developed and forcing it to lengthen in hopes that we can start getting some normal function of my hamstring. He looked me straight in the eyes and said.. I can make you 100% again... and I have to believe him.

Radical? I will know tomorrow how Radical... stay tuned...