No sooner have I gotten back in to my stride than my sciatic nerve decides to play up again.
For those of you who are regular readers you will know that I spent the bones of two months off running, missing the women’s mini marathon and falling in love with the elliptical. Over the past three weeks I’ve been back in full swing, running between 5-7 miles 3 times a weeks without too much bother. Last Friday I braved the outdoors (I had a bit of a mental hurdle/fear to overcome)…and ran just under 10km (6 miles) in about 48/49 minutes (I don’t have a Garmin so I’m going on having checked the clock before and after and mapping the route on dailymile!)
The cause of my sciatic nerve troubles previously was attributed to my pelvis having been tilted forward when I was running, something which I’ve been making every effort to address. I was doing quite well, not even a twinge…but then the dreaded little ache came back to bother me. This time rather than ignore it and keep on running like I did previously I’ve taken a rest. A rest from running that is.
I also spoke to one of the fitness instructors at the gym and he recommended I try using a tennis ball to target the pain. My good lord it was painful but it seemed to do the trick. You can view a little demo video I found here!
The last time I let it get so horrifically inflamed that I left myself barely able to walk. This time I’m listening to my body and hoping I reap the rewards for it. I’m not going to lie, I’m angry and frustrated that it has happened once again despite my foam rolling and stretching efforts. I think the trigger was the outdoor run…too much too soon. There were a fair few hills and steep inclines along the way were all thoughts of my posture and pelvic tilt went out the window (all I wanted to do was make it to the top, chanting to myself on my way up that I could make it!)
The three most important lessons I’ve learned from having been injured…
- Listen to and respect my body
- It’s not the end of the world, there are other forms of exercise!
- Always remember/find the time to stretch and roll (foam roll that is)!
This Thursday AXA PPP healthcare are having a fantastic online chat focused on sports injuries. Health expert and GP Dr Alastair Wright will be available to answer questions on sports injuries – with a patient friendly approach and previous experience as national team tennis player and coach, Dr Wright has an abiding interest in health and fitness and can offer valuable insight into recovery from sports injuries.
It’s free, running from 3-5pm this Thursday the 23rd and it’s your opportunity to have you questions and queries answered by an expert live; or alternatively you can post your questions on their Facebook or Twitter Page.
If you want to catch up after the chat or access some additional health and fitness content there is a whole host of health and fitness information available on the AXA PPP healthcare site; a great resource perfectly cited as the “be healthy section” ! We can all learn a thing or two and sure who doesn’t want to be a little healthier, become a tad fitter, and put that spring back in their step?!
Please note this is a sponsored post.
One question I’d have for the expert…what is the best way to address my pelvic tilting issue when running in terms of repositioning my pelvis/training myself to run in a more ideal and less injury inducing position? 
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
If it’s any bit of comfort to you, I suffered in much the same way a little over a year ago and have recovered! I remember how frustrating it had been to ‘sit-out’ running; however, I must say that this injury actually gave me the opportunity to shift gear and open my eyes to a whole new world of different types of fun (low-impact) exercises! Just like a mundane and regimented meal plan, a routine workout will get boring and dull in no time. But by ‘spicing things up’ I noticed a difference in not just my mood, but also my overall energy level! I hope that a similar discovery will come to you!
Definitely! It happened in March so I’ve rediscovered strength training and spinning and I’m in love
That’s great! Be careful with the spinning, though, as it can way rather heavily on the knees- I found out the hard way! Strength training is a good call! We girls often forget how good it is to incorporate into our lives