Physical therapy, take two

After a deeply disappointing physical therapy appointment last month, I was skeptical about how my Wednesday-morning appointment with another therapist in the same group would go. A brief recap of my first appointment: Therapist No. 1 told me that humans weren’t meant to run, that she wasn’t sure what she could do for my tendonitis-ridden-ankle and that I may have stress fractures in my shins.

Then, I met Brad, and I knew everything was going to be OK.

Brad is a great big beefcake of a man with spiky blond hair and shoulders as wide as the doorway to his office. He wore an Under Armour-brand polo shirt and khakis, and walked with the fluid gait of an athlete. It was obvious before I read it on his business card that he’s board certified in sports physical therapy. He looked like a Brad. He was just what I needed.

Brad listened patiently as I described my long path to his office: an ankle sprain in June 2007 that caused a possible labral tear in my hip that October. An ankle sprain in 2008 that turned into tendonitis thanks to a season wearing ancient ski boots. An eventual flareup of my old hip injury. He nodded emphatically when I told him I felt like my ankle pain and hip pain were inextricably linked, and tested what seemed like every part of my body for strength and flexibility.

He was very much interested in the fact that I can only eke out three of what Runner’s World refers to as the “hip hike” (video here) — basically, sideways step-ups. You stand with one leg on a step, one leg off the step. Then, you simply bend the leg on the step until the foot that’s off the step hits the ground. Simple. Unless, of course, you’re me, and you are miserably malaligned.

Brad surmised a few things based on this and my other strength tests:

• Since I’m naturally circus-freak flexible, I need to be even more stable — i.e., stronger — to compensate.
• I don’t have any major muscle weaknesses, per se. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have muscle imbalances. My quads and hamstrings are super-strong, and Brad thinks they may be overpowering my pretty-strong hips and core. He’ll be suggesting some tweaks to my current core- and hip-strengthening routine to remedy this.
• It’s highly unlikely I have any phantom stress fractures, as suggested by Therapist No. 1. When I mentioned this, he gave me the look I must have given that first therapist: Confusion and dismissal.

I left with a desire to master those stupid side step-ups, and marching orders to make four appointments over the next month. Brad had one last suggestion before I left: That I read “Born to Run,” and consider doing parts of my strength workouts barefoot to build foot and ankle strength. I could’ve hugged him.

This weekend, I’ll take another step toward fixing the problems that contributed to my ankle hurting to begin with: I’m getting my custom insoles for my new ski boots made on Saturday night, in the middle of our regular shift at Whitetail. Cross young fingers that Sunday’s a great and painless ski day, and that I can take full advantage of the beautiful dusting of snow we got last night!