Injury update - running again

Well, its a sort of injury update anyway!

I had an ultrasound scan in January but all that showed up was that I didn't have an inguinal hernia, which I pretty much knew anyway, and my groin remained sore.

Once the icy weather passed (we had thick snow on the ground from 15th December to 17th January constantly) everything settled down with the pain largely gone, though I wasn't doing any running.

I had managed to get a temporary gym membership which helped me start to get back into the exercise routine by sticking to the cross trainer and avoiding irritation but its really not the same appeal as getting out running somewhere - despite the increased opportunities to stare at the lycra clad bootys of attractive lasses.

I digress.

Once the scan's results were collected the GP referred me to an NHS physio. The guy I saw was great and genuinely wanted to help but the intervention of the pysio team seems to be mainly a way of delaying people joining the very long queue to see a consultant and he advised me that it would be late May before I'd get an appointment.

He couldn't confirm Gilmore's Groin but accepted that I showed the symptoms and also felt that I possibly had an accompanying adductor tendonopathy and attempted to treat the latter with some simple exercises. After a few days these restored some flexibility and didn't aggravate anything too much so I was advised to try running.

I managed two easy paced 4 mile runs which gave mixed results. On the one hand they felt really hard work (like a 10 mile race) and my quads were sore for a couple of days after; but on the other they didn't give a terrible response pain wise and at least I was running!

That meant alot. For pretty much 3 months I'd felt a fraud describing myself as a runner or seeing others out running, and to actually get out there again was fantastic.

The physio suggested I try to run 'as normal' and see whether the problems were fading away or if they would come back once I ran more typical mileages or with greater regularity. I felt hopeful.

I couldn't test that hope for another week as a virus/ear infection/sinusitis left me struggling to sleep and feeling really rotten. Once that was over I started again and in the last 8 days have ran every other day doing 4 miles, 5.25 miles, 6 miles and 7 miles.

Unfortunately, since after the 5.25 and particularly the 6 mile run I've felt rather more sore and I'd expect that to get worse the longer I carried on and especially as speed and distances increased.

Looks like I'll need the op. I'm generally getting to grips with that idea (despite spending the last couple of months petrified at the prospect of a general anaesthetic) and now my only worry is that the op wont work as there only seems to be a 90% success rate.

Still, I've dilligently (or anallly depending on your view point) typed up my own full 'case history' and I'm off to see a consultant privately on Tuesday.

I'll run twice more ahead of then and will keep you posted!