Proprioception
Saw both Ira (doc) and Maureen (pt) yesterday in separate appointments. Didn't run, but learned a new word.
Proprioception - an overlooked sense as important, if not more important as the other senses, for normal functioning. Proprioception is the process by which the body can vary muscle contraction in immediate response to incoming information regarding external forces, by utilizing stretch receptors in the muscles to keep track of the joint position in the body. [With proprioception,] the brain can send out immediate and unconscious adjustments to the muscles and joints in order to achieve movement and balance. [URL here].
Put a bit more simply: Slight deviations in terrain require slight adjustments of balance to avoid injury.
The significance of this is that proprioception is lost after a bad ankle sprain, and the main function of my PT, as it was explained to me, is to teach the "sensors" in my ankle to react to changes in balance so that it can again make the small automatic adjustments that allow for a firm footing. So my PT exercises for the week involve various activities with standing on the right foot and moving around the left leg to create a loss of balance that forces the right ankle to adjust. Teaching the ankle to take care of itself again. The loss of balance gets progressively more intense as the therapy progresses.
This paradigm makes sense to me, because it explains my reinjury well. As I said about my reinjury on the trails at Tinicum, my ankle seemed to buckle without any apparent cause. However the "trail" I was running on was a rutted dirt road, which likely created just enough imbalance to where it was more than the ankle could adjust to. As a result I went down, although there didn't seem to be any apparent misstep. Seems obvious now that I should have stuck to the roads, that simply being careful wasn't enough.
Understanding this helps me greatly in my recovery. That and the connection I now have made between this problem and how the exercises work to counteract this. Both Ira and Maureen did good jobs in explaining this.
They also both were happy with the progress I've been making, and gave me the green light to run to the extent I felt comfortable. They were also fine with the running I've done over the past week and recommend that I keep going on the treadmill or on even surfaces that require minimal proprioceptive action.
I felt good about this, and went out to the Art Museum this morning to meet up with Philly Runners. Jim, who has abandoned us of late for the suburbs, wrote of going back to a PR group run and not recognizing many people there. Its been ages since I've made it out to such a run, and I expected the same, but hoped for some running company.
The group lived up to my expectations, as I only knew a few folks, but got what I was looking for in Rob, an art student I hadn't met before. He kept up a steady 7:30ish pace and I fell in with him. Just what I was looking for, and we talked a little to boot.
I was nervous during the run, especially in the middle around Falls River Bridge when I thought that if the ankle buckled again then I would really be stuck. But all in all it went well, the stride felt right. I spent too much time with my eyes glued to the path, missing much of the fall color on the Drives. In addition, I was afraid to look back, and chastised myself whenever I lost my focus. However I felt strong and the miles were steady (MLK four in 29:51 and Kelly Drive four in 29:27). 8.5 miles might was a bit of a stretch, but not too much of one. And it was great to be outside.
8.5 miles in 63:21. My ankle now feels like it got a workout.
Proprioception - an overlooked sense as important, if not more important as the other senses, for normal functioning. Proprioception is the process by which the body can vary muscle contraction in immediate response to incoming information regarding external forces, by utilizing stretch receptors in the muscles to keep track of the joint position in the body. [With proprioception,] the brain can send out immediate and unconscious adjustments to the muscles and joints in order to achieve movement and balance. [URL here].
Put a bit more simply: Slight deviations in terrain require slight adjustments of balance to avoid injury.
The significance of this is that proprioception is lost after a bad ankle sprain, and the main function of my PT, as it was explained to me, is to teach the "sensors" in my ankle to react to changes in balance so that it can again make the small automatic adjustments that allow for a firm footing. So my PT exercises for the week involve various activities with standing on the right foot and moving around the left leg to create a loss of balance that forces the right ankle to adjust. Teaching the ankle to take care of itself again. The loss of balance gets progressively more intense as the therapy progresses.
This paradigm makes sense to me, because it explains my reinjury well. As I said about my reinjury on the trails at Tinicum, my ankle seemed to buckle without any apparent cause. However the "trail" I was running on was a rutted dirt road, which likely created just enough imbalance to where it was more than the ankle could adjust to. As a result I went down, although there didn't seem to be any apparent misstep. Seems obvious now that I should have stuck to the roads, that simply being careful wasn't enough.
Understanding this helps me greatly in my recovery. That and the connection I now have made between this problem and how the exercises work to counteract this. Both Ira and Maureen did good jobs in explaining this.
They also both were happy with the progress I've been making, and gave me the green light to run to the extent I felt comfortable. They were also fine with the running I've done over the past week and recommend that I keep going on the treadmill or on even surfaces that require minimal proprioceptive action.
I felt good about this, and went out to the Art Museum this morning to meet up with Philly Runners. Jim, who has abandoned us of late for the suburbs, wrote of going back to a PR group run and not recognizing many people there. Its been ages since I've made it out to such a run, and I expected the same, but hoped for some running company.
The group lived up to my expectations, as I only knew a few folks, but got what I was looking for in Rob, an art student I hadn't met before. He kept up a steady 7:30ish pace and I fell in with him. Just what I was looking for, and we talked a little to boot.
I was nervous during the run, especially in the middle around Falls River Bridge when I thought that if the ankle buckled again then I would really be stuck. But all in all it went well, the stride felt right. I spent too much time with my eyes glued to the path, missing much of the fall color on the Drives. In addition, I was afraid to look back, and chastised myself whenever I lost my focus. However I felt strong and the miles were steady (MLK four in 29:51 and Kelly Drive four in 29:27). 8.5 miles might was a bit of a stretch, but not too much of one. And it was great to be outside.
8.5 miles in 63:21. My ankle now feels like it got a workout.
posted by seebo | 5:05 PM
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