Hope To Run Again Before End Of The Year

Still having knee issues? Or just taking a running break?

Well Steve, since you asked ....

Right now I am feeling lost and do not know what to do about my health and running. So I am just going to write down everything I can think of to describe what is going on. So be warned it may be long winded. But I would very much appreciate you perspective and thoughts on what my next step should be.

This story starts in September of 2008. I began having some tenderness in the point of my right hip. It did not bother me while running, but I could feel it afterwards. Especially after standing for awhile. Not really sure how to describe it, but I felt my running form was different when this started. I off center of sorts. Continued through this with no change good or bad in the hip. Ran my 1st marathon in November and was so excited about my running future afterwards. A few days after the marathon I wanted to do a slow and short run. Within the 1st mile I felt my calf pull and it hurt even when walking. I decided then to take the month of December off from running. My body needed the break. I used the elliptical,did some swimming,and pool running to maintain my fitness. January came and I started running again. I kept it nice and easy. The hip pain was less, but I still felt like my form was off. March came and I decided to start increasing my mileage and effort. My right calf got a little tight on one run and would not go away. So I stopped and walked home. Took the next day off because it was still very tight. Then that night at work, as a police officer, I got a call and hurried to my car. I took 2 or 3 quick steps and it felt like my calf ripped in half. It hurt and burned. There was no outward bruising to see and it did not look deformed in any way. After a few days it stopped hurting when walking. I did not try running on it again for a few weeks, I think. But when I did within a 1/4 mile it started hurting. So I rested again for some time. I kept going through a cycle of resting, running, hurting for a a couple of months. I was so bummed about this pattern I stopped all other exercise. So from March until June I did NOTHING. Gained about 14 pounds, which made me feel worse. Finally in June I went to an Orthopedic and he said I had a severe calf strain. I went to a PT for a month or so and that helped a lot. I finally started logging some road miles again and was using the elliptical as well. Still my form felt off and that right hip got tender again. Then I started having pain in my left knee. It finally got to the point where I went to the doctor. He thought it was just inflammation, and I agreed. He gave me some Celebrex. I took it for a week and the knee felt much better. I stopped and within 2 day the pain came back, so I went back on the Celebrex. So now we come to "today." I have been swimming and nothing else. Knee still has some twinges. It hurts when going from a sitting to standing position. It will stiffen up after sitting awhile. And I do a lot of sitting when on patrol. The other night I saw my PT in his office after 11pm. So I stopped by and told him what was going on with the knee. He said the pain was in the area of my meniscus. He also thought it may be more than just inflammation due to having the pain return when I got off the Celebrex. He worked on it a few minutes and it did feel better..at least for an hour.

So after all that here is what I am thinking. Wondering if I should go to an Orthopedic, with a sports medicine background, to evaluate the knee. Also wondering if all these injuries - hip, calf, & knee - is a result of me feeling my form has changed. Could a Chiropractor help ? I believe I have the right shoes for me. Even though they are getting a bit old right now. But I was really waiting until I could get running again before spending bucks on new ones.

I know that was a lot. But any ideas would be welcome. Thanks.