Injury Recovery is not Linear

How many times have you heard the phrase, “injury recovery is not linear?” If you’re like me, quite a few times. And you give a small sigh and resigned nod, “I know” and promise you’ll be patient. Injured athletes know this and secretly hope that this time it’ll be different. 

I’ve been battling an injury since my 2019 Javelina Jundred finish. That’s 18 months. A year and a half of not being able to run. Now, this isn’t a pity post – more like a revelation post in a response to my recovery. (I’ve been able to generally walk and hike, so I haven’t been completely couch-bound, thank goodness.)

I had a PRP (platlet-rich plasma) procedure in early November that was supposed to fix my iliopsoas tendinopathy so I’d be back to running this spring. (Iliopsoas tendinopathy is the degeneration of the tendon due to chronic overuse, and PRP stimulates healing. I’ll write a separate post about this experience another time.) In short, the PRP did fix my tendon, but this is where we circle back to the theme – recovery is not linear.

I thought that because of all the physical therapy I was doing post-procedure, my body would be ready to go when I was allowed to start running. I’d gleefully scamper off to the trails to run with my friends and I’d be back to day-long mountain adventures before I knew it. But we all know that’s not what happened.

I followed the prescribed return-to-run program and my physical therapist’s instructions, like a good little runner. But then I had some lingering hip pain, not from the tendon. Then I pulled an adductor. Next I had back spasms. Then hip stiffness that caused back spasms. All of these little things kept me from running. What the hell?? I put in the work – why can’t I run? Why am I seemingly broken?

I have an idea: I am not a runner anymore.

What I mean is that all of those tiny, stabilizer muscles that were used to holding me upright over miles and miles of trail were atrophied because it’s been 18 months. Walking and hiking don’t use those muscles. Drinking whiskey doesn’t use those muscles. And sitting on the couch while cuddling the kitties certainly doesn’t use those muscles. 

It’s not as though my body forgot how to run, per se. It just moved on, adapted to current conditions and reduced unnecessary muscles, as efficient bodies do.

That means I’m back to being a newbie runner again. Albeit one with delusions of grandeur (like running ultramarathons again.) I used to run for hours…and that means I will be able to do it again. Just not yet. It means more patience, and treating my body with some grace as it re-learns what muscles are needed for running, and rebuilding the endurance over the summer. Recovery is not linear. It’s a rollercoaster.