With the amount of running I do, I suppose it comes as no surprise that I am constantly injuring myself. In January, I got a pelvic stress fracture during a 50k race in a blizzard. Yup, I actually ran until my pelvis broke. I’ve had broken bones, torn muscles, tendonitis, bursitis, capsulitis (any more itises?), shin splints, patellofemoral syndrome, chaffed legs, back, and underarms, blisters, cankles, lost toenails, bruises, er, am I missing anything?
Truly, it is a miracle I’m actually still in one piece. Okay, sometimes two. But anyway, I would probably be in a wheelchair if it wasn’t for my medical team. Yes, I call them my MIRACLE TEAM!
I’m often asked by friends and colleagues for the names of the sports professionals that help keep me moving forward. Well, without further delay, here they are! I would recommend these people without hesitation:
Let’s start with London….(links to their websites can be found in one of the boxes on the right)
James Pinkney. Certified IMS Practitioner and Physiotherapist. I think I will need to do an entirely separate post on the benefits of IMS…stay tuned for that one. In short, IMS (Intramuscular Stimulation) is the pretty much the only treatment that will get me out of a hole when my muscles are REALLY messed up. James is the ONLY practitioner trained in IMS in LONDON who has made it onto the official IMS website (www.istop.org). Thank goodness he is here!!! Dr. Pinkney has just opened up a new clinic — his third! — and I can’t speak highly enough about him. Not only is he a great professional, but he is also really nice to chat with….And the fact that I can talk pleasantly about a guy whose job it is to stick me full of needles should say something 🙂
Richard Guy. Sports massage therapist. I’m pretty picky about my massage therapists…and I give this one two thumbs up. Oftentimes the therapist won’t be able to do deep tissue to the degree that I need, or they will do it improperly and I’ll wind up bruised. Richard gets into the knots and releases my muscles without me having to give too much instruction at all. He may be covered in tattoos, but don’t let his hardened appearance fool you – he is as sweet as can be! Extremely helpful to his clients and very accessible by email or on his mobile. I also really value when the professionals with whom I’ve worked have also been involved in the more extreme side of sports themselves. Richard is an IRONMAN…respect.
Dr. Orr. Chiropractor. He is very professional, expresses his concern about my level of training when he thinks I’m pushing it too far, but never lectures. This is KEY for me…He takes an interest in my training, listens to my complaints of pain, and uses a mixture of manual therapy, stretching, spinal manipulation, and needle treatment to sort me out. Brilliant.
That’s it for London for now!
Ultra Runner Girl 
How did you recover from patellofemoral syndrome? I’m in the dumps with it during my first summer of long-distance trail running and could really use some advice!
Thank you for a great blog,
Jeremy