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A Christmas Run

Friday, December 28, 2018 · Mike Davis

Good morning

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Hopefully it was filled with peace and joy with your families. I most definitely had peace, as well as my best run in over 18 months. As I chatted about last Sunday, my plan was to do a Christmas run along the beach and I did!

Running has been a challenge for me for the past 2 years as I continue to battle uncertainty of how each run will turnout. My well chronicled not calf, but leg fracture was certainly a factor, but the sins of my poor treatment of my body, have led to chronic hip issues. Also, I have been battling lower back pain, but thankfully I believe I can solve that with stretching and lifestyle improvements.

I have chatted numerous times about our bodies being a chain of events whenever we require movement. Quite often when pain arises, we focus our attention on the location of the pain and give little thought to the variables of what may have contributed to pain or even the injury. My hip is a great example of this. I have a significant amount of arthritis in both hips due to a lifetime of neglect and limited understanding. Because arthritis is a chronic inflammation, there is little I can do to rid myself of it, besides eventual replacement of the hip.

I am certainly not painting a wonderful picture of my running future. Some would even suggest I take up physical activities less demanding of my hips. I have had numerous conversations with orthopedic doctors and physical therapist, and even they all have varied professional opinions. So as human nature is, I should choose the opinion I like best?

The route I have chosen, is that of keeping the arthritic joint intelligently active.

To understand what keeping the joint intelligently active means, I will tell you what is not intelligent. Asking an arthritic joint to run 26.1 miles, trying to recapture a pace of sub 8 minute miles, and possibly activities such as downhill skiing are all detrimental to a joint infested with inflammation. These activities would more than likely not only be painful but would serve to further expand the amount of inflammation.

Active intelligence of an arthritic joint really has little to do with the actual joint. In fact, keeping the joint active is said to be beneficial (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arthritis/in-depth/arthritis/art-20047971)*. However, asking too much is not being intelligently active (goodbye future marathons). A critical piece of being intelligently active is the surrounding muscles, levers (bones) and connective tissue. The hip is impacted by many muscles, both directly and indirectly. To keep things general we have groups of muscles referred to as hip flexors (helps us to sit and stand) and muscles for moving our hips laterally (both away and toward the body), called hip abductors and adductors (think jumping jacks). While other parts of the body might be a factor, these particular muscles are all intricate in stabilizing the hip joint. If any of them lack stability (strength) or mobility, the inflammation in hip joint will most likely rear its disapproval (pain), or the irritation will further the development of the inflammation. I am not a doctor, but a logical guess is poor stability or mobility over time, may have been the cause of the arthritis. So, if I want to be smart and give myself the best opportunity to continue running, my hip flexors and abductors/adductors all need to function as they are designed, strong and mobile.

Tuesdays run started out poorly as my left hip felt stiff. I continued running at an easy pace with no real goal besides to be out there. During that first mile I had doubts whether I would run more than a couple miles, but I stayed with it and eventually my hip loosened up. My goal was not to run my longest run of the year, however I listened to my body and it allowed me to do just that. It was a great run and one I needed.

For me to continue to run, I have work to do with all the supporting muscles and connective tissue. I cannot rid myself of the arthritis, but improved stability & mobility will reduce the consequences of the arthritis. This understanding leaves me with a choice: put in the effort or accept the consequences.

Much like life, we have the choice to put forth the effort and enjoy the results, or we can accept the consequences of what appears easier. If you know me, you know what choice I will always make. I will do the tedious work in order to keep lacing up those running shoes.

Got a little long in the chat today, but it was hard to minimize it. Have a great Friday and come on back Sunday for the final Coffee & Chat of 2018!

God Bless!

Mike

* Exercise helps ease arthritis pain and stiffness