ART Session #2 - This One's Optimistic

(Radiohead fans would get the name of that title post, but that's neither here or there.)

I'll say right off the bat that the folks at the Raymond Chiropractic & Sports Injury Center are fantastic and I'm really glad I went there. They've identified key areas that need to be addressed in order for the plantar fasciitis to heal, and today began work on fixing those area. They're runners there also, which adds to the confidence level. I am indeed optimistic.

Below is based on my own recollection and I hope I got all the facts straight, but I think I remember everything pretty well:

One area is my left leg being 3-4mm longer than my right leg. I thought it was pretty common for one leg to be a little longer than the other, but I asked Dr. Raymond about that and he says it's not really true. What happens is someone's pelvis may sometimes not be aligned, but in reality the legs are the same length. For me, the left leg really is longer than the right (specifically, between the knee and the foot). This could be complicating healing, so to correct that I was given heal lifts for the right leg to even things out.

Secondly, there are some tight spots in my calves that are pulling on the problem area in my heal. Active release therapy began working on those areas. I can best describe this as pressure was put on key areas while I stretched my foot a certain way. Also, ART was done on the soft tissue areas around the foot, specifically the heal. Same deal... applying pressure in those sensitive areas while I stretched a certain way.

Using a curious look instrument that looked like the key to the door of an alien spacecraft, work was also done at scraping away the scar tissue on and around the heal. This wasn't as painful as I thought it would be

And, some of my muscles in my foot were identified as being weaker than they should be, so I was shown some exercises for my foot that should help provide more support. I was also shown how to use a foam roller to identify the problems areas and continue working on my leg muscles to keep them loose, and ended up buying one from them.

The prognosis? Dr. Raymond seemed optimistic, and so am I. He seemed encouraged and a bit surprised that I'm actually very flexible in most areas, and the problem areas should be able to be corrected relatively easily. I want to stress that he didn't guarantee this, nor would I expect him to. However, I can very much see the logic in what is wrong and also the solutions provided. It makes sense to me.

I go back on Thursday for another session. Am planning on a run tomorrow.