Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 121, August 2019 | Page 38

ROAD RUNNING
Out of desperation, I decided to take the doctor’s
advice for a second cortisone injection. I did not feel
confident about my choice, and certainly regretted it
afterwards! The injection itself was not bad, but when
the anaesthetic wore off, the pain shot through the
roof. I was in so much agony that I could barely eat,
I had headaches and I could barely walk. It took two
courses of cataflams (anti-inflammatories) for the pain
to subside.
Panicked thoughts started racing through my
head, fuelled by fears of losing fitness, and missing
out on scheduled races and the upcoming World
Championships (which I had already qualified for).
Nothing I had tried was working, and no one seemed to
have answers. I started thinking about what I would do if
I could never run again? What if this was the end of my
career? These thoughts frightened me, because I could
not imagine my life without running. It was all getting too
much for me, and I broke down so many times.
Hopes Dashed
After six weeks, I was allowed to take the moon boot
off. What a relief to finally get rid of that awful thing!
Then, before I could hit the road, I had to do a few
running sessions on the Alter G anti-gravity treadmill
to gradually build back to running. My Bio assessed
me over five sessions, starting at 60% body weight
running for 20 minutes, then building up until I was
able to run at 90% for 40 minutes. Running on the
Alter was great, but I wanted to be outside, breathing
in the fresh air, taking in the beautiful scenery, and just
free to explore. I knew that I was close to that goal
of running outside again, so that motivated me, and
with the bio happy with my progress, I was allowed to
return to running.
I was so excited to hit the road again. I laced up in
high spirits and attempted a 30-minute run. Oh man
did it feel good to run again... but then my smile
started to fade as 15 minutes into my run, I felt pain
in the side of my knee. I kept running, thinking this
is just phantom pain, and at the end of the run, I had
an uncomfortable feeling in my knee, but I rated it as
a 3/10 pain (10 being unbearable), which is OK. Two
Nolene wins the SA
Marathon title in 2018
days after, I set off for another run, but this time the
pain started just five minutes into my run. After 15
minutes I was limping, the pain now unbearable. Post-
run, I had some swelling on the outside of my left
knee, and I could barely walk up and down the stairs
without wincing.
That night I sulked. I was in a dark place. I kept
thinking, what did I do to deserve this? My heart was
broken. I had hoped to still be able to race the Two
Oceans Half Marathon and defend my title, but now
I had to withdraw. I was distraught, but I knew that in
the long run it was the best decision. Trying to force my
body through training would just cause more damage.
The next day, I decided to make an appointment to
see Dr Derman at Tygerberg Hospital. He could only
see me the following week, but in the meantime I
would give my injury some time to settle, as it was
still inflamed and painful. On arrival at the Isem clinic
(Tygerberg), a team of doctors assessed me. The
diagnosis was a clinical ITB injury. The treatment
involved a cortisone injection right into the lateral side
of my knee, done under the guidance of ultra-sound
to ensure that the cortisone is injected into the correct
area. Boy did it hurt, especially after the injection was
administered, and I was walking like Captain Hook,
unable to bend my knee without severe pain.
Reaching Rock Bottom
Three days after the injection I was able to walk around
like a normal person. I gave it a week to settle before I
attempted running again,
and the first run went well,
although there was still
some pain. Victory at last,
I thought! I did another
20-minute run later that
week, but on the third run I
felt excruciating pain in my
knee and decided to stop
after 10 minutes. Back to
the physio I went, and she
did acupuncture treatment
on my gluteus, as it seemed
to be in spasm. We then
tried cupping treatment for
the ITB. Ouch!
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ISSUE 121 AUGUST 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za
When I looked at my body, I was shocked to discover
the damages done – scars and bruises everywhere.
I decided no more needles and treatments! I had to
be kind to my body and give it the time it needed to
heal. My team referred me to a reiki master for energy
healing, and that really helped me cope mentally and
physically. It was a relaxing treatment, helping me
calm my mind and bring energy healing to my body.
The psychological aspect of being injured can be
significant, as running itself has a therapeutic effect.
Running releases endorphins, and being unable to run
means that the benefit of those ‘feel good hormones’
have been taken away.
Yet Another Diagnosis
Eight weeks after I was diagnosed with clinical ITB ,
there was still no change to my pain, so I went back
to my physio and asked her to take full control of
the treatment of my injury, as I felt overwhelmed.
She referred me to a hip specialist, as the symptoms
made her suspect that I might have a problem in my
hip, causing referred pain in my knee. After the hip
specialist assessed me, he felt the same and sent
me for scans of the lumbar spine and the hip. I was
so nervous about the hip arthroscopy, because I had
previously undergone this procedure and it is not for
the faint-hearted. Having a long needle stuck into the
front of your hip is gut-wrenching!
When the initial report from the radiologist came back
clear, I didn’t really know how to take the news. On
the one hand, I was relieved that I had no serious
damage, especially none that required surgery. On
the other hand, I wanted them to find something, just
Smiling about running has been hard since the injury