McArthur 5.5

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So I’m on Steroids

Well, not actually, but if I was misusing my new prescription I could pop a positive test like I was Alex Rodriguez.

Last week I went to see an orthopedic specialist in Chevy-Chase. His review of my situation finally netted answer to the big question, what is wrong with me? Well, it turns out it’s not my hamstring, it’s not my back, it’s a nerve problem, but rather a tendon connecting my hamstring to to the bone. He said it is isolated tendinitis, and that the area must pretty inflamed. It took the guy about 10 seconds to make that diagnosis. I believe him because he pushed on the painful spot for two seconds, then he looked at me and said, “yeah, that’s a tendon.”

Then he starts telling me that he is going to prescribe this steroid and that ultimately it should help. Dexamethasone is basically a glorified anti-inflammatory, but it’s 20-30 times stronger than hydrocortisone. I am not taking injections, instead I am undergoing something called ionophoresis. The simple version is that they hook up a couple of small electrodes and the steroid is forced into my body through an electric current. Sounds weird, right? It wasn’t too bad the first time, and I like this think that eventually I will get the inflammation down.

First Pool Workout

Buh.

That’s how I feel after going to the pool at Washington Lee High School in Arlington.  I met my friend and Pacers teammate Robbie Wade there this evening, and somehow managed to get through 30-35 minutes in the water.  There is no funnier or more painful sight than me trying to swim.  I am not afraid of the water, I know how to swim, but I am truly the anti-Aquaman.

At the moment I am a little out-of-shape, so jumping right in and going hard didn’t help my cause.  Because it was my first time at this pool I accidentally  ended up in a “fast” lane.  This was pretty embarrassing, as this one girl in my lane was crushing it the entire time.  She “lapped” me like 25 times.  She was ghosting Robbie too, so that lifted my spirits a little.  I didn’t realize I was in the wrong lane for me until I was ready to leave, and noticed signs marking each lane.  I felt like a total clown.

The good thing is that I got a tough workout in and learned how to better approach my next swim session.  At some point I really should learn how to “freestyle” correctly, but I am just glad to get my body moving for a change.

Progress is slow going

At this point my hamstring is still not quite right. I have an appointment with a specialist to get it checked out. Yesterday at physical therapy we worked on my back instead of my hamstring. It is possible that I am experience referred pain from a stressed/pinched nerve in my lower back. I’ll keep you posted, but until then, here is a short interview clip to watch.

Nate Jenkins – USATF XC Short from Nate Brigham on Vimeo.

I must be close

After a month of physical therapy and almost two months of no real training I must be close.

So my update for the day has my hamstring in a positive place.

Hello world!

This is the beginning.