Racing Stripes

I was having some knee pain when I ran so I had it checked out. Nothing serious.....just IT band syndrome.....common running issue. The Iliotibial (IT) band is a thick tendon that runs from the knee to the hip. When muscles in this area get tight and when there is an imbalance of muscle strength, this tendon can pull the knee causing pain. Scar tissue builds up on the IT band further reducing its flexibility. Probably more than you want to know.......but it helps explain my new racing stripes on both my thighs. I've been going to PT for 3 weeks now to work out my issues. They do a treatment called ASTYM aka "scraping" along with stretching and acupressure. They use a hard plastic "scraper" to break up the scar tissue along my IT band......the result is pain and bruising. My right hip is tweaked forward creating a "functionally" longer right leg.....causing more problems.....especially the plantar fasciitis in my right foot. Ouch! My PT scrapes the bottom of my right foot, too! That hurts the most. Unbelievable pain. The pain is worth the gain I will see in my overall strength & efficiency when I run, bike and swim. My PT is even scraping the scar tissue around my right shoulder and pec muscle. Surgery and radiation have left lots of scar tissue in this area causing it to be tight. It's a tender area but I'm seeing some improvement.

Before PT I couldn't get past running 2 miles and I was having some discomfort on my bike. Yesterday I ran 3 miles and felt pretty good. Today I swam and felt the best ever. Not totally related to PT, but more because I'm spending more time in the pool.

Nice bruises!
Isn't the KT tape cool! Don't I look like an Olympic volleyball player?! Ha!