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Re: Low Back Herniated Disc

guest — Tue, 23 Nov 2004 02:22:40 GMT

I'd like to cast another vote in the "don't rule out surgery" category. I suffered a herniated L4/L5 and a bulging L5/S1 about 9-10 years ago at age 30, and lived with quite a bit of pain for about a year before the diagnosis was finally made and I was referred to a neurosurgeon. I decided to have surgery at the time because my wife was pregnant with our first child, and it was difficult to picture me holding the baby when I could not even lift so much as a cup of coffee without pain and numbness down my left leg. I've done reasonably well after surgery, and found that I manage to stay relatively pain free as long as I keep my weight under 150 lbs. I've only started to run about a year ago, and my back has held up very well through 3 marathons and 40-50 mile weeks this year. The risks of surgery is usually much less when you are younger and when the injury is more recent, i.e., before scar tissue starts forming to make surgery more difficult. Core strengthening exercises also help tremendously. Good luck.

Re: blood in stools!!!????

guest — Tue, 09 Nov 2004 21:32:42 GMT

What you're reporting may be somethings that's not all that uncommon. I'm a pediatric gastroenterologist, and frequently see teens on track or XC teams with abdominal cramps and diarrhea while running - the so-called runner's trots. Some may actually have blood in the stool as well. It is suggested that in endurance running events the cardiovascular demands by the muscles are so great that blood flow to the digestive organs are reduced, sometimes to the point of causing increased digestive discomfort. Bleeding may be related to a fairly severe case of decreased blood circulation, and probably occurs only during fairly strenuous and continuous exertion. Certainly hemorrhoids and polyps can cause bleeding, but they are not necessarily associated with running, and both these conditions can be ruled out by an experienced gastroenterologist.

Re: Dropping time and holding technique

guest — Mon, 18 Oct 2004 19:43:19 GMT

A psychological trick I use to improve speed is that I frequently do time trials of various distances at the local high school track. My 400 meter pace is faster than my mile pace, which is faster than my 5K pace, which is a little faster than my 10K pace. Over a few months you'll notice that your new 10K pace will approach your old 5K pace, and your new 5K pace will...you get the picture. Every small increment of progress is a cause for a small celebration and motivation to move on. As mentioned many times before in this string, it will take a couple of years. Good luck.