Hey y’all, this is Brent and it’s
been one week since I got off the bike to rest and rehab ye olde achilles…and I
am going crazy! If I could just run,
ride the bike, play sand volleyball, go climbing, any form of physical
activity, I would be happy. However, I must
resist in the best interest of Michael, Cycle for the Summit, Big City Mountaineers and the urban youth we are
fundraising for. In my down time I have
been going to physical therapy, finding Michael places to stay, updating the
website, contacting media sources and working on some fundraising surprises we have
in store.
 |
| I’m not a small person, but I am tiny next to these guys. |
I am in extremely great hands at
Progressive Sports Physical Therapy in Columbia, South Carolina. My physical therapist is Darryl Austin a
former University of South Carolina football player and my trainer is Donnie
Thompson, who holds the all time powerlifting squat and total records. He squats a ridiculous 1,265 pounds and and
is the only human to ever total 3,000 pounds with a 1,265 lb. squat, 950 lb.
bench (no joke either) and 785 lb. deadlift.
They both were in the NFL for a number of years as well. I’m not a small person, but I am
tiny next to these guys.
Darryl is a phenomenal PT and is
quickly getting me back into the game.
His initial assessment was that a major issue with my achilles was that
I was not stretching enough. You should
have seen his eyes when he did the initial flexibility test. So the focus of my therapy is focusing on
increasing my flexibility. (funny story,
Bicycle Magazine tweeted about a new article discussing the importance of
stretching the calf and achilles for cyclists… a little late!) I knew the importance of stretching but did
not effectively stretch at the end of each day.
While this is a bummer, as I should have never gotten myself into this
situation, it is also a blessing as hopefully this will be an easy fix. With Darryl I also do some ultrasound and
laser therapy to reduce inflammation as well.
Donnie is extremely well versed in
training with rubber bands (yes rubber bands like you get on your newspaper,
but much larger!) He uses bands both for
resistance as well as compression. As
you can see in the photo, the compression band is wrapped around the ankle with
the purpose of flushing all the fluids out of the joint. Then the larger bands are used for resistance
to move the ankle around forcing all fluid and blood out of the area. Once the resistance is done, I walk around
for a while and finally we take the band off.
Once you remove the compression, it allows good blood and nutrients to rush
into the achilles and everything supportive around it.
I am still taking other steps to
insure this issue will not arise again.
I am getting the bike refitted to ensure my riding geometry is
ergonomically efficient. I am also looking
into different shoe options and other tips and tricks for the acihlles. If you have any advice, let me know. All in all, everything is going well. I am feeling really good and stronger every
day. I look forward to getting back on
the road with Michael in a week and a half.
See ya soon!
Brent
Hey Brent, glad you are on the mend. Refitting is definitely a good idea. I would also suggest you watch your cadence and try to spin faster. That will put more pressure on your hamstrings and quads. You cannot do that as much on big climbs, so just make sure you take it easy. Don't be ashamed to push the bike, especially at first.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget supplements. My personal physician rides with me and has met your buddy Michael, (we are Etowah Roadies). CoQ10 enzyme and glcosamine condroitin are two that he believes are helpful and recommends.
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