22. 'We can rebuild you' - Why experts matter (Physio)

'We can rebuild you'... If you're a middle aged man, like me (or perhaps a woman) those words will likely remind you of Steve Austin - The 6 Million Dollar Man. And while it hasn't (quite) cost me 6 million dollars to rebuild me from the broken mess I was in last year (and the year before), it's not been cheap... but it has been essential!

I catalogued a rather impressive array of injuries in my very first post. Everything from broken bones, tendon tears, muscle tears, tendinosis, to skeletal issues (Haglund's heel), pes planus (flat arch), bursitis and ankle instability. Some of these go back years, even decades from injuries when younger which i never rehabilitated properly. I remember times where I played rugby matches on sprained ankles (The magic sponge and a bit of tape will sort it out) and even a dislocated shoulder; and fought martial arts championships with dislocated toes and a fractured wrist. I am a walking ball of scar tissue. And this has led to all kinds of mechanical issues. The kind of issues you can ignore after a while on an easy 5K, but remind you all too well they are there, front and centre, when you take 50,000 steps on a 30Km training route.

Rehab

They say hindsight is 20-20, and it's true. I can think of at least 10 separate injuries that should have been rehabilitated properly but didn't. Impatience is probably the biggest factor here. As a result my body is cashing in the cheques it wrote for the last 30 years.

This is one of the big things driving why I'm taking on such a challenge. The thought of failing is far worse than not addressing the issues and, as I enter the ageing process, now is the time to deal with it or risk major issues when older.

As we age, strange shit starts to happen for almost no apparent reason. Get out of bed and can't walk properly for ten minutes. Sit up 'wrong' and you throw your back. Wake up and discover you've damaged a nerve in your hand (I'll mention this again in a minute).

The reality is that I'm about to put my ageing, heavy body through the hardest challenge it has ever taken on. I will not fail because I didn't invest in, or do the work, to fix myself. But I can't do it alone....

The right support

I have seen a number of physios the last few years. Two practices have stood out for me as excellent at what they do - Stevenage Sports Injury Clinic - Where the amazing 'Helga-house-of-pain Amy' and her trigger-point torture sessions; along with Kieran 'definitely-won't-sugar-the-medicine' and his "Rich, try not to die' pep talks, both got me through the 100K hike 2 years ago.

The next is Posture Dynamics (London & Hemel) and the incredible Daren (Osteopath), who has helped rebuild my ankle ability in a very short space of time. The quality of his knowledge around ankles and lower limb injury is exceptional. It has cost me a small fortune in taking the appropriate measures (custom orthotics, MRI, top surgeon consult) and a strengthening programme, but has yielded impressive results!

He also, helped me discover the source of a new injury (utterly unexplainable) to a nerve in my hand, this week. One which, when he tweaked it, sent me bouncing off the treatment room ceiling.

I mention both practices because they have helped me hugely. There is no way I could have got to this point without this support. Both understand that the body is a system, interconnected throughout and to look at the root cause of problems I'm having.

Massage is not enough. It needs to target the objective I'm working towards, and what is getting in the way. A problem will end any tough physical challenge you take on if you go into it underprepared. You find the weaknesses, find the root cause and you deal with that. Back pain? Could be from your ankle. Hip flexors tight? Could be weak glutes.

Get comfortable with discomfort, pain and suffering

Believe me, that when you walk, run, swim, cycle anything over 4hrs long, your weaknesses will come forward. They will scream at you. It will hurt, and your risk of breaking down is exponentially higher. Long duration challenges find every weakness you have. Physical and mental.

I'm not ashamed to say that there are times when I've hiked ultra distance and run a marathon length distance (alone, in the dark, with pack) and I've cried because of the pain both during and afterwards, adamant I will never fail my distance I set.

This is the side people don't see. The pain you put yourself through to reach a target that was originally way beyond where you are starting from. Unless you're doing something so far out of your comfort zone, it's hard to imagine what that's really like.

The fact is that if something is hurting when you push it, chances are it's something else that's the cause, which is why it won't just go away over time and could end up doing permanent damage.

Yes it is expensive, but what price your health? I'm seeing the cost in time, money, energy and discomfort as an investment. An investment in my future where I want to be active well into my old age. I want my grandkids to one day look at me and be amazed I'm tackling an ultra marathon when I'm in my 60's. I want to be remembered as the dad who took on any challenge and got through it. The guy who changed his stars and took himself beyond the limits he started with. That only happens if I sort out the issues getting in the way. And I can't do that alone...

Thanks for reading.