My fire season was pretty much over before it started, and I've tried really hard to just roll with the punches but I'm just flat out frustrated, sad, angry and desperate with this darned injury!
I'm not exactly sure why my achilles got injured - I had been running consistently before the fire academy all winter, usually around 3-5 miles, around 4 times a week. Sometimes I'd thrown in a slightly longer run; most of it was on hilly pavement to help get ready for running on pavement at the Academy this past April. I rehabbed my other achilles (left one) last fall, 2-3 months of physical therapy to finally fix an old injury from high school 10 years ago. I didn't know enough to stop running on it at the time; as a result, I had an definite nodule of scar tissue on my left achilles. Some years it would bother me more than others. I ran a lot in 2004 doing fire in Montana; I ran a couple races in Estes in 2007 and 2008...it was manageable but occasionally flared up. I had a definite "injury boundary" - too much, too fast or too far and my achilles would let me know. I pushed that boundary in the summer of 2009 training for a half marathon that I wanted to run in Portland with my friend Kim. Fortunately I had Colorado State University health insurance, and time between classes, so I took care of it once and for all. So far, it's been pain free.
I got that taken care of and what happens? Sharp sudden pain while sprinting in my RIGHT achilles. This was April, at the academy. Long story short, we tried self-treatment - rest, ice, motrin, less running - but I couldn't stop running 100% because it was part of fitness testing. After the academy, I took off 3 weeks from running and hiking. Then we starting our daily physical training at work. The crew runs faster than me, and the route is steeper than what I normally ran. In sum, I ran too much, too fast and too far, on an already compromised achilles. I iced it; my boss let me take off a couple weeks from running; it just wouldn't get better. Some days were better than others so as long as I could still run and hike - even though it was painful - I continued to do so, because it's my job. I HAVE to do those things. I'm a wildland firefighter!
It got worse. I was compensating for my injury by walking and running funny. I ended up pulling my left calf and knew that was it; time to get real treatment, because at this rate I'd be lucky to be on 2 feet by the end of the season!
At this point, I've been on light duty 6 weeks. Due to slow paperwork with worker's comp, I am JUST NOW starting physical therapy. Two of those weeks, I wore a walking boot to immobilize my calf and achilles, as I did for my left one. I tried many of the same things I learned for my left achilles, on my right one. It STILL hurts, despite no running, no hiking and minimal walking. Every morning is the worst, can barely put any weight on my right achilles. It does feel better as it warms up during the day, but going up stairs, on tip toes, or if I even just push off too hard makes it hurt. I've been setting at a desk for those six weeks, pretty much miserable. Not only the ADHD makes me fidgety and uncomfortable, but being indoors is giving me cabin fever, so to speak. I can't even enjoy my favorite hobbies on my days off! It is rough keeping my chin up about the whole ordeal right now.
MRI was Tuesday; waiting for the doc to look at it, but the techs said they still saw inflammation. Physical therapist today dropped a bomb on me - it will probably be at least 2 months before I am even starting to run again. It is THAT bad. I figured it was stubborn but didn't think I'd be out for a total of over 3 months. If I would have just sucked it up and went to the doctor early, I'd probably have a shorter recovery time. But I could still run, and still hike!! And I was brand new to the job, I wanted to make a good impression. My feet are my livelihood. Bad bad BAD if you can't run or hike!!
Anyway, contributing factors to my injury may include: just sprinting in itself, since I never sprint and the increased intensity is just a lot of stress on an achilles anyway; he does think the fact I have taken Cipro many times over my life (including recently before the injury; Cipro has been linked to achilles injuries and ruptures) may have made my tendons more brittle; biomechanics of the way I walk and run; and I have short tendons. Throw the uphill running on gravel roads and hiking with heavy weight onto the injury and it was just too much.
Ultrasound and painful "massage" with these nasty metal tools, and taping up my arch were on today's menu. I will be going back 2x a week.
What on earth am I going to do at work? I've been able to keep busy so far, but 2 months is a very very long time. At least it is a slow season so I have no missed out on a single fire or OT opportunity yet; but I really really need the extra money. Unless fire season runs late this year, I might be SOL!
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