For the past 6 weeks I have really focused on stretching and no impact training (swimming and cycling). Of course I want to be out running but it is not worth injuring myself further. With my injuries I decided to transition to my swimming block training. I swim everyday (M-F) for an hour with a master swim group. I swim Monday-Friday for 1 hour for the next 2 months. Two weeks ago I incorporated two days of cycling and 2 days of core strengthening classes on top of my swim training.
I am still injured and my lower back is still a constant nag. I am not bothered by it in the water which is why I felt it necessary to transition to my swim training. I did an assessment with a physical therapist 6 weeks ago where I was told that it was not my SI joint (diagnosis from my primary) but that I had a bulging disk only to find out after an MRI that my disks were fine. I did 4 weeks of physical therapy which did not improve my condition.
The upside is I am still training and this little hiccup has not derailed my training objectives! I simply modified the current focus. When I added in the core training classes I experienced immediate relief in my back/hip region. This leads me to believe that I need to strengthen the muscles in my lower back and hip region in order to make a complete recovery.
Onward!
