Diagnoses

There was a time in my youth that I thought everything was cut and dry.  I imagined that everything was perfectly engineered and that doctors knew everything about the body.  Sometimes I wish that were true because the more I learn the more I find we don't know.

I mentioned last month that I had a stress fracture back in 2002.  I've got the X-rays from back then, and have recent X-ray pics now to compare.  They look the same...at least to me.  So apparently stress fractures are supposed to heal and be stronger than pre-fracture conditions.  The fact that my pain is back and the symptoms are still visible means that the diagnosis of 'stress fracture' was wrong.  Strike One!

I've been attending physical therapy for a couple of weeks now.  After 15 minutes in the PT office the new diagnosis was presented:  Over-pronation and excess strain on the I-T-Band (the muscle/tendon that spans the outer thigh).  We've been subsequently loosening the I-T-Band and strengthening my hips to alleviate the problem.  There's been some progress, and I can now run about 2 miles with minimal pain.

Yesterday I visited with an Orthopedic Physician's Assistant for whom my Dr. has high regard.  He cast out the I-T-Band diagnosis (Strike Two!) and pinned my problems to biomechanics.  He showed me that my pelvis is not aligned which causes everything below it to be off-kilter.  In a couple of days I'll meet with a Sports Chiroquackter who is supposed to realign me. 

The thing is, I've been out of line for a long time, so I wonder about this new idea.  Third time's a charm?