It has been a long time since I've seen Dr. Dye, my knee doctor. I decided it's time for me to start running again, so I want to make sure I'm doing it the right way. Last time I saw Dr. Dye, he said if I could walk a mile every other day without pain, I was ready to run. Well, I've been at that level for quite some time now and realized I'm stuck in that rut... because I'm scared. I'm scared that I will experience knee pain again and am afraid all I have done over the last several years will not have helped. I have to say I'm tired of being scared. I was always afraid of losing my job and it just happened to me! I'm realizing that sometimes you have to face your fears. It was time to see Dr. Dye.
The majority of my appointment with Dr. Dye was how I expected it to go. He checked my knee, asked me questions, and told me it's OK for me to start running. "Take it slow," he said. He suggested I increase the amount of running I do at a very gradual rate, 1/4 mile at a time. The last thing I asked Dr. Dye before I left his office, was to look at my shoes. To my surprise, he told me he's not a fan of custom orthotics. He feels that the inserts that come with running shoes are plenty and the more natural the better. Really? Wow. The orthotics I've had in my shoes over the last 5 years were made after my knee started to hurt. I had it in my mind the special inserts were helping, but now, I'm not so sure. The more and more I read about running in less supportive foot gear, the more I want to give it a try. The theory is that running shoes have become too supportive, actually weakening the ankle and foot muscles. This puts more of the impact of running on knees and hips. I figure, what do I have to lose? As soon as I got home, I switched back to the inserts that came with my new cushy Nike sneaks and here I go!
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