I have been a lifelong runner, and always wanted to run marathons. I ran my first marathon in 2001 at the age of 24, and caught the bug. Over the next 5 years, I ran 5 more marathons. High mileage can take its toll on your body; for me, it was in the form of Achilles tendonitis and IT Band Syndrome, which I hoped to beat in a few months’ time and resume running when I felt better. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a 6 month break turned into several years due to a series of non-running related injuries, most notably displacing my 5th metatarsal as well as breaking it in a second location. This injury led to foot surgery and a 6-month recovery back to normal function. However, residual and seemingly unexplained pain kept me from running any distance farther than 2 miles and affecting other aspects of my life, such as the shoes I wore and how long I could stay on my feet.
I saw many types of practitioners over the following few years, all of whom shared the idea that there was nothing I could do about the pain, and simply said that there was nothing wrong.
Fast forward to 2012, I was still experiencing foot pain and knew that even without that pain, other overuse injuries that hadn’t been properly addressed would keep me from getting back to the type of running I enjoy most.
After meeting Heidi while in a volleyball class, I was encouraged to hear her talk about modalities and methods of physical therapy that might be able to help me. After a few visits with her, my foot pain had nearly disappeared. I still had a lot of work to do, but it was a refreshing new start.
Heidi’s approach is creative and intuitive, and most importantly, she spends the entire duration of your appointment with you, the patient. Other offices will allow you about 10 minutes with your therapist, then move you to an assistant or a student for your actual care. Heidi is there from start to finish to ensure correct and proper therapy.
Over the last few years, with the help of Heidi’s special one-on-one and unique style of care, I have now run 2 more marathons. My next race is the New York City Marathon, and throughout this training cycle, I have remained pain-free, injury-free, and I don’t see why I can’t maintain high mileage for years to come. I would not be able to do this without Heidi’s help.
