"This person has many diseases of the foot........" This was the beginning of my MRI in Nov of 2007. The many diseases was tendonistis of many ligaments and tendons of the left ankle/foot. No tears were found. Lots of swelling.
In summary, I hurt and was in pain for every step of walking and running. I limped alot. I've been this way for most of the previous 7-10 years
I went to a foot podistrist: "...you runners are like a Tiger, who need to be put in a cage...", so he put me in a walking boot for 6 weeks, so I gained 15 lbs and my foot still hurt when I got out. I did not go back to him.
I looked for alterative medicine. I read about ART, active release therapy. I found a local chiropraptor who did ART. After a few promising sessions he left town, I left without hope BUT I did not give up.
I remembered Mettler Center had this technique they called MRT (mettler release technique). I said I would give them a chance.
The date was May 27, 2009. My appointment was with Jeff, there MRT physical therapist. He asked me my goal of thearapy. I said to be able to run as pain free as possible and that my passion was running, and I did it every day. He NEVER told be to stop. So we started with twice weekly one hour sessions. MRT works by breaking down scar tissue by using hands/fingers/with a sometimes "ballon" type finger cover to grip the skin and break down the adhesives of the fascia layers of skin, like 2 pieces of scotch tape. MRT breaks the adhesive, all by manual methods. It hurt, but stopped as soon as he stopped. It was slow going but Jeff was persistent and I gave him feedback, I keep running, and he kept a positive attitude with me. What I did not know at the time was I had the worst foot/ankle that he had ever seen. He later described my entire lower left leg as going from concrete to plaster to leather to actually close to normal moving skin tissue. I actually felt kind of proud to have the worst foot he ever saw, which was pretty silly thought.
By fall of 2010, progress was very noticable. I could walk, hike, run at about 75% pain -free which was a major breakthough. Jeff keep working with me. The MRT pain was great sometimes but I knew it was worth it and stopped as soon as he stopped. I started to describe the metal tool he used on my heel bump as the "bloodless knife" as it felt like a knife was cutting into my achilles tendon where it attached to the heel bone. He later told me he had never used that metal tool on anyone but me and to this day I am still the only one. I guess this is telling on how bad my heel was.
All along the foot pain became less and less, not day to day less but month to month or very gradual over time. Jeff was very patience with me as I continued to run and walk. I was getting my passion back and by 2011 spring I began to run more and more until I got to 25 miles and about 90% pain free. It was a miracle and I was very happy and very gratefull.
A major breakthough was the understanding of calf tightness to foot inflexiblity. Jeff worked tirelessly on stripping my calf muscles apart from each other vertically as I leaned against the wall. This allowed by foot to flex and move more and take the stress off my insertional tendonitis. I also began to do my own calf/foot massage at home and during runs.
I started to go from one to two then 3-4 weeks between sessions. I continued to get better, so well in fact I could not believe how good. I even hiked 116 miles of the AT over 7 days with very little pain last fall!! And I ran 2 races last year.
And that brings me to today, as the past several weeks I have had more pain free runs then I've had in 15 years. All without drugs or pain killers. Mirales can happen, if you believe.
To Jeff and the Mettler Center, words can not express my thanks to you. You have created a miracle cure for me and given me my passion back. Yep, these words are NOT adaquate. How about a million Thank You's!!. Nope, still not enough. Well, I guess sometimes words can not describe what one feels so deep inside.
Jeff, as you leave Champaign for Chicago, all the best to you. Never change your ways, you are a caring therapist who NEVER told me to adjust my goals of running (ever when later you confided to me, that you did not know if you could help me because my foot was so bad). You listened to me. You NEVER told me to stop or do less. You just believed in the MRT echnique and I believed in you.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If anyone out there has lost their paasion of running/walking/hiking thru injury, do not give up. There are people out there to help you, you just have to find them. I am so lucky and gratefull to have found mine.
Mettler Center
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