I can see!!! I can SEE!!!

Okay, so blindness was not my particular issue, but that's how I felt when I left the office of Lino Cedros today. The man is nothing short of a miracle worker I'm back on the road for Boston!!!

Here's the situation, I've been moaning about plantar fasciitis for way too long. Suddenly, over the weekend, I decided to call a Somatic Practitioner I've heard rave reviews about from neighbors, fellow runners, and the gang at Fleet Feet: Lino Cedros from Kinections. Luckily for me, he had a spot open this morning at 9. 

I arrived and quickly scanned the joint to see what I was getting myself into. The facility occupies the bulk of the first floor of an office building. It's wide open (no walls) with the exception of four treatment beds (think massage tables) along the wall partitioned by those hideous hospital curtains. The middle of the space has bench seating and the rest of the facility is strewn with a ton of exercise equipment: two nautilus machines, leg press, barbells, yoga balls, etc. 

Lino is a short, stout man with a quiet voice, firm handshake, and a no-nonsense approach. His style is to view the body as a system and pain as a symptom. He does not treat symptoms, he treats the root causes which feed the symptom. Read on. We went through a quick Q&A and some movements to help him diagnose the issue. His first statement after this was, "You don't have plantar. You have a muscle problem."  Essentially, it all comes down to relaxing my big toe...which naturally starts with my hips, right? Er..right. Wait, you lost me. Lino went through a few exercises with my legs to demonstrate the limited range of motion in my right foot/leg versus my left. I was alarmed by the difference. So Lino set to work loosening the leg. And when I say "loosen" I mean inflicting eye-watering pain into my hip flexors, IT band, calf, and foot. By the way, in case you weren't aware of this, and I know I wasn't up until 9:15 this morning, I scream like a girl. 

After the Maquis De Sade, AKA Lino, finished "loosening" my leg he gave me a couple of stretches for home and asked me to walk/run around the office. I'll be darned if my foot didn't feel better. It felt relaxed and noticeably more stable. I can SEE!!

Eric: "Can I run?"

Lino: "Run. Go, run, run all you want."

Eric: "Really?"

Lino: "Yes, really, you'll hurt in some new places because we've 'loosened' things up. Come back on Friday, but run all you want between now and then."

I apologized for screaming like a girl and the fingernail marks in his table, paid $75, set an appointment for Friday and left. Now I need to work, but I'll go for a run tomorrow night and let you all know how it goes. 

Keep you fingers crossed, but it looks like I'm back on track for Boston...albeit a slow one.

Oh, and file this under the category of "learn from my mistakes." If it hurts, don't think you're a Somatic Practitioner and self-diagnose. Go see someone who knows what he's doing. I lost over three weeks of training trying to self-treat my self-diagnosed ailment. Don't do the same!!!

Back to the wheel...