TAG | ART
Two years ago I injured my left shin and took time off running. After coming back, I started to notice pain in my right upper hamstring/butt area. I just thought it was a sore muscle. I was training for a marathon and over the next few months the pain was present even when I was not running, the worst was long drives in the car. I received a few treatments of massage for the problem and it seemed to help. I ran my marathon and quailed for Boston and set a PR. A few weeks later, I ran a half marathon and again ran a PR. But just a few days after my race the pain in my right hamstring was so bad I had to stop running. I called the doctor made an appointment and then called Terrel. I described the problem and he was able to see me. He worked on my hamstring and was able to feel that my muscles in the area were both tight and sore. About a week later, I went to the doctor and he ordered a MRI, my DX was ischial Tuberosity, better known as a parcel torn hamstring. I called Terrel and told him my DX. He said that he wanted to treat me in tandem with the the doctor. So, I saw Terrel twice a week for the next few months and over time my leg started to get better. I had stopped running at this point for a few months.
When I tried to run again and my left hamstring felt better but the pain came back. Terrel told me it would take time to heal but I really didn’t want to wait, I just wanted to run. I listened to Terrel and by the end of the summer my left hamstring was getting better. He did the ART for the semitendinosus, the middle hamstring muscle. I also had a stem cell procedure to help grow back the torn muscle. At this point I was still getting massage and ART but it was now starting to get better faster. The surgery helped but both Terrel’s massage and ART were helping it heal much faster than the doctor was calling for. A month after the surgery I started to run again. I was not taking any medicine. At this point, I was only getting massage and ART. If I missed an appointment, my left hamstring would hurt and I could not run that day.
Over time as we worked on a regular basis in tandem with my running, I was able to see it was Terrel’s work that was really helping me get back to running pain free. I started to run full time again in October of 2009. In December I ran a half marathon PR of 1:20:42. There is no question in my mind of two things. First, the consistent work that Terrel gave me over the months helped me got over this injury much sooner than the doctor said and second, the massages helped me run that half marathon PR. I would have never made it to the start if it was not for his skill. His is no doubt a gifted therapist
Hello! My name is Kay and I’ve been working with Terrel for about 14 weeks now. His sessions have helped me tremendously and I wanted to share a bit of my background so that others out there know what his skill and expertise can do.
Having been a gymnast for most of my childhood and teenage years, I never thought about running as an exercise or way to keep fit. It was only after I moved here to DC to start my career and needed a good, effective, workout that would fit into my schedule did I start running. I’m a Librarian in my day job, so once I got the running bug, I naturally started reading everything I could about the sport. After reading a select few tomes, ”Marathoning for Mortals” and “Marathon Training for Dummies” to name a few, I thought I knew everything about training and stretching and taking days off, but unfortunately after a good 2+ years of running, and 2 marathons, I found my old gymnastics injury–a degenerative L5 S1 disc in my lower back–acting up again. I sought help from my orthopedic doctor who prescribed PT and 2 steriod injections, I went to a chiropractor, I took several weeks off, I thought I’d tried everything, but to no avail. Only after hearing mention of Active Release Therapy at a race expo did I seek out a licensed practioner in DC, and found Terrel, and am now well on my way to returning to my old running self.
Terrel has been a life saver. Between his recommendation of Active Isolated Stretching and weekly massage/ART sessions, I am back on my normal running routine with little or no pain. At first, I have to admit, I was a little intimidated. What could a little recreational, sometimes marathoner, wanna-be runner like myself be doing with Terrel, a professional who works with professionals? Lucky for me, Terrel is a star and has treated me as such. I highly recommend him not only as a licensed ART practioner, but also as a fellow runner, who knows what it’s like to put in those miles and go through the aches and pains that we all know so well.
Terrel has asked me to be a sometimes blogger for him, and I’m honored and eager. Hopefully I can relate to everyone my running and wellness journey, and encourage others to start down the path as well.
