Miraculous Knee Recovery

For 8 days in June I walked the Camino de Santiago - a large network of ancient pilgrim routes stretching across Europe and coming together at the tomb of St. James in Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain. I began in France in St. Jean Pied de Port and walked over the Pyrenes mountain range into Spain. 

We walked 130 miles in all by the time we were done, and to say Spain and France are hilly would be an understatement.  It was both a grueling and lovely 6-7 hours a day of walking, and my body let me know it.  My hip flexors ached going up the mountain range and by the time I had made it all the way down, my left knee was quite inflamed and immobile.  It was quite strange, as I had never had an issue with that knee in the past (not hiking the Grand Canyon or Mount Humphreys, or even while doing yoga - this knee issue was completely new and unexpected)

There are over 300 people a day starting in St. Jean Pied de Port to walk to Santiago, all known as Pilgrims, or Peregrinos (in spanish).  You walk with others, or you walk alone and eventually meet up with the same people at each hostel you get to at the end of a day's walking. 

When my knee was inflamed and painful, I just happened to be with two Englishmen Physicians, who assisted with KT tape and anti-inflammatories.  I couldn't tell you the last time I took a pill for anything other than vitamins, but with five more days to walk, it was welcome.  I was back on the road and continued to walk, albeit much slower.  I continued to walk with an inflamed knee and learned to lean on my poles and give myself a good massage at the end of each day.  I found a solid knee brace at a Pharmacy a couple days later and found the stability I needed to continue to walk without issue, and without using the anti-inflammatories.  My knee ached while I slept and caused a few restless evenings.

By the time the trip was over, I was walking around with the knee brace ON and my knee would still give way and I would stumble quite frequently.  When I returned to the states, I reapplied KT tape and continued to walk slowly and had trouble going up and down stairs.  It just wasn't healing as fast as I would have liked it to.  There was no bruising, no visible swelling, and there was no specific injury that occurred...why wasn't it getting better?!

Three days after I returned home, I went to go see my friend, Dana Sterling, who is a Structural Therapist.  I had been seeing her for a couple months, hoping that she might help my neck issue that I've had since a gymnastics injury years ago.  Her methods were something I had never discovered before, never heard of, and were counter cultural for the health community.  I was primarily focusing on prevention of neck flareups, but this time I had a specific injury that I can to her for help with.  After doing her exercises (that she teaches you to do on your own so you can fix yourself) and having her release my fascia, I walked out without a brace, without KT tape, without pain and with nearly full stability returned.  I was floored.  

It is now two days later and my knee is completely healed.  Stability - 100%.  Pain/ache - if anything, there is a shadow remaining.  However, it takes work. I have to continue to do the exercises that she has taught me, I have to focus on my own healing and make it a priority. I was impressed with her methods before, but watching an injury completely disappear has made me a believer and made me want to tell the whole world. 

If you have chronic pain, a minor injury, back pain, leg pain, foot pain, neck pain - you name it....You need to learn how to heal yourself using Sterling Structural Therapy.  Tell Dana I sent you and give her a hug from me.  She's a miracle worker.

http://www.carefreemovement.com/
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Sterling Structural Therapy 
Therapy & Conditioning 
(formerly Carefree Movement)
36600 N Pima Rd #308 Carefree AZ 
602 908 7108 
info@sterlingstructuraltherapy.com