Deb Conley began her running career as a walk-on for CU Cross Country, for whom she ran
from ’83 to ’87.  She now runs for Fleet Feet Boulder—Real Women Real Fast.

In ’88, while marathon training, she suffered a severe injury to her right hamstring, and was sidelined for 9 months.  This injury had recurred off and on for 20 years! In August of 2007, she again suffered a major flare-up of hamstring pain.

Deb had been treated with physical therapy, orthotics, anti-inflammatories, and rest with no lasting benefit. “It was incredibly frustrating to not be able to train at a competitive intensity. I had pretty much lost hope of running at a competitive level again.” That’s when a fellow Boulder Road Runner referred Deb to Dr. Andy and Dr. Jen at Clouds Rest Chiropractic. 

“In November, 2007, I started treatment on the injured hamstring. Dr. Andy took measurements of my current range of motion on the injured leg. I could only lift my injured leg about 10 degrees without experiencing pain. Dr. Andy also noticed a significant leg length discrepancy. My right leg appeared to be shorter than my left.”

”Dr. Andy and Dr. Jen started out with some trigger point release and ice to decrease the inflammation in my hamstring. Then they used myofascial release technique to break up scar tissue that had formed over the years of repetitive injury. After a few sessions of breaking up the scar tissue I noticed that my hamstring became much less painful, and I had better range of motion. I was able to perform therapeutic exercises (recommended by Dr. Andy) and I began to introduce running into my exercise routine again. This is when I realized that myofascial release was going to be the answer.”

“By April ’08 I resumed my daily running routine, and in July I began training hard in preparation for competing at a high level as a masters long distance runner. My hamstring is healed!”

 

Deb Conley,
Runner, Fleet Feet Boulder-Real Women Real Fast