The day I have been dreading snuck up on me quicker than I could lace up my running shoes. Gym kit? Check. Running shoes? Check. Water? Check. Sweat absorbing accessories? Check. Sounds like I am about to embark on Marathon des Sables, the toughest footrace on earth, right?? If only. I genuinely think I would have preferred that option. Alas an injury sustained in my nascent running club career saw me heading to my physio for a biomechanical analysis.

Thinking this sounded more like a procedure that my car would undergo during a 20k service, I wanted to cry when my physio explained what was really involved.

All this just to anaylse my running gait??? Seriously? A train of thoughts sped through my mind. “I had only just started back running. As much as I enjoyed it, it wasn’t that important to me. Perhaps I should just follow the surgeon’s advice and switch to less punishing on the joints form of exercise?”

Sensing my reluctance to do the analysis, my physio skillfully shut down all options of ducking out by explaining that any glitches in my gait could still cause other aches and pains even when walking…….

D-Day

After a quick warm up my physio said ‘Take off your top and hop up on the treadmill, and I’ll get the camera ready’………Not quite as saucy as it sounds!

A biomechanical analysis checks to see if any joint is out of alignment and thereby causing undue stress on other joints. What is involved?

Picture this if you will……a woman on the inclining side of my 4th decade, donned in nothing more than my sports bra, lycra knee length shorts and trainers, I tentatively stepped onto the treadmill. Having someone watch and record me running was bad enough…..but why the need for the floor to ceiling mirror in front of the treadmill?????? The situation was traumatising enough without being forced to watch my pasty, jiggly self jog…..You see, in my head, I am still 25……but my body, and in particular my right knee refuses to support this notion!!!

In his bossy tone the physio ordered ‘no running, no walking (apart from the necessary), no pressure on your knees, and all the rehab exercises.’ I nodded compliantly whilst secretly dreading the tedium of the exercises.

‘We’ll do the test again in 6 weeks and hopefully we’ll see an improvement.’

My mind reacted in horror: Again???? It took all my strength to order my face not to betray me before my practical side kicked in; I must remember to get a more supportive sports bra!