Achilles Tendon Pain

Read Sue Bozgoz's story on pain and the trials of a runner.

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My name is Sue Bozgoz. Running has always been a BIG part of my life. It is not just what I do, it is who I am. I have been competing since I was 12 years old. Racing has paid my way through college. It also provided me the opportunity to race around the world. I was fortunate not to have any serious injuries until I turned 38 years old in 2002! Let me explain my first injury further; I managed to over-train for the world's largest ten miler race, the Army Ten Miler which is held in Washington DC every year. As a result of my over training, I developed microscopic tears in my Achilles.

It was very painful to run and I was too stubborn to admit I was injured. I figured (like most serious runs do) if I blocked out the pain, the pain would disappear. I kept waiting for the pain to go away, but it never did. After a couple of weeks, I finally decided to go to a podiatrist. The podiatrist immediately put me in a soft cast for 6 weeks!!!! I cried, felt sorry for myself and basically went crazy because I could not run. My weekly mileage went from 60-80 miles per week to Zero! In order to maintain some level of fitness, my coach forced me to ride a bike and aqua jog in the pool.

After 6 weeks in a cast, I was given permission to run! I started off slowly. I found running 1 mile was difficult for me. My breathing was off and I felt awkward. Additionally, my biomechanics were still off. I was running lopsided. Slowly I developed sciatic issues. Now, not only was my Achilles still a little weak, I also had sciatic issues that made it difficult for me to sit down.

After a few days of jogging and dragging my leg in pain, I decided that running was a chore. I was not having fun anymore. I also figured if I could not train properly to race, what was the purpose of running? So in March 2002, I decided to end my racing career and start coaching. I coached youth and adult runners. I also directed some fun runs and races.

In June of 2003, I met Dr. Thomas the Fayetteville Running Doctor, while I was directing the Army HOOAH 5K and 10K run. He volunteered to educate our runners on injury prevention and detoxification. He also agreed to provide chiropractic care to some of our runners at the expo. I was standing around at the expo when I overheard him speaking about injury prevention. I immediately went to his office for help. He took X-rays and then proceeded to explain to me what was going on with my body and with my biomechanics. Basically, he told me that my body was out of alignment. He said that I had too much old scar tissue and adhesions built up in my legs and that one hip was higher than the other! He explained that the body is like a car. It needs alignments ever so often (especially as we age). For my treatment he simply adjusted my back, and he performed ultrasound therapy and muscle stripping on my Achilles and calves, which was a new experience for me.

The next day, I was able to run without pain. I couldn't believe it! After only one month under Dr. Thomas' care, I was training again. My 8:00 per mile pace turned into sub race 6:00 pace. When I got my mile down to 5:19, and my weekly mileage back up to 60-80 miles per week, I knew I was ready to race the Army Ten miler again! I was so happy!

In Oct of 2003, I ran the Army Ten Miler in 63:00. This time allowed me to rank among the top 15 female runners in the race. There were well over 4,000 female runners competing. At the end of Oct, I decided to run the Marine Corps Marathon under Dr. Thomas' provision and guidance. I also decided to try his detox program, which removed the toxins out of my muscles. I ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 3:11. Wow! I feeling good and I was on a roll! In my mind, there was no need to stop while I was ahead. In December, I decided to run the Rocket City Marathon and finished in 3:04. This time allowed me to place among the top 10 females and I even won some cash!

While I was in the Military, I ranked as one of the top 4 females in distance racing. As of date, I continue to race, train and seek Dr Thomas' services. I can honestly say that Dr. Thomas' treatments are my secret weapon to running pain free again. Often when I see him, I tell him how thankful I am for his services. He grins (and smiles) and usually responds with "YOU ARE WELCOME!”

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