This is Part 9 in the Egoscue and Running Injuries blog series.
Sometimes running has to take a back seat to more important issues. Although overcoming my running injuries with Egoscue has been a huge focus for me, I have had to take care of a health issue that has a longer term impact on my health – my gums.
Excuses, Excuses…
My periodontist has repeatedly told me that a need the gum graft surgery for my receding gums – a trait that runs in the family – but I always found excuses to put the surgery off.
One month the excuse was that I was in the middle of training for an important race. The next month I convinced myself that my job schedule just made it impossible to take time out for the surgery.
On and on….
But in reality, I was scared of the procedure. The thought on having parts of my upper palate cut out and sewed into my lower teeth’s gums was really unsettling.
However, I finally made the commitment to have the surgery on Friday and got it done. Fortunately, the surgery went well and I haven’t had any major complications.
Effect on Running and Egoscue
The periodontist made it clear that I would have to take at least one week of running off after the gum graft surgery. The concern is that running could cause increased bleeding in the area that could negatively affect the healing process.
I am also going to take a few days off of the Egoscue e-cises because some of them can actually be pretty strenuous and I want to follow the periodontist’s warning to avoid exercise.
Anyway, that’s the current update. I hope to continue with the Egoscue menus next week. In the meantime, let me know if you have had gum graft surgery and whether you have any recovery advice. Thanks in advance!
Visit Oregon Exercise Therapy for more information about the Egoscue Method.
Disclaimer: This post is part of a collaboration with Oregon Exercise Therapy. All opinions are my own.
