Patient of the Month- Lauren Robinson

This July, our patient of the month is Lauren Robinson! Lauren is a local runner who came to Harris & Ross after failing to recover from a foot injury-

In 2018 I was suffering from a serious pain in my foot which was affecting me both when walking and running. It was causing me some concern as even with rest it was failing to subside. I continued trying to compete as I am an avid runner and was keen to take part in the Northern Cross Country championships. It has an undulating course, and unfortunately as a result I tripped, going over on my ankle. I then couldn’t put any pressure on my foot and was for the first time ever unable to finish the race I had started.

I went to my local physiotherapist who treated the injury as a soft tissue issue given that I had twisted it falling. However, after attending many sessions the issue was failing to get better, and I was referred to hospital with a suspected stress fracture.

There I had several scans including CT and MRI to try to diagnose exactly what was happening with the ankle and the foot. The MRI scan showed I had a bad stress fracture in my navicular bone, meaning I would be out of running for several months.

Unfortunately, a few months of rest went by, and I was still in pain- therefore my consultant put me in an airboot and on crutches to alleviate the pain until the healing process finished. After 4.5 months on crutches, I was finally discharged from hospital- however, I was not advised on any physiotherapy or rehabilitation and was therefore unsure as to when I should start running again.

Further to this, I was still getting pain in my foot and started to become increasingly worried. I had heard great things about Harris & Ross in the sports rehab area and decided to book an appointment with a physiotherapist there called Andy Renshaw. Unlike any other professionals I had seen to this point, Andy immediately identified that I had a pronation issue- which was more pronounced in my right foot- hence the injury due to repetitive strain on the bone. In order to rectify this going forward, Andy recommended me a pair of arch support insoles to be worn all the time- especially when running.

Andy took me from not being able to run or walk without pain and limping, to me now being able to run four or five times a week without any pain. I am now working onbuilding my fitness back up and aiming to be competing throughout summer 2019. I have already seen a great improvement in my strength and fitness, plus my overall performance as a long distance runner.

I wouldn’t be where I am now in my running career if it wasn’t for Andy Renshaw and the Harris & Ross team. Thanks so much for everything guys!

Well done to Lauren and we look forward to following your running career as you progress!

Do you have an interesting story and want to be the Harris & Ross patient of the month? Find out how to enter here.  

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