Indigo Joint Relief System Review and Giveaway!

Disclaimer: I received this product free to review. I received no other compensation. All opinions in the post below are mine and mine alone!

As a runner injuries are going to happen. I've had my fair share of them including shin splints, hip and IT Band issues, and knee issues. Part of recovering from an injury involves ice and heat therapy. Ice and heat therapy are two of the oldest healing methods. They help the body's natural healing systems. Ice and heat therapy are two of the most efficient and natural ways to speed up healing and handle pain. 

I was excited to learn about the Indigo Joint Relief System! 

"Our FDA cleared system and patented technology delivers targeted hot or cold therapy and lightweight support to provide effective joint pain relief resulting from arthritis, physical exertion, obesity, bad knees, aging, post surgery, and more."

Their products include ankle relief, neck relief, back relief, knee relief, elbow relief, and wrist relief. Since I've had several knee injuries they sent me their knee relief system!

The knee relief system includes the knee brace, 2 heat pods, and 2 cold packs. They also sent me some extra heat pods and cold packs! 

I tried the cold packs first. I had run a pretty hilly route and knew the ice would be great for my knee. It was really easy to set up. You had to squeeze the cold pack until you heard a pop. Then you shook it for 30 seconds. It was amazing how cold it got so quickly! Then you slipped the cold packs into each side of the inside part of the knee brace and you were ready!

Setting up the heat pods was just as easy. You slipped the heat pods into the dock openings on the outside part of the knee brace. These were like magic! They just started heating up immediately! 

The knee brace itself was really comfortable to wear. It wasn't confining at all. Before you order you must measure around your knee so you will know which size to choose. Mine fit perfectly!

My favorite thing about the Indigo Joint Relief System is the convenience of it. When I travel to races I don't always have access to a freezer for ice packs to ice my knees. With this system you don't need a freezer to keep your ice packs cold or a microwave for heat therapy. 

Here are some more benefits of the Indigo Joint Relief System per the website: 

• FDA cleared class 1 device ensures safety and effectiveness

• Noninvasive, convenient system makes it easy to use anywhere: at work, at home, on the go

• No need for microwaves, freezers, or other power sources

• Reduce the intake of pain pills

• Eliminate the smell and greasiness of transdermal patches and topical creams

Make sure to check out Indigo Joint Relief System online at their website, on Facebook, and on Twitter!

Now the fun part...would you like to win your own Indigo Joint Relief Knee System? Here's your chance!!! 

Enter below using Rafflecopter for your chance to win (please follow all the guidelines...I will be checking)! Good luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hip and Knee Update!

As you know I have been experiencing some hip pain for the past month. I took a week off from running, started running for about a week and the hip flared up again and I had to take more time off. Then I ran my half marathon (took it slow and easy) and the hip was tight but didn't feel any worse...but then my knee started hurting after the race. So I was super frustrated!

I finally decided it was time to see my favorite sports chiropractor Dr. Justin. He helped me tremendously when I had a knee injury last year before the Disney Marathon. So I knew he could help with this recurring hip pain and the knee pain. So I made the appointment with him last week and saw him yesterday.

I was a little nervous going into the appointment because you never know what the diagnosis may be. I didn't think I had anything seriously wrong. I truly felt that it was an overuse injury due to increasing my training. I felt like my hip was misaligned. And I knew that my quad and IT Band were super super tight. But I also knew that my methods weren't working all the way.

I've been icing. I've been stretching. I've been rolling. And it helped a little...but not all the way. I needed help.

The first thing Dr. Justin did was have me lay on my stomach. He did a test to see if my legs went together correctly. And they did not! That told him right away that my hip was not aligned correctly. He said that was causing the hip pain which in turn caused the knee pain.

He also said my quad, IT Band, and hip flexor were super tight.

He used two treatments: Active Release Technique (ART) and Fascial Distortion Model (FDM). To me...it was just like a deep tissue massage of the sore muscles with some movement of my leg with it. Of course there is a better definition for both of the methods lol!

The good news....he told me to RUN! He wants to see how well I feel after I run. And I have to continue to roll, stretch, and ice. He thinks that it will only take 3-4 visits to have me pain free again! Yay!!!

So I know these pains are probably overuse. But I also asked him about my shoes. I've worn Asics for the past 3 years. I got some Saucony running shoes through my blog a few months ago. When it was time for new shoes a few months ago I decided to try the Saucony shoes instead of buying another pair of Asics. They were free....I wanted to make them work!!! Dr. Justin said the different brand of shoes most likely aided in the hip and knee pain too because the shoes changed my gait.

I already had an idea that maybe the Saucony shoes weren't working for me. So the week before my half marathon I went and bought another pair of Asics (although of course I didn't wear them for the half).

You may remember me posting these pictures on Instagram!

Even Cullen approved of the Asics!

Dr. Justin said to run in the Asics. And I go back and see him tomorrow for more treatment. I'm sooo glad this was nothing serious! And I'm so glad I have that peace of mind knowing it's going to get better. And...did I say that I can RUN??? This is one happy girl!!!!

So hopefully...today's run is awesome! :-)

QOTD: Do you see a chiropractor for injuries?

Is Running Worth It?

As you know I've been dealing with some hip pain the last few weeks. I get this same hip pain every year around this time. I'm chalking it up to amping up training after taking it easy running all summer. Well I took a complete week off of running to let it rest (not something I wanted to do in the middle of training but I listened). After the week's rest the hip seemed to be getting better. It was still sore and tight on the days I ran but the next day there would be no pain at all.

Well this week is taper week. My next half is next weekend. We are also going camping this weekend so I needed to find an alternate day to do my taper run. I ran Tuesday. I had a great run. The hip felt great until the last mile. Then I started to feel it.

The rest of the day my hip was killing me! What did I do wrong? Did I push myself too hard on Tuesday's run? Did I run faster than I should have? I don't know! But I am soooo mad!

Injuries are soooo frustrating! I am to the point where I'm thinking, "Is this running thing worth it?" Of course I know it is. I LOVE to run! But I just want to run pain free and injury free.

I know next weekend's half marathon is just going to be for fun. There's no way I will be able to run for a PR. My friend Paige that is running this one with me has the EXACT same hip injury right now too! So we are just gonna have a good time with this one.

I need this hip to get better soon though. I have so many races coming up that I have been looking forward to for so long! One of them is St. Jude Memphis which I've been fundraising for. And not to mention Disney in January!

I'm trying to remember what my friend Mendy wrote on my blog yesterday....to pray each time I feel those mystery pains and have those injuries. She was kind enough to remind me of this Bible verse: This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 

So that's what I'm going to do! I'm going to pray and try my hardest to not be discouraged! I'm not gonna quit! I'm going to believe that this hip pain will NOT last forever. I'm going to believe that I will be completely healed for all my other races. 

QOTD: Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever wanted to quit running because of the injuries?

Hip Pain Is For the Birds!

Yep...you heard me right....I'm having hip pain...again! If you've been reading my blog for awhile then you probably remember that I had hip pain around this same time last year. Usually I associate it with needing new shoes. Well this time I've gotten new shoes...and still the hip pain. Grrr! Can you tell I am NOT happy about this???

Every year I run the Gulf Coast Half Marathon in Mandeville, LA. And every year I run it I have some type of pain or injury. Last year it was this same hip pain. I was really hoping this year I would be running it pain and injury free. :-(

I'm not sure why I get hip pain at this time every year. All I can guess is that all summer long I continue running but I don't run long distances. Then around August I start training and increase my mileage. I make sure to not increase too much. But maybe the increase just takes my body a little longer to get used to again.

Also...remember that super duper hilly long run I ran the weekend before last? I know hills are not good on your hips and IT Band. I was really sore after that run in my quads, IT Band, and calves....but maybe it hurt my hips more than I thought.

So what's my plan? Well...I decided last Friday afternoon to NOT run my planned 11 miles the next day. I decided I was going to rest. The last day I ran was last Thursday. So I'm planning to not run again until THIS Thursday. I'm taking a whole week off. And hopefully it gives the hip what it needs to get better.

So I am spending lots and lots of time with these things:

And lots and lots of time stretching.

It sucks. But I'm listening to my body and hopefully I'll be running pain free again soon.

QOTD: How do you handle being injured? Any hip injury advice for me?

Injuries are a Pain!!!

Literally! Remember when I told you about my knee starting to hurt on my 18 mile run a week and a half ago? Well, I rested all the next week so I could run my 10 mile long run the next (last) weekend. My knee felt better about two days after my 18 miler but I still didn't try to run. I had 10 miles scheduled for Sunday morning and didn't even think about my knee hurting...until I started running. I didn't even make it a quarter of a mile and I could start to feel it. But being a runner (we just don't stop do we) I kept running and made it my full 10 miles. No it wasn't horrible pain...just felt like my knee was bruised. And the run was awesome (other than the knee)! After the run I stretched, rolled, and iced my knee. I took Aleve for inflammation. And it was killing me. Still felt really, really bruised.

The next day...same thing. It didn't feel any better. And the tears started flowing. Because I am realizing that I may be injured. And I'm frustrated. I only have 2 more really long runs (20 and 22 miles) left in my marathon training. The marathon is January 13th. And I was just starting to get my groove back and feel really awesome during my runs. And my hip that has been hurting since the beginning of October is feeling much better. And now this...another pain arises. WHY??? WHY now when I am so close to marathon taper time?

It's weird because the knee feels bruised and when you look at it there is a red area that has some heat to it and is where the bruised feeling is. My husband looked at it and said, "It's bruised." I took a few pictures but I'm not sure if you will be able to see the redness very well.

After a couple of days the red area goes away. And it starts to feel better. But as I found out on Sunday...it will hurt again when I run. So far I haven't run any this week...because the knee feels a little better but is still hurting. This weekend I am supposed to run 20 miles.

I know in my heart that I need to rest this weekend and NOT run the 20 miler. And that kills me. I REALLY want to run!!! But I also don't want to injure the knee worse and not be able to run the marathon at all. I'm hoping the rest will heal it. And I'm really praying that I will still be able to run my marathon on January 13th. Please pray for me too! I would greatly appreciate it!

And you know I have to share a picture of myself after my 10 mile run Sunday (because I am a dork who likes to take self portraits apparently)! It was super chilly on my run so I was all bundled up!

 

 

QOTD: Have you ever had knee pain like this? Do you think I'm making the right decision to rest? Do you think I should go to the doctor for my knee?