Amy Javens wrote to us after we published an article in our
June/July issue on Platelet Rich Plasma therapy (PRP). A 39-year-old age
grouper who has battled chronic Achillies tendinitis since college,
Javens decided to try PRP as a last-ditch effort. Her heartfelt letter
made us want to publish more of her story. We hope this inspires you
all—wherever you are on the health and injury spectrum.
As I velcro my dorsiflexion night splints for another cozy,
post-triathlon season night’s sleep, I can’t help but to reflect on and
be proud of my 2011 season: overall female wins at Rev 3 Cedar Point
(half-iron) and Pittsburgh International Triathlon, 12th amateur at
Whirlpool Ironman Steelhead 70.3, and 70.3 Ironman World Championship
Qualifier. My biggest achievement was not the trophies or podium
finishes, though, it was the fact that I was able to compete in them at
all.
Just a year earlier I had limped away from the Clearwater, Florida field
at the the 2010 70.3 Ironman World Championships, my final race of the
year, disheartened by severe Achilles tendonitis that had inhibited my
training and performance. This chronic pain had haunted me since my
collegiate track and field days as a hurdler, sprinter and jumper. It
eventually forced me to hang up the track spikes in my junior year. As I
began to compete in longer endurance races after having my three
daughters it resurfaced, and continued as I started to train for
triathlons.
Leading up to the 2010 championships, my husband, a physical therapist,
and I had treated both my Achilles tendons with about every imaginable
traditional rehab modality (iontoforesis, ultrasound, stretch, NSAID,
ibuprofen and strengthening). This approach got me through my reduced
running training leading up to the goal event, but race day was very
painful for me. After the 2010 season, my achilles were so flared that I
had to spend the next two days at Universal Studios in a wheelchair
being pushed by family members. A comment from my husband post-Worlds
that summed up the status of my tendons was, “They are shredded,
thickened, and scarred.” I was discouraged.
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