My MRI

Remember the Tokyo Marathon?  Remember all that pain I had in my right leg that I complained kept me from achieving my goal time and put me in a wheel chair for my Disneyland visit?  Well, it didn't go away.  Last weekend, three weeks after the race and still hobbling around, I took a visit to a Naha sports doctor.  He immediately recommended me for an MRI.

Here is what it looked like:

[this was about midway up my leg, right in the middle of my calf]

To imagine what you are seeing, pretend I am laying on a table and you are looking up at my body from my feet.  So in the picture, my right leg is on your left, and my left leg is on your right.  The black spots are bone, the white are vessels/arteries, the rest is muscle.

Now let's look at the problem area down by my calf, from knee to foot:

 

The doctor described this as inflammation between my muscle and bone.  I'm sure there's a more correct clinical term, but I wasn't worried about it.  He did say that this is what happens just before a stress fracture (in my bone), so I guess it's good I wasn't running an ultra-marathon.  The doctor told me he could start me rehabbing with therapists on Monday, until I reminded him I live on a small island.  Then he said "Ahh.. yeah, hmm.  Okay, I'll prescribe you some cream." (Thanks!)  He said I'll just have to wait this injury out, but eventually it'll get better.