I twisted my ankle a few weeks ago while training for the 10k. Ironic, since I was consciously trying to correct my running posture (landing on the ball of my foot with a slight hunch, and pretending that the wind is in my back). I thought I’d just let it rest for a few days, elevating it whenever possible (a girl cannot do without her heels for long!). But it was clearly not working after two weeks, as the same area kept  bothering me when I trained.

Since I was pretty sure that all my family doctor was going to do was tell me to continue elevating my foot  (and potentially giving me a Hurodoid-like ointment), I decided to try my luck with a Chinese doctor. Apparently, I had a swollen tendon that was slowly extending up the small of my leg. She initially rubbed some ointment on me, and tried to massage it out (and by massage, I mean violently rubbing, pushing and turning my foot here and there). When that did not work to ease my discomfort (and indeed, may have added to it), she resorted to acupuncture. I was freaked out! The idea of having needle stuck in my foot (or anywhere on my person for that matter) just doesn’t sit well with me. When I was a little girl, I had to be held down to get a shot. To this day, one of my primary school friends still love talking about the time I ran and hid from a shot at school once (I so do not recall this). So you can imagine how I feel about  needles being stuck in my foot for an indefinite period of time *swoon*.

But since I’ve already come so far, I couldn’t let the violent shaking be for nothing. So, I forged ahead, clutching my Kindle in front of my face. If you can’t see, then it won’t hurt as much right? As I felt the needle penetrate my skin, I braced myself for excruciating pain… but instead, it felt a little less than getting a blood sample. I kept expecting more pain to come, as the needles “settle in,” but it was blessedly numb.

When I put my foot down to test the results afterwards, it was incredible. It was as if the needles have indeed “released” the swelling from my foot, and the discomfort that has been bothering me for weeks have magically disappeared! Barring a delicate sensation, which I think it purely psychological, I was as good as new and ready to jump. Who knew that acupuncture is so amazing???