Lolo Jones at the IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletics Final press conference in Stuttgart (© Bongarts/Getty Images)
World Indoor champion Lolo Jones who sustained a hamstring injury on 26 April updates her IAAF reader on her rehab process...
“Hi there,
“I’m glad to report the hamstring injury I suffered at the Drake Relays last month is healing well and I’m on the road to recovery. The last few weeks I’ve been preoccupied with rehab but I’m now able to do everything except work in spikes.
“The injury was hard to take because it was the first injury I’ve picked up in the eight years since I’ve been at LSU. I actually think I know why the problem occurred. I was travelling a lot around the USA and due to the demands I ran back-to-back workouts and pushed too hard when I should have had a day’s rest in between.
“I felt a little soreness come on and then, of course, you saw what happened at the Drake Relays and I sustained a slight tear to my left hamstring.
“It has been pretty tough, but because I know a lot of athletes who have also picked up injuries they have offered sound advice and told me to keep a positive outlook.
“I travelled for a week to Florida where I was treated by Dr Mark Lindsay (the world renowned chiropractor and soft tissue specialist) who has worked with the likes of Tiger Woods and many other great athletes. The next week I went to Toronto to be looked at by Dr Tony Galea (another sports medicine expert who has treated Olympic champions Mark McKoy and Donovan Bailey). Funnily enough, I just missed two other athletes who were also being seen by Dr Galea, Me’Lisa Barber and Jackie Edwards.
“Physically everything is fine and hopefully I’ll be competing sooner rather than later, although I can’t put a time or a date on exactly when. All I can say is I’m relieved I did the indoor season and raced nine times. Hopefully, when I return I will not have lost too much race sharpness and it won’t take me too long to get back into a good rhythm.
“I’ve not really kept much of an eye on the results in the women’s 100m hurdles, simply because I have been so busy concentrating on the rehab, but I’ve heard that Priscilla Lopes-Schliep is the fastest this year with 12.52 which is great news because I’m good friends with Priscilla.
“What else have I been up to? Well besides rehabbing when I was up in Toronto my sponsors Oakley invited me to two Blue Jays versus Yankees baseball games. I had never seen a baseball game before and it was great to get the opportunity to see Aaron Hill play because he was an old friend of mine from LSU. He hit a home run in the first game which the Blue Jays won and the Yankees took the second game.
“There are certain similarities with hurdling and baseball in that a lot rides on one moment and the players have to make split decision. Yet there are also lot of differences and you would never see a track and field athlete sitting on the bench chewing sunflower seeds.
“But one thing you would definitely never get with athletics is the amount of stick the players receive from the crowd in baseball. Thankfully, in track and field the crowds are always a lot more courteous and supportive.
“Till next time,”
Lolo