Chapter 49 #2
"What your coach is doing is applying an emollient. He's going to rub it in from the top of your knee down to your foot. It's a lotion that will soften the skin and keep it from drying out, but more importantly, it helps with the friction."
Kova began running a dull-edged tool down the length of my calf. It was cool to the touch, but quickly warmed up after he repetitively moved in the same motion.
"Apply pressure and run the blade smoothly down her calf like you're doing now. Can you feel the sandy, gravel feel under it?"
"Yes," Kova said. "It is smooth in some areas, and others it feels like pebbles of dirt."
"Right. So, if you're feeling that grit, that's an area that's seen a lot of stress or has been injured before. Mind if I feel it?"
They switched places and the doctor ran a hand down my calf first before he started. "There's nice muscle definition here, but I can tell by touch it's tight and there are knots." He stroked the back of my leg with the tool, pressing much harder than Kova. I grunted and tensed up.
"Does that hurt, Adrianna?" he asked.
"A little bit," I grunted.
"More so than Kova?"
This time I pushed my butt in the air out of reflex. "Yes," I grunted.
"Relax." His voice was firm and demanding. I lowered my hips and he continued the raking as he spoke to Kova. "A lot of newbies are afraid to apply pressure. Don't be. You won't hurt her. The more you do this, the more you'll get a good feel for her and how much she can take."
"Hmm…" He hummed under his breath, like it was worse off than he expected.
He ran the blade harder, trying to smooth out the bumps.
It reminded me of when I was a kid and my mom wanted my hair in the perfect ponytail.
She'd brush in the same spot over and over until it was smooth and perfectly leveled, not caring that my head was on fire from the impact of the bristles or that I had probably lost hair.
"That restriction you feel under the blade tells me this is an area that's seen a tremendous amount of stress, possibly an injury that has healed itself and has been reinjured.
" He applied more pressure. "There’s some tissue buildup as well.
Since this is the first time for both of you, I suggest gradually increasing pressure with each session.
" He switched spots with Kova again and turned to me.
"Adrianna, you'll notice red blotches on your calf, they’re nothing to be alarmed about.
It's just blood flowing to the Achilles.
It's great for stimulating circulation and healing. "
"Okay," was all I said as I watched over my shoulder.
"How often do you suggest treatment," Kova asked. He was now working the blade midway down to my ankle, where there was more heat and an intense fiery burn but nothing I couldn't handle…yet.
"Treatments can be done regularly, or twice a week. I would suggest every other day for now, that way you give the inflammation time to heal before you start again."
Great. I'll just pencil blading into my schedule.
Kova hit the back of my ankle and I gasped, sucking in an audible breath as he held the back of my ankle steady. He paused, then resumed, and I gripped the blue table pad. My toes curled in response to the pain. Fucking hell!
"You feel more grit down by her ankle, don't you?" His friend asked and Kova nodded. "That’s where you need to focus on more now."
The blade was shaped like a concaved butter knife, and he used the tip to swipe up and down around the hollows of the back of my ankle, hitting between the little grooves as he held my heel in his hand.
"If you're feeling a lot of gravel or sand, I suggest switching blades to really get in deep and fine tune that spot."
I no longer liked the handsome doctor.
He handed Kova another stainless-steel tool similar to the first one, only this one didn't have a concaved edge. It looked like a butter knife with no handle.
"She's going to feel it a little more intense now as you start up from the top and work your way down again."
For a novice, Kova's strokes felt precise and experienced. He was confident in his ability. I tried to focus on him and his assertive nature to block out the intensifying pain, but as I watched him maneuver lower to my heel, my brain went into overdrive.
"Oh my God, that hurts," I said through clenched teeth.
He repeatedly scraped over the heel bone like he was spreading frozen butter on toast. It was the spot right where I'd had the most pain lately, and this pain felt like burning flesh just peeling off the bone.
"It hurts," I choked out. Tears blurred my eyes and I grinded my jaw.
I wanted to kick out with my other foot to get them away.
"You'll be sore tomorrow, but the following day you should see a noticeable difference, it will be well worth the pain. The first visit is always the most uncomfortable one." He turned toward Kova. "Go easy on her tomorrow."
"I make no promises," Kova said, chuckling.
"Always were a sadist," his friend joked.
"No pain, no gain. There is no satisfaction in easy."
"How do you two know each other?" I bit out, dying inside.
"College," Dr. Hart volunteered.
Kova focused on the back of my foot, scraping over where the tendon met the heel.
He drew the instrument smoothly up the center of my calf, then back down and around my boney heel like he was sculpting clay and chiseling down stone.
He repeated the motions, focusing at the heart of the Achilles tendon and injury.
I tensed, flexing my foot, and Ethan tapped the back of my thigh.
"Loosen up. It's almost over."
"How much longer?" I was on the verge of crying. Kova didn't ease up either, he continued like I hadn't even spoke.
"Another few minutes then we should be good to go," Kova’s friend answered.
"Another few minutes!" I shrieked. "I don't know if I can withstand any more of this agonizing pain."
I wasn't sure I'd be able to walk after this.
"Toughen up. Do not be so dramatic, Adrianna," Kova ordered.
My hands balled into little fists. I was seriously contemplating back kicking his face and walking right out. I wasn't sure if there was anything worse than this sort of pain on the planet. Not even my kidney infection was this bad.
"You see that bright red line? How it lights right up?
" the wonderful doctor asked my dickhead coach.
He motioned up my calf muscle. "That's the Achilles tendon.
You can see she has got some issues going on there.
You'll want to focus right over the line and pull in a downward motion toward her heel to promote healing and circulation, like you just were, and then upward and out to scan again.
Make sure you score around the bone, get deep in the cavities and around the foot. Don't be afraid to hurt her."
I knew I wasn't supposed to take Motrin now, but something, any kind of pain killer, would be imperative after this.
As Kova pulled down the center of my calf with the convex side of the blade, I wanted to cry out and beg for him to stop.
It felt like he was under my skin scraping the actual tendon.
I tried not to squirm on the table, but the rubbing hurt like hell and I wasn't sure I could withstand any more. It was pure agony.
"If she's having any kind of straining in her calf, then I'd suggest treatment into her foot."
"I believe she does," Kova said, up close and personal with my leg. I prayed to God they'd save that for another day.
"So let's work there as well."
Fuck. My. Life.