Kara Goucher reveals she's been falling at times on runs and Mayo Clinic determines she's battling runner's dystonia

rojo · 2022-02-08T12:20:03-05:00

We wish her the best as she battles focal dystonia / runner's dystonia / repetitive exercise dystonia. Just yesterday on our weekly all-staff conference call, I had remarked I found it odd she hadn't been on any of the NBC broadcasts this winter. Here is her post from instagram. https://www.letsrun.com/news/2022/02/kara-goucher-announces-she-has-been-diagnosed-with-runners-dystonia/ [quote][b]Kara Goucher wrote:[/b] For the past year I have been quietly battling for my health. After a fall in December 2020, I had a hard time staying on my feet while out running. It felt like I was slipping and it was scary, I’d throw my arms out for balance. After falling while crossing a road into traffic, Adam made me go to my doctor. This lead me to a neurologist who discovered lack of sensation in my legs and lesions in my brain. I had a lumbar puncture that was negative for MS. My doctor encouraged me to get back outside and slowly I started to feel better. This fall the symptoms came back in a more intense way. I started drifting the left and falling again. A brain scan showed no changes. I began to struggle to walk outside, unable to control my legs or have confidence they would stay planted. I saw a new neurologist and she gave me an EMG. The test diagnosed neuropathy in my hands and feet. She got me in to see a neurological movement specialist. He diagnosed me with focal dystonia, for me runners dystonia. I started a Parkinsons medication and slowly improved. I could walk normally and run on gravel surfaces or my treadmill. But running on a road or a sidewalk would cause me to be pulled to the left and slip. This past week I was a patient in the neurology department at the Mayo Clinic. The doctor confirmed repetitive exercise dystonia, and tried to tell me, as gently as possible, that the more I run the worse my symptoms will get. I have to drastically cut back or not only will I lose the ability to run at all, I will struggle to walk as well. I am thankful that it isn’t MS or ALS or some of the other things we had to rule out. But losing running in the way I love it, is something I’m struggling to accept. People have said I’m addicted to running and they are right. I loved running before I knew I was good at it. It made me feel alive, to push, to feel my lungs expand. It has been one of the most glorious aspects of my life. From the silent meditation on a solo run to representing my country at the Olympic Games. I’m not sure where running ends and I begin, we are so entertained as one. I’m unsure what the future holds, but I’m trying to embrace it.[/quote] https://www.instagram.com/p/CZuZ7i7psZ0/?utm_medium=share_sheet

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4 years ago 02/10/2022 8:25pm EST

re: CarolinaRunner

“The doctor confirmed repetitive exercise dystonia, and tried to tell me, as gently as possible, that the more I run the worse my symptoms will get. I have to drastically cut back or not only will I lose the ability to run at all, I will struggle to walk as well."[/quote]

I have never heard of exercise dystonia. Can anyone explain why continuing to run will result in losing her ability to run and possibly even walk? [/quote]

Because when you constantly get pulled to the left, you run into s**t and get hurt. Aka: headslap on a road sign.

4 years ago 02/13/2022 2:32pm EST

re: rojo

YouTube.com

Neurologist Explains Kara Goucher's Runner's Dystonia

Dr. Brandon Beaber

Elite long-distance runner Kara Goucher was recently diagnosed with a rare neurological disease called runner’s dystoniaThe article I am discussing https://r...

Watch on YouTube

4 years ago 02/13/2022 3:05pm EST

re: oldburgrunner

She is living a Peter Pan type existence in her forties and it’s time to call it quits .

3 years ago 09/17/2022 9:07pm EDT

re: rojo

Came across this video of a woman with runner's dystonia. She can no longer run forward but she can run backwards. The lady actually runs marathons backwards.

YouTube.com

Backwards Marathon Runner Justine Galloway

Sean M Byrd Sr

This video is about backwards marathon pkg

Watch on YouTube

3 years ago 09/17/2022 9:13pm EDT

re: such a strange condition

I didn't catch this when it came out several months ago. It's honestly heartbreaking to read. I know life can be much, much worse, but it sucks to have something you love taken out of your life like that. I hope she is able to find meaning in other areas that she always had with running before.

3 years ago 09/17/2022 10:05pm EDT

re: wejo

wejo wrote:
This is heartbreaking to read as you can tell how important running is to her. But hopefully Kara can find joy in just being a part of the running community without running as much.
I had never heard of this condition before but glad she figured out the diagnosis. It will spread awareness of it for sure.
Best wishes to her and her family.

Sorry, but you and Rojo have always come off as such hypocritical simps over Kara G, respective to Schumacher vs. Galen/Salazar. The Gouchers pretty much pioneered the thyroid meds from Dr. Brown, and brought that existing relationship into NOP, so if anything corrupted Salazar, not the other way around. As their careers were winding down, it seems like Gouchers resented Salazar, as if they suspected Galen was getting "the good stuff," and they weren't, so they went to Schumacher, which was always rumored to be the more aggressive and dirty part of NOP.

3 years ago 09/17/2022 11:12pm EDT

re: high school xc coach

high school xc coach wrote:
I didn't catch this when it came out several months ago. It's honestly heartbreaking to read. I know life can be much, much worse, but it sucks to have something you love taken out of your life like that. I hope she is able to find meaning in other areas that she always had with running before.

I just listened to her on a podcast from a few weeks ago and she didn't even mention this. She referenced needing to run on trails instead of road but it sounded like a foot issue🤷🏻‍♂️

3 years ago 09/17/2022 11:15pm EDT

re: wejo

wejo wrote:
This is heartbreaking to read as you can tell how important running is to her. But hopefully Kara can find joy in just being a part of the running community without running as much.
I had never heard of this condition before but glad she figured out the diagnosis. It will spread awareness of it for sure.
Best wishes to her and her family.

For sure....what a horrible irony - doing something healthy impacts your health. Wish the best for her.

3 years ago 09/17/2022 11:17pm EDT

re: Dwightarm

Dwightarm wrote:
Holy crap. I’ve never heard of this before. It sounds like a nightmare!
Is this the running equivalent to what Simone Biles had at the Olympics?
Yikes. This would terrify me.

So, I don't know the real answer to this, but I think Biles issue was more nerves or something? Apologies if I'm incorrect on this.

3 years ago 09/17/2022 11:19pm EDT

re: Surprise!

Surprise! wrote:
wejo wrote:
This is heartbreaking to read as you can tell how important running is to her. But hopefully Kara can find joy in just being a part of the running community without running as much.
I had never heard of this condition before but glad she figured out the diagnosis. It will spread awareness of it for sure.
Best wishes to her and her family.
For sure....what a horrible irony - doing something healthy impacts your health. Wish the best for her.

I wonder if it was psychosomatic and maybe she has a med that is treating it now. Probably she got treatment because I think she is running more now. I want to apologize for my earlier posts, as I know that 80 year old women are attractive and that I was wrong.

3 years ago 09/17/2022 11:23pm EDT

re: Valler

Valler wrote:
Surprise! wrote:
For sure....what a horrible irony - doing something healthy impacts your health. Wish the best for her.
I wonder if it was psychosomatic and maybe she has a med that is treating it now. Probably she got treatment because I think she is running more now. I want to apologize for my earlier posts, as I know that 80 year old women are attractive and that I was wrong.

I got the first half of the post, but then became a bit confused.

3 years ago 09/17/2022 11:42pm EDT

re: Surprise!

Surprise! wrote:
Valler wrote:
I wonder if it was psychosomatic and maybe she has a med that is treating it now. Probably she got treatment because I think she is running more now. I want to apologize for my earlier posts, as I know that 80 year old women are attractive and that I was wrong.
I got the first half of the post, but then became a bit confused.

I understand. It is not your fault. I made a huge mistake by saying that women lose their looks so they deleted it. Of course no women lose their looks.

3 years ago 09/18/2022 12:14am EDT

re: wejo

wejo wrote:
This is heartbreaking to read as you can tell how important running is to her. But hopefully Kara can find joy in just being a part of the running community without running as much.
I had never heard of this condition before but glad she figured out the diagnosis. It will spread awareness of it for sure.
Best wishes to her and her family.

Sure about the running but maybe it's the tip of the iceberg. What happens as she ages running, or not, is it progressive? Does she know?

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