“That ain’t right” are words you don’t want to hear in the middle of a check up, and while just wearing a pair of pants.

I was in the middle of my annual physio M.O.T. Every year, I go back to the same physio for 45 minutes of prodding and poking to check my posture and balance. Usually this involves an elbow, some gasps (mine), and a great feeling of relaxing and easing of aches and pains. It should be relax me, not create anxiety.

“That’s definitely not right,” she said again, poking my chest.

“What’s not right?” I thought, my hypochondriac mind thinking of a hundred different ways that checking whether one leg is longer than the other could be a sign of Ebola or the Black Death.

“Did you break a rib?” She asked.

“No,” I thought, but after all her prodding and poking with her elbow to relieve muscles tension in my back I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d broken one at the start of the check up. Her hands could knock down a wall faster than a wrecking ball.

“Because your ribs have shifted to the right.” She explained.

And then I remembered that while I may not have broken a rib, I gave it a good crack last year while trying and failing to jump across a river. I’d didn’t go and see a doctor because I knew he would have just said to rest up and let it heal. A cracked rib is one of those injuries that only time can cure.

“Let’s put it back in place,” she said, before proceeding to crack the right ribs so hard they were pushed back to the left.

Sometimes the cure is worse than the illness!

What this does show though is that while runners and athletes often shrug off injuries, it’s always worth going to see a physio to find out if the injuries are causing any other problems as it turned out I was learning further right than Suella Braverman pointing to France. Small niggles can lead to bigger problems later so, if you can, and you have the opportunity, I’d definitely recommend getting a regular check up from a physio.