I'm going to be honest. I'm a little cranky this morning. I've been having problems with my neighbor's dog. It barked incessantly from the time I got home at 9:30 pm until I eventually fell asleep with a pillow held over my head around midnight. Turns out that even though it's a violation of the local noise ordinance, the police can't charge anyone with anything if no one's home to sign for the violation. So that meant I went to bed last night listening to the soothing sound of a large dog barking.
I have to make a confession. I haven't done any type of physical activity since Sunday. That includes my PT. I've been tired and my knee's been hurting. I took Abby (my dog) for a long walk on Sunday morning after church, and my knee hurt all day afterwards. So I decided to take a little break, give my knee some rest, and diligently applied ice. It's still a little achey, but the pain has dissipated significantly. I have a feeling that it's a result of the inclines and declines, as small as they are. My neighborhood is not exactly flat, and the slopes exacerbate any problems. So for right now it looks like I'm sticking to tracks and the treadmill which means Abigail doesn't get to go on anymore long walks for the time being.
I'm planning on heading to the gym tonight after work. I really, really need to get back into a regular PT and strength-training routine. I feel okay about taking a few days off. I was getting frustrated by not seeing the results and my schedule was wearing on me. It's tough to get up at 4:30 am, especially when the neighbor's dog is keeping me up well past my normal bedtime. But I can't let that become a habit. I've been struggling with my knee problems for too long to give up now. Six months, in fact. I haven't been able to run since September 2010.
A few weeks ago, one of my Bible Study Fellowship questions asked about an area in your life where you were feeling exhausted by trying to control a situation. For me, this is it. I'm tired of getting up early, of being stuck in a gym instead of pounding the pavement, of feeling self-conscious about spending 45 minutes on a floor mat in the back of the fitness center at the Y, of being sore, of not being able to function normally. I'm tired of the monotony and tediousness of my PT.
The solution? Don't try to control the situation - trust God with it. I can't control when my body will be healed, or even if it will be healed. All I can do is continue to do the PT and trust God with the outcome. I'm still going to be tired, and I'm still going to get frustrated from time to time, but I have the source of infinite power to draw strength from. When my energy is depleted, I can rest in the arms of a loving God who loves me unconditionally and wants the best for me. All of me. Even my knee.
Showing posts with label physical therapy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label physical therapy. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
All on my own
Before I get started with my regular blog, there are a few loose ends I should wrap up. First, I'm doing a good job incorporating my nine servings of fruits and vegetables into my diet. Considering that a serving is really just half a cup (a full cup for leafy greens), most whole fruits and vegetables count for more than one serving. It really hasn't been that bad. Second, I'm doing a horrible job at cutting out sugar. I thought I had it yesterday, but it got the better of me. I'm going to have to come up with some strategies to quit cold turkey, though. I'm glad I never started on drugs or cigarettes - I'd never be able to quit! I'm still trying to seriously limit my sugar intake, though, so I'll keep y'all posted on how that goes.
I had my LAST visit with Dr. Gondi (on this particular issue - I'll be keeping him busy for years with other ailments) last Friday. I really like him. He gave me a hug. :) And he fixed me! I'm still experiencing some pain on the lower part of my knee, but it's not what was hurting before, so it's most likely muscular pain and some minor tendinitis that will hopefully resolve itself as I continue to get stronger. With that determination, he officially released me. That means I no longer have a doctor or a physical therapist.
It's a little overwhelming to me, to be honest. I don't feel like I'm ready to be on my own. I still have knee pain and I still can't really run. I have the tools to keep getting better on my own, but I feel like it's a lot of responsibility that I'm not quite ready for. I asked Wanda how I'd know when I was able to run, and she said, "You just try it and if it hurts, you stop." That's so scary to hear. I want to be able to run again so badly, but I'm terrified that I'm going to try too soon and re-injure myself.
Do I really know my body well enough to know when I'm pushing too hard or not hard enough? Have I learned enough during this process to understand how to interpret different kinds of pain? I guess I'll find out one way or the other.
Usually when I write these posts, it's because I've had some sort of realization or moment of clarity related to understanding why my injury occured or what lessons I can learn and apply from the experience. Today, all I have is a lot of confusion, questions, and fears. I'm nervous, and I'm overwhelmed. Despite that, I'm going to trust that the exercises Wanda gave me are going to continue to make me stronger.
And if all else fails, I know a great orthopaedic doctor...
I had my LAST visit with Dr. Gondi (on this particular issue - I'll be keeping him busy for years with other ailments) last Friday. I really like him. He gave me a hug. :) And he fixed me! I'm still experiencing some pain on the lower part of my knee, but it's not what was hurting before, so it's most likely muscular pain and some minor tendinitis that will hopefully resolve itself as I continue to get stronger. With that determination, he officially released me. That means I no longer have a doctor or a physical therapist.
It's a little overwhelming to me, to be honest. I don't feel like I'm ready to be on my own. I still have knee pain and I still can't really run. I have the tools to keep getting better on my own, but I feel like it's a lot of responsibility that I'm not quite ready for. I asked Wanda how I'd know when I was able to run, and she said, "You just try it and if it hurts, you stop." That's so scary to hear. I want to be able to run again so badly, but I'm terrified that I'm going to try too soon and re-injure myself.
Do I really know my body well enough to know when I'm pushing too hard or not hard enough? Have I learned enough during this process to understand how to interpret different kinds of pain? I guess I'll find out one way or the other.
Usually when I write these posts, it's because I've had some sort of realization or moment of clarity related to understanding why my injury occured or what lessons I can learn and apply from the experience. Today, all I have is a lot of confusion, questions, and fears. I'm nervous, and I'm overwhelmed. Despite that, I'm going to trust that the exercises Wanda gave me are going to continue to make me stronger.
And if all else fails, I know a great orthopaedic doctor...
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Where am I now?
It's January 11, 2011. That means that I'm five days shy of being a month out of surgery. My knee's doing well, but recovery is a process and I'm not running and jumping around just yet.
About a week and a half after my surgery, I started physical therapy (PT). I went through physical therapy prior to having surgery, so I'm no stranger to the process. But going through PT after surgery is much different than it was before surgery.
Let me take a second to give the Orthopoedic Center of Central Virginia a shout-out. Because of vacation scheduling, I wasn't able to go back to the same therapist I saw prior to the surgery, but I've had fantastic experiences both times. Rachel really knew what she was doing, and it was fun to work with such an accomplished athlete. This time I'm working with Wanda, who is an incredibly positive person and makes showing up to do grueling, tedious exercises a joy. Thank you, ladies!
That said, I have a tendency to think of therapy as well... therapy. That's not really the case. As I mentioned in my last post, one of the two biggest reasons I ended up injured was because my hips and glutes were too weak to support the distances I was running, which caused strain on my IT band (this is really common in endurance runners). Both times the "therapy" I've been doing has been targeted at improving the strength of those muscles, as well as my other support muscles. I'm up to more than 20 exercises that I mostly do every day - it takes me about an hour and a half to get through everything. And let me tell you, these are not easy exercises!
Prior to getting injured, I pretty much had no interest or patience for laying on the floor to do strengthening exercises. I'm a goal-oriented person, and I'm also a big-picture person. I knew people said that core and strength training were important, but I didn't understand why so it wasn't a priority for me. Like everyone else, my time is limited. I chose to focus on running, not strengthening. I didn't understand the consequences of that decision.
And I also didn't really understand what that meant. Running was never something I knew much about. I thought it was easy - put on your shoes, go out the door, and start moving your feet. I started to lose weight. I kept going because I enjoyed the quiet time alone with my thoughts. I decided to run a marathon to prove to myself that I could do it. But I didn't know much about it.
Well, I can't run right now. That's frustrating. But I'm developing an appreciation for the time I spend on the floor very carefully and meticulously going through various exercises that push me to the point where I'm wondering if I'm going to be able to finish my set. I now understand that time isn't wasted. Just because I'm not running during that time doesn't mean I'm not becoming a better, stronger, healthier runner.
It's been an expensive, painful lesson, but I'm grateful for the knowledge I have now. I look forward to putting it to good use.
About a week and a half after my surgery, I started physical therapy (PT). I went through physical therapy prior to having surgery, so I'm no stranger to the process. But going through PT after surgery is much different than it was before surgery.
Let me take a second to give the Orthopoedic Center of Central Virginia a shout-out. Because of vacation scheduling, I wasn't able to go back to the same therapist I saw prior to the surgery, but I've had fantastic experiences both times. Rachel really knew what she was doing, and it was fun to work with such an accomplished athlete. This time I'm working with Wanda, who is an incredibly positive person and makes showing up to do grueling, tedious exercises a joy. Thank you, ladies!
That said, I have a tendency to think of therapy as well... therapy. That's not really the case. As I mentioned in my last post, one of the two biggest reasons I ended up injured was because my hips and glutes were too weak to support the distances I was running, which caused strain on my IT band (this is really common in endurance runners). Both times the "therapy" I've been doing has been targeted at improving the strength of those muscles, as well as my other support muscles. I'm up to more than 20 exercises that I mostly do every day - it takes me about an hour and a half to get through everything. And let me tell you, these are not easy exercises!
Prior to getting injured, I pretty much had no interest or patience for laying on the floor to do strengthening exercises. I'm a goal-oriented person, and I'm also a big-picture person. I knew people said that core and strength training were important, but I didn't understand why so it wasn't a priority for me. Like everyone else, my time is limited. I chose to focus on running, not strengthening. I didn't understand the consequences of that decision.
And I also didn't really understand what that meant. Running was never something I knew much about. I thought it was easy - put on your shoes, go out the door, and start moving your feet. I started to lose weight. I kept going because I enjoyed the quiet time alone with my thoughts. I decided to run a marathon to prove to myself that I could do it. But I didn't know much about it.
Well, I can't run right now. That's frustrating. But I'm developing an appreciation for the time I spend on the floor very carefully and meticulously going through various exercises that push me to the point where I'm wondering if I'm going to be able to finish my set. I now understand that time isn't wasted. Just because I'm not running during that time doesn't mean I'm not becoming a better, stronger, healthier runner.
It's been an expensive, painful lesson, but I'm grateful for the knowledge I have now. I look forward to putting it to good use.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)