Thursday, October 21, 2010

A slow process

On one hand, I am not a patient person. A slow recovery is not easy for me because I just want things to be fixed quickly so I can get back to what I was doing.

On the other, I know that this process is slow. Recovery takes time, muscles need to be stretched and strengthened.

Currently my day goes a little like this:

I wake up with my knee feeling not exactly normal but not really painful either. I stretch to relieve the aching and take some ibuprofen. Then I go to work where I stretch inconspicuously at my desk, at my meetings and in the bathroom. After work I go to the gym where I stretch again then get on the elliptical to "warm up". Then I get off, my knee feels tight so I walk on the treadmill for a bit to loosen it back up. I try to run but usually there is lingering pain and I only make it half a mile. Then I stretch again and ice for the rest of the night.

But every morning I feel like I am starting over again from the beginning. Although the good news is that I can finally shift and push in the clutch on my car without pain. So I guess I am getting better...but its s-l-o-w!

I have one odd symptom that I have noticed. When I sit on the floor to ice, with my legs straight out in front of me, after about 20 minutes, my left foot starts to fall asleep (left foot = leg/knee that hurts). I can't help but think this is all related.

So I continue to stretch (which seems to help the most) and test out the knee looking for any small sign that it is getting better.

Hopefully next week I will have better news! Have a great Thursday!

21 comments:

Marlene said...

Sorry to hear that recovery has been slow, but good for you doing all the right things to make it better! FX that you start to see some big improvements soon!

Anonymous said...

baaaaaaaaaah for slow recovery! hopefully you heal up quickly :)

Jamie said...

slow recovery's can be so annoying. good for you taking it slow to heal right so you won't have anymore problems!

Anonymous said...

Inconspicuous stretching is my life at work!!! Keep up the hard work and you will be grateful!

Indi said...

hang in there and keep it up! Slow and steady seems to be the name for this!

Lisa's Yarns said...

I am not patient with this kind of thing either. Do you have some PT exercises to work on, too? I assume so... if not, I can scan mine and email them to you (I think we have the same or similar knee problems).

Amy said...

Too bad about the slow recovery, it must be so frustrating!

Kim said...

Ugh. Same old same old makes me crazy too! I hope you have some progress soon.

Did your doc tell you to use the elliptical? I only ask because I have had docs specifically tell me not to (ever).

Amber said...

Being injured SUCKS. My foot is the first time I've ever dealt with an injury that's sidelined me like this and I freaking hate it.

I hope we both get better asap!

Anonymous said...

sorry to hear u r still hurting.

i am glad i am not the only one getting frustrated with my injury not healing. i am also very impatient!

hope u feel better soon!

Katie A. said...

Recovery sucks, but you're doing all the right things it sounds like. Keep it up girlie, you'll be back in no time!

Aron said...

ugg i have no patience either so that must be really tough. you are doing the right things though and it will pay off when you are back at it healthy!

Nicole said...

I'm sorry hun- my patience is thin too. hang in there and stay strong. i'll be thinking of you!

ihaverun said...

Patience is not my thing either. I'll be waiting for the good news next week =)

Molly said...

ugh, recovery is so frustrating, but you're doing everything you can! Hope you feel better sooner rather than later.....

No Longer Using said...

as long as you are noticing improvement i think you are right- slow, but= process. meaning there will be a "better"... eventually. hang in there! almost the weeeeeeeeeeeekend!

Julie @ HotlegsRunner said...

I get so impatient when recovering from an injury. hang in there!

new follower here =)

Anonymous said...

Whew that sounds repetitive - but hopefully effective, too! Stretching "inconspicuously" may be the key ;) Hopefully soon you'll be up a to a full mile on that run and feeling better! xo

Glenn Jones said...

Sigh. I know *exactly* of what you speak....

Felice Devine said...

Ugh. It is such a drag but, as others have said, it's good that you are taking your time and really letting yourself heal. Hope the pace picks up a bit :-)

Sarah said...

I stumbled onto your blog. In October I completed my first half marathon with ITB pain in both knees. It of course reared its ugly head on my last long training run. Running the half really set me back but I wasn't about to quit at that point. I've been avoiding running (impatiently) and doing a lot of yoga. Tried to run today but no luck. :( I really miss it. Know you aren't alone. I needed to connect today. Thank you for sharing your experiences. It was just what I needed. Good Luck!