mushrooms

rolling around flat for exercise, taking it easy, trying to see how this knee issue will resolve itself

The results are back in from the expert review of my MRI. Less encouraging than the assumed IT Band strain. The report indicates, vaguely, that there is a “very slight” issue with the meniscus and ACL, but that no major damage is present. So this leaves me in a gray area where I’ve now lost confidence in what I’m safely able to do, and I’m spending more time worrying about what to avoid instead of enjoying the exercise I get. I know for sure that I shouldn’t be running on pavement or training on stairs or steep hills for the time being. Walking and rec skating got the O.K. for the time being, using R.I.C.E. afterwards to help with any discomfort… The really strange part to me is that I don’t feel any pain associated with either of those areas on the knee. Actually pain isn’t even the right word. The area above my knee, towards the outside of the lower thigh, can feel sore if I don’t warm up well. That lead me to believe it was an IT Band issue and I’ve modified my stretching routine accordingly. Knowing that there may be further irritation/strain/sprains in those other areas has me now looking into more quad building stretches and exercises for support.

The odd thing is I always stretch before and after exercise, as well as in the mornings and evenings after getting a hot shower to relax the muscles. I used to get away with a brisk walk for a warm-up, and now going out for a solid 10-15 minutes before running makes a world of difference. Something doesn’t add up, but for sure the question mark on the status of the knee internals has taken the wind out of my sails for running in general. That’s a pretty big deal too, because it was my go-to for cardio… hoping to stay strong enough to keep skating as it is comparatively low impact and gets the heart rate up quickly.

I’m 28 and falling apart. What’s next?

Tags: ACL, knee, meniscus, mushrooms, question mark, recovery, rollerblading, skating