Knee News

Well, my blog has been rather dull because I have not been doing much. Ok, so I have been watching the Olympics, I have knit two hats (one with a skull on the front), and I have been coaching my TNT participants. Other than that I have been laying low because of my knee.

At mile 20 of the marathon portion of the Goofy challenge back on January 10th I started to feel my left knee. It was not bad. It felt like someone was whacking my kneecap with a small stick. It was more annoying than painful. By mile 25 it was irritating and it did smart, but it did not keep me from continuing to run or to slow my pace down. The next day I was having a hard time getting around. My knee felt so stiff and sure it was swollen. By Wednesday of that week, the pain was going away and by Friday the pain was gone. I did a strength training workout and had no problems. No problems until the next morning. On Saturday my training schedule said I had a 2 hour run where I was to either alternate 15 minutes of running and then walking or to run out for one hour and then walk back on the second hour. I chose that option and I was so glad to be done. By mile 2 I was starting to feel my knee again and by the end of the hour I was hurting. I walked home and was stiff and sore for another couple of days.

I laid off the knee but I was finding that even trainer rides were causing stiffness after the workouts. I went to go see Dr. H and he told me that I probably had some tendinitis. I rested the knee. The last weekend of January I ran a 5K and placed first in my age group. The pain with the knee did not kick in until mile 2 but by mile 3 I was glad I was almost done. I ran a 5K the next day with my kid. When we started out it felt like a sharp knife was being jabbed into the right edge of my left knee cap. I was sore and stiff until Wednesday of the next week.

I have been playing it safe and not doing much but it is like taking my fitness level and flushing it down the toilet. I went back to see Dr. H last Friday and he thinks that my condromalacia has flared up. I have been icing and elevating but I have to keep moving. I have been running and keeping the distance to 5K and below. I am sure I will have people telling me to stop. Ok, I can stop, but running helps me stay sane and normal. I have to have 24 minutes to be able to think and not think that is my time. Please don't ask me to give that up.

Tomorrow I go to see the docs at The Center for Spine, Sports, and Physical Medicine. They have some cutting edge technology that they have been using on professional athletes to keep them moving with out pain. I am tired of feeling like someone is whacking my kneecap with a stick every time I land on my left foot.

I will report back if there is anything the docs can do. I got my run in today so I am happy. Time for lunch.

Later Gators,

Liz