Bursitis Can Suck It.

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:24:27 +0000

I’m happy to report that my trip to the gym at lunchtime on Monday included running jogging!

Yes, running jogging.

That’s right, running jogging.

That was fun.

So, due to the fact that I was feeling more than 90% myself on Monday, I eased into a little bit of interval training on the treadmill. I did a 3 minute walking warm-up, then for the next 15 minutes, I alternated between running jogging 2 minutes, and walking 1 minute. During the last 5 minutes, I even cranked the incline up a tiny bit for some extra burn.

From minutes 18-23, I alternated between walking sloooooow at a 12% incline for 1 minute, and doing walking lunges for 30 seconds. Then for the last 5 minutes, I walked at 4.5 and 10% incline.

To say that my thighs are killing me today would be true.

To say that my angry bursa were bothering me today would be a lie.

So, high fives all around.

pssstttt: I think the girl is back. Don’t tell my bursa, they might revolt..

In the spirit of healthy knees, I want to share with you some of the exercises that I’ve been focusing on for the past 3 weeks. I’ve been doing many of these exercises 3-5 times per week, in addition to leg training at the gym twice per week. I can often be seen sitting at my desk in various contorted positions. I’m not practicing my circus act. I’m strengthening my legs.

I know that this may seem excessive for some, but in my case, the only way that I’ll be able to regain my prior knee happiness is by becoming as strong in the legs as I once was.

With the help of my PT as well as this website, I seem to be on the mend, and beginning to feel like my strong, sexy, jogging self again.

Here are my favorites, taken directly from the Knee Pain Exercises website. Some of these are going to seem very elementary to those who have never fought with injuries of this sort.

Quad Strengthening Contractions (perfect for doing at your desk):

Sit in chair. Extend legs, heels to floor. Keep knees straight (or as straight as possible if you have arthritis.) Tighten thigh muscles. Hold for count of 10. Relax for count of 3. Do 10 repetitions. You can do this several times throughout the day. You can build up to 2 or 3 sets of 10 repetitions at a time.

Quad Strengthening Leg lifts:

Lie flat on back. Bend left knee at 90-degree angle, keeping foot flat on floor. Keeping the right leg straight, slowly lift it to the height of the left knee. Hold for a count of 3. Repeat 10 times. Switch sides. Work up to 10 sets of 10 over several weeks.

Quad Strengthening Knee Dips:

Stand with knees slightly flexed. Point your toes straight ahead.
Make sure your kneecaps are also pointed straight ahead.
Lift one leg up and balance on the other leg. Slowly lower yourself up and down ONLY a few inches. Keep the knee of the leg you are balancing on slightly flexed. Your knees must remain pointing straight forward. Do not let them turn inward. Stand straight, do not lean you body to one side. Do 10 dips. Switch sides.
If you feel pain in your knees, start with fewer dips.

Hamstring Strengthening Contractions: (this one is awesome for doing at your desk)

Sit in chair, heels on floor. Don’t move heels but pull back on them. You will feel tension in you hamstrings. Hold for count of 10. Relax for count of 3. Do 10 repetitions.

What are your favorite exercises?

* Have you joined my Facebook Group yet?

* See how my training is going over here!

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Setback Schmetback.

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:20:02 +0000

Thanks to everyone who wished my honey a happy birthday on Monday! He really loved the fact that I wished him a happy birthday on the bloggie, and he also loved all of your lusty comments about his guns. So thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Have I told you lately that you’re the best?

Well you are.

Momma Gazelle (a.k.a. “MommaG”) mentioned that my sweetie was a little chubola when we first started dating! I found this very funny, because I never noticed until after I saw that picture many months later. I thought he was the cutest man alive when we first met, chubby or not. I blame the chub on all of the Ramen Noodles and fast food that he was consuming prior to me!

Gross.

Moving on.

I blog-slacked yesterday because I knew I’d only be a downer. On Monday, me and My Gazelle went to our new gym together (I realize that this is not the typical way that a 29 year old man would prefer to spend his birthday, but whatevs), and I was very excited about running for the first time since the marathon.

Like really, uber-excited.

I hopped on the treadmill and did a cool 3.5 miles. Carefree, calm, wonderful.

When I hopped off the treadmill, my LEFT knee (a.k.a. the one that works) felt a little jacked. I just thought to myself, “hmm…that’s strange”, and kept it movin’.

By the time that I found My Gazelle and we started down the stairs to exit the gym, I knew that something was wrong. I could barely go down the stairs, and every stair was causing a sharp pain on the inside of my left knee, just below the joint.

I was pissed.

This wasn’t the knee that was supposed to be causing me problems, and it was an entirely new and exciting pain. Nothing like the pain in my other knee.

So, I did what any reasonable person would do. I ignored it. Took a shower (while hoisting my leg manually into and out of the tub), and took my birthday boy out to Pei Wei for dinner.

By the time we got home, I was hobbling, and I repeated my previous hoisting technique in order to get up the stairs in front of our building. Whenever I tried to bend my knee past a 90 degree angle, I came up against excruciating pain.

I went inside and iced it, my honey put Tiger Balm on the offensive area and compression-wrapped it for me, and then I went to bed. Total birthday fail for my boy.

He totally didn’t mind, because he’s basically the best boyfriend in the universe. But I still felt (feel) really bad about such a boring birthday for him.

When I woke up yesterday, instead of being better, the pain was worse. Again, pissed. And, I was pretty sure that this was my fate:

And I was honestly intimidated by the task of convincing everyone in my life that the cane was just a trendy new accessory. Somehow, I figured they’d see through that explanation.

As soon as my doctor’s office opened, I called them and got an appointment. I was sure that I had torn something important (meniscus, ligament, tendon…the big dogs), so I wasn’t wasting any time. Not to mention, the pain! I was a total bum yesterday. I even came to work in full on ‘yoga pants and matching sweatshirt’ mode.

Before I went home yesterday, I stopped by my PT’s office (she’s literally right next door), and had an awkward mental breakdown in her office. Complete with tears. And snot. And hugs. The woman is headed for sainthood for putting up with all of my shenanigans. She gave me an impromptu examination, and told me that it was nothing serious.

“NOTHING SERIOUS?”

“THIS PAIN IS NOTHING SERIOUS?! HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?”

She laughed, and told me that it just FEELS serious, but it was likely just a case of bursitis.

“BURSITIS? WHAT THE HAIL IS BURSITIS?”

She explained that on either side of our knees, below the joint, are several fluid-filled pods called bursa. The bursa reduces the friction between the knee joint and the surrounding muscles and tendons. Since the bursa are located fairly close to the skin, they can become inflamed and irritated upon being bumped, after repetitive motion, or after frequent pressure to the knee. When the bursa become inflamed, it’s called bursitis.

After Liz gave me the once-over, I was relieved, but I still wanted to see my doctor and find out what he had to say.

I saw the doctor this morning at 8AM, and I was at work by 9:15. I have a classic case of bursitis. The interesting part about this situation is that my knee had been feeling “tweaked” in that location, beginning the Tuesday after the marathon. I literally woke up on Tuesday morning to this new weird feeling in my left knee. I didn’t think much of it, because I did just do the marathon a few days before.

The doctor asked me if I sleep on my side, which I do (I am a newly-reformed belly sleeper), and then he asked me if I sleep on my right side. I do. Then, he asked me if I put a pillow between my legs when I sleep. I told him that I do sometimes, but not always. He said to always, always put a pillow between the legs. Here’s his hypothesis:

Saturday’s marathon caused the bursa in my knee to become irritated, but not irritated enough for a full on flare-up. On Monday night, I slept on my side, and all night, the left interior knee bursa were resting on the bone of my right knee. The pressure applied for a long period of time caused a slight irritation, which is why I woke up on Tuesday with the new knee pain. It tried to heal throughout last week, and apparently was not entirely healed, because Monday’s run irritated it to the point of a full-fledged bursa meltdown.

The bottom line: I didn’t rest enough. Why does this not surprise me or any of you?

The doctor told me to follow RICE guidelines (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation), and gave me an anti-inflammatory medication to take once a day as needed. He also reminded me again (as so many have) that I need to be focused right now on rebuilding the muscles surrounding my knees, and giving myself enough time to heal. Since I was injured before the marathon, I wasn’t even at 50% going in. Now, since I’m not training for anything, I need to regroup.

That is what I intend to do. I’m just still trying to figure out how to do it.

I’m viewing my continued setbacks at this point as an opportunity to learn more about my body.

I have a difficult time finding the balance between being totally lazy and overdoing it.

I suspect that it’ll require a total lifestyle overhaul. I’ve been going hardcore with my running for so long that it’s just strange to work out without pushing myself to the max.

Suggestions? Tips? Know a good therapist?