It’s been a little while since I wrote about what I’m up to in my fitness life. 2018 hasn’t exactly been off to a roaring start: I’m officially benched due to injury.
I first started having pain in my right knee while hiking the Na Pali Coast, as I mentioned in last week’s post. In the weeks that followed, I limited my running volume to give my knee some space to heal. That said, I couldn’t resist going on a couple more very challenging hikes during that time. Not surprisingly, the pain lingered.
Around Christmas, I noticed the pain started to shift both in location and intensity. I reached a point where I couldn’t walk up or down stairs without relying heavily on handrails. Some days, I even had a mild limp walking normally. Things were not moving in a positive direction as I’d hoped. It was pretty clear that I wasn’t equipped to deal with whatever this injury had morphed into.
I went to my PT for an assessment, and he settled on LCL injury. There’s no obvious reason the injury developed. It seems to have been an accumulation of a few different factors rather than any acute event. We started a gentle rehab plan and I received strict orders not to run or hike. Although frustrating, the mandate wasn’t really a problem. After all, if I can’t walk down the hall without pain, a trail run is hardly on the radar.
Fortunately, I’m able to do yoga, indoor cycling, aerial silks, and core/arm exercises, all with a degree of caution and moderation. On the one hand, I’m grateful to be dealing with injury during winter rather than summer. That said, we’ve been having an unusually mild, dry winter that’s perfect for getting outside. It’s been painful to spend weekend after weekend cooped up indoors.
In the last week or two, I’ve finally started to see some improvement, but I still have a ways to go. Based on my progression so far, I expect I still have several more weeks before I can start easing back into my normal activities.
Unfortunately, I expect I’ll more or less be starting from scratch once this injury resolves. As much as I’d like to go right back to 9-mile weekend runs, I’ll have to start with low mileage and be patient about re-building my base. I’m hoping that indoor biking is helping me maintain leg strength and cardiovascular capacity, but time will tell.
As anyone who’s been injured can probably attest, being sidelined has done a number on my mental wellbeing. For one thing, the ever-present pain is mentally taxing. Missing out on my usual dose of sunshine and fresh air is tough, too. Just sitting outside or driving somewhere isn’t quite the same.
Beyond that, I rely heavily on my workout routine to help manage stress and balance my mood. I notice that I always go through a sort of withdrawal if my routine is off for more than a couple weeks at a time. As a result, I have very little patience, I easily spiral into patterns of anxious and discouraged thoughts, and everything feels just a bit more unmanageable. My modified routine helps stave off the worst of it, but I still have my bad days. Between the frustration of injury and the scaled back workout routine, I’m getting hit from both sides.
That’s where things are at for me right now. If you’ve noticed that my fitness-related posts have dropped off lately, this is definitely a big reason for that. With any luck, I’ll have more positive things to share soon!
oh suzanne, that sucks!!! I’m so sorry you are dealing with this.
if you are able, i highly recommend that you try walking as an actual form of fitness (as opposed to strolling). i had plantar fasciitis several years ago, and since sitting around was absolutely not okay – particularly for my anxiety – i walked briskly instead of running for almost 8 weeks. i would go 4-6 miles at just over 4 miles per hour and it has probably 80% of the same mental health benefits as running. you sweat, you get outside (i know the neighborhood isn’t the same as trails, but still… at least you live somewhere pretty!), and you get a lot of the same “zone out, think, listen to audible or a podcast, do something to take care of you” benefits.
sending big time healing thoughts your way!!!
Yes, walking will be a great thing to help get me back into running shape! Up to this point, I haven’t been able to walk much more than just around the house/office because it aggravates my knee pain pretty badly. But mixing it in with running to keep the impact low is a great plan once I’m getting closer to pain free. Thanks for the idea. :)
sorry to hear. =( i have been on a similar boat. after a year of PT and ongoing RMT, i am finally (mostly) pain-free from IT band syndrome and trochanteric bursitis in my right hip.
i am NOWHERE near as active as you. i go on a few short (3-10 km), minimal elevation gain hikes ~2-3 times/month. i have been kickboxing 2-4 times/week for just over 11 years (on and off). i had not ran since 2001, which was the end of grade 10; ie, the last year of mandatory PE class! =D
I never ran again until July 2016, for a cancer fundraiser trial run. 10 km…nice and easy, so i thought.
3 weeks prior to race day, i began training with one run/week in moderately hilly trails (7-8 km, 9-10 km, then 11 km). since i had been doing kickboxing for so long, my cardio and strength were good, so i stupidly thought that 7-8 km in some hilly trails as my first run in 15 years would be a walk in the park.
during the first training run, the outside of my right knee began hurting near the very end. no biggie; i pushed myself to maintain the same pace. afterwards, I Googled “knee pain from running” and diagnosed myself with runner’s knee. =P
second training run: the pain returned ~3 km in! i finished the remaining 6-7 km slower than a snail.
before the last training run, i bought a knee brace and trail runners. i thought that my old, worn, non-trail runners were causing the outer knee pain. both of these items helped a bit. i did not feel pain until 8 km in.
race day: no pain until 7 km in. trekked along for the last 3 km. won first place by default, being the only female racer in the 10 km category lol! After this day, i swore off running forever.
5 months later (shortly before Christmas), out of nowhere, my right hip began aching all day, everyday: sitting, standing, lying down, going up and down the stairs, jumping up and down….funny enough, no pain from front/side/roundhouse/back kicks or knees, so i continued with that since I was directed not go to on any long walks or hikes for awhile.
i went to see my Dr, who referred me to PT. they both agreed that i had ITBS and trochanteric bursitis, most likely caused by pushing myself too hard in my first training run. oops. my PT says i should have began training earlier (preferably on a soft track) beginning with 1 km and adding another km each week…then start heading into the trails.
there was another fundraising run in 2017 but i opted out this time. i felt bad, but i did not want to risk reinjuring myself…
So sorry to hear you’ve had some struggles lately, too, but I’m so glad you’re moving in a positive direction! I think you made the right call skipping out on the fundraising run this time. You can always support the cause in other ways without hurting yourself. :) I hope you get back to feeling 100% soon!
I’m sorry to hear this! I’ve been dealing with an injury that limits my upper body strength workouts, and it is so difficult on many levels. It’s great that you have found a good variety of things to do. As a Pilates fanatic, I just want to encourage you to consider adding it to your list! Trying something new might also help keep your mind engaged and direct some of those anxious thoughts in a positive direction. Hang in there – you will heal and you’ll be a better and smarter athlete in the end because of everything you’re learning now :)
I especially recommend Lagree Pilates! It’s addicting
I hurt my wrist and really miss my upper body workouts! Usually when injured, I turn to yoga, but I can barely do any of the yoga I like because it turns out, wrists are pretty important in most movements in life.
Thanks for the suggestion! I don’t actually know of any Pilates studios here, I’ve never looked for one (I’ve never tried it either!). It might be a good way to mix things up! :)
I am really bummed out for you. I personally have gone thru several injuries from just wear and tear and a mountain biking accident. I know how terrible it feels to not run and hike which helps with all the stuff going on in our head. You’ll be back out there in no time though.
Do you swim? Swimming saved me during my knee and foot injuries. I found a great swim coach and started really ramping up my swimming. This helped me tremendously. He gave me great advice. Start supervised strength training. I’m petite just like you but am crazy strong now from all the strength work. I’m a hobby triathlete and been racing since I was 12 but never focused on REAL AND SERIOUS strength training. My joints are pretty stable thru strength work. Hope you heal quickly.
Thanks for the encouraging words! My PT initially advised against swimming in the early stages of the injury, but I think I’m at a point where I can get back to it. I know a lot of endurance athletes swear by swimming. I’m an absolute garbage swimmer, but maybe it’s a good time to work on changing that. :)
Yes I swear by swimming. It’s my go to when I need a break on my joints. Look for a great private swim coach. It is very rewarding and builds confidence when you can swim well.
I second the recommendation on swimming! I had knee surgery in June – was on crutches for 8 weeks. I swam twice a week and worked with a trainer twice a week – he designed workouts around my injury. I am continuing to work with him primarily on strength, as I still have to be very careful and cannot do anything jumping or high impact. I’m 7 months into a 1 year rehab, and adding more exercises gradually. A qualified trainer can still keep you very fit without hurting your knee. And swimming is a terrific exercise that is easy on all of your joints. Good luck to you – I know it is frustrating. Switching focus to other areas of training really does help – especially if it is something you can see progress with! :)
Glad to hear you’re making good progress on your rehab too! I’ve never looked for a swim-specific trainer, but it might be a good idea. I’m honestly awful at it, but with or without injury, I’m sure there’s so much to be gained from working on it! Thanks for sharing your ideas!
Injuries suck. I hope yours gets better soon!
I’m dealing with an injured right wrist myself. I was told it was tendonitis by my doctor, but since I didn’t see a PT, I can’t be positive about it. It was probably caused by a combination of things and it’s a bummer because most of the activities I enjoy require a healthy wrist (yoga, powerlifting, plyo/functional work that involves upper body). On top of that, I currently work as a barista, so I have to be careful at work.
I took a few weeks of rest, but couldn’t help but do a bit of yoga. Probably wasn’t the best. I’m basically limited to leg days, hands free yoga, and spin class, which doesn’t sound too awful when I write it out haha.
So sorry to hear about your wrist! I can obviously relate. :) And I know what you mean when you say it doesn’t sound awful when you write out what you can do, but it can still feel so very limiting when you’re living it. I hope your healing moves quickly too!!
I am so sorry to hear about your injury! I too had a PT visit and I have to take 6-12 weeks off from running or other lower body exercises involving my hamstrings/gluts. Why? Because I was goofing off with my kids and did a cartwheel and tore my muscle?. It was two seconds of a cartwheel and now I’m down too. I plan on doing lots of walks, yoga and a little bit of spin (but I’m not allowed to pull only push). Dang. Be careful with cartwheels my friends.
Oh man, it’s always those moments when you’re least expecting it, isn’t it?? At least you were having fun doing it. :) I hope what you’re able to do is enough to keep you occupied, and I hope those pesky 6-12 weeks go by quickly!