What a great way to launch my blog while recovering from knee surgery. Yes, it’s true fitness professionals can become injured. This happened to me during an exhilarating fall hike in Northampton. Apparently while ascending some steep terrain, I tore my left medial meniscus. I discovered this a week later. While walking my left knee buckled.
At that moment, I panicked and realized that something was seriously wrong with my knee. For 49 years of an active life, I was unscathed by all of the pivoting, twisting, pounding etc. on my body, particularly – my knees. I had taken them for granted. As an active and mobile kid, I never listened to my body – now as a fitness professional and aging baby boomer – I learned how important it is to listen and pay attention – to care for those joints – those precious knees!
It’s been five weeks into my recovery. I must confess it hasn’t been easy. I have had to slow down – something that is hard for me (and I’m sure for plently of others in this day and age of busyness!) For one thing, I never considered or imagined that I would lose a significant amount of strength in my left leg and that walking a short distance and time could be painful and difficult. A humbling experience for me- to be put in a position of vulnerability. How many of us recognize our struggle with our bodies – pain, injuries, weight, aging etc.?
With each day that passes, I am more mindful and appreciative of my body and mind. I pay attention to my mood – particularly since I have temporarily curtailed high impact cardio activities like running. Running certainly boosted my spirits, my self-esteem and challenged me physically.
A new year brings me into unchartered physical and psychological territory as I recover from injury. How have you been challenged by injury? I am inspired by how much courage and patience is needed to aid the healing process.
Wishing you all a happy, healthy and fit year!
Beth
The timing of your first post was fortunate for me. I just had my first physical therapy visit yesterday afternoon, after injuring my hamstring at the beginning of December. I found out that I won’t need surgery, thankfully, but I am certainly bemoaning my situation. My usual method of managing stress is out of the question, and has been for the past two months. Sigh. These things take time. And the pt told me that the injury didn’t mean I had been doing something wrong. Injuries happen to everyone, even professionals. If I didn’t hate going to the gym so much, maybe I’d do the bike, or go swimming. Sigh. Instead, i walk, and she said I can do strengthening, just no stretching. No yoga?! Sigh. Ah, but this will pass — for all of us. Thanks! j
Beth, First of all, I want to say how well written this was. It was a delight to read your blog. You not only painted a picture with words, but it was well written too. I just had surgery for a right medial meniscus 4 weeks ago. I am so discouraged because it still hurts every day. The knee is stiff; it feels like a piece of concrete; I limp badly, and it feels as if it will never get better.
As a fitness professional, can you tell us more about the physiology of the surgery? What is our prognosis? Won’t we still have pain because the meniscus is gone and not doing its job? If the meniscus is there to cushion, and part of it is removed, then won’t there be more pain because the bones are rubbing on each other? They also removed a bone spur and smoothed down some cartilage on mine. They said I have arthritis, and there may be a knee replacement when I’m older (sigh).
I really don’t understand why they remove part or all of the meniscus, leaving the bones to rub together. The surgeon says there is no way to put in artifical “parts” because they won’t stay. I wonder why they can’t develop something like this.