Results of Wounded Knee

[serinde]

In an unusually efficient morning, I achieved X-rays, specialist appointment, and physical therapy. And I was still in work by noon. Go Me.

My damage appears to be uneven wearing and grinding of cartilage. Cause unknown, since I couldn't point to any trauma; the frontrunners for guilt are the leg extension weight machine, which is apparently evil on your knees, and/or the way I was trying to correct my running stride since I tend to land on the outside of my feet. Whatever the reason, what seems to be going on is that my quadriceps are MIGHTY!~ and have told the rest of my muscles "oh get out of the way you useless sods, let me do it" so that when I move my knee, it's Doin It Rong, and the connective tissue has thus become very unhappy, and worn, and inflamed.

So, here is what I have to do:

- 600mg vitamin I, 2x daily (morning and night)
- No running.
- Yes elliptical.
- No deep-knee stretches or movements or aggravations.
- No leg extension machine, for it is Evil.
- Single-leg bridges, 2 reps of ten, on each side (for to strengthen my glutes. Apparently my ass is not mighty enough)
- I.T. band roller stretch, 2 min on each side (this hurts like a motherfucker)
- 3 or 4-inch stepdown on the right side, making sure my left knee does not turn inward when I step, 2 reps of ten
- Come back three more times in the next several weeks for PT followups
- Come back and see the boss doctor in a month.

At that latter point, he will see how it's going, and judge whether this will be sufficient or whether bigger juju will be required. (I'm okay with that.)

Comments

[briony530.livejournal.com]

Had that problem when I was fencing in college...the muscles developed unevenly. Now I just have arthritis so that pretty much made the other issue irrelevent! :)

[briony530.livejournal.com]

Also...I think your ass is mighty!

[sweh.livejournal.com]

I guess the "steps" option on Wii Fit might be a little too much since, with that, the focus is on timing rather than posture control.

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

It's a subtly different goal and movement than The Usual Step-Exercise, which is I assume what the Fit is doing. I'll show you my instruction sheet tonight :)

[nancaurelia.livejournal.com]

Hopefully it will all resolve itself quickly and painlessly.

[caelfinn.livejournal.com]

Here's to creating a more mighty ass!

I'm glad there are simple (sounding) solutions. I hope it goes well.

[missionista.livejournal.com]

Glad such non-invasive things can be done.

[spride.livejournal.com]

I think the leg extender thing is partly responsible for my knee pain, that and umpty-eleven years of cycling while Doin It Rong (leg fully extended and locked on the downstroke).

[erinfinnegan.livejournal.com]

I used to have the inverse problem - mighty hamstrings, weak quadriceps!