No hiking yesterday - that was from Sunday, kettlebell training group last night. Glad YOU had a good hike :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by WindingRoad
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No hiking yesterday - that was from Sunday, kettlebell training group last night. Glad YOU had a good hike :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by WindingRoad
I went hiking yesterday - got 3.25 miles with no knee pain!!!!! My feet however...but the hiking shoes meant that my arthritic feet took about 2.75 miles longer to start complaining than they would have in my trail running shoes. The trails were also a mix of dirt and gravel - and my feet are always far more cranky on non-dirt trails. Just the way it is. I've been a bit depressed over the apparent lack of improvement in my knee recovery but I was wrong. It is just sometimes hard to see improvements in daily activities. Crossing my fingers this continues!
Sounds like a nice hike, Catrin. I imagine that progress is very incremental after that type of surgery. You should be proud of yourself with the pacing you've done. No overtraining!
It's a dangerous time for me right now :cool: I've lost enough strength and fitness that I have to go almost all the way back to the beginning with my KB training. The hiking did go well, still a little odd with downhill uneven terrain combinations...it would be easy to overdo things but I do need to start pushing things a bit.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crankin
I've a birthday hike scheduled with Winding Road this Friday, I'm considering now the best choice between the 3 parks I need to choose from. I WANT to hike my fav mtb trail but it might be too early for those particular trails. There is another set of mtb trails i also enjoy hiking that might be a better choice..
That's great, Catrin!! So glad you're able to get moving like that!
Since I’ll be traveling on Friday an early birthday hug and wishes for a new birth year of continuing to see obstacles as teachers and your discomfort as a challenge to relax where you are in recovery.....and a good hike on your fav trail as soon as you feel positive about doing it!!!!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Catrin
Now I just need to find the right pace to increase my activity level that both knees and feet will approve of...it's sometimes a downer to have so many body parts that complain but it is far better than any other alternative I can think of :cool:
Thanks Rebecca!
Boy, do I agree with you there! I am glad you were able to have such a good hike. I can imagine that was a real thrill!Quote:
Originally Posted by Catrin
Glad you're doing well and continuing to improve - and that you've been able to enjoy this beautiful weather!
Had a great 4 mile hike today with Winding Road on a nice trail for my 56th birthday! This trail has more personality than the park I've been hiking in and it was great! There WAS one part with a short sharp decline that was so sharp that I wound up sitting down and sliding down on my butt. My knee wasn't unstable, but that felt safest - and probably looked hilarious :cool: I chose that trail hoping that it would be challenging without being TOO much so, and that was indeed the case. I'm not yet ready to hike it solo, but it was fun and my knee never tried to buckle. I will take it! My gait IS uneven, though I am not limping. I will check with my Ortho when I see him Monday to see if that is to be expected.
For those of you who have had a lateral release, do you remember having problems with an uneven gait 3 months or more post-surgery? Is it too soon for me to worry about it? Just wondering.
That sounds fun, Catrin. Happy birthday!!
Happy belated birthday, Catrin! Sounds like a very challenging hike, so glad you enjoyed it.
Happy birthday (late) Catrin! Glad you enjoyed an excellent hike. Butt-scooting is entirely acceptable!
Thanks! It WAS just challenging enough in my current condition. I am trying not to remember just how easy I once considered that trail. The only problem with the butt-scooting is that it is also a mountain bike trail. The drop where I did that is on the wrong side of a blind curve, thankfully Winding Road was there so she stood back to warn anyone who might come along - and she warned me when someone was coming since it takes me longer to get out of the way than normal. It's an interesting trail, and at one point she almost got creamed by a mtber who was going MUCH too fast, but thankfully it didn't happen! I'm very glad I did it and hope to do it again next weekend, weather and schedule permitting. It wasn't quite 4 miles, but it was close.
Very smart to have a partner in your condition and when hiking on a shared trail with MTBers!
I will admit that I hadn't considered that aspect when I invited Winding Road, but it was an excellent call. Most of the trail was fine, but I am still slower than I thought I was. What matters is I am out there doing things, the speed will come.Quote:
Originally Posted by emily_in_nc
Something just dawned on me yesterday. I've been focusing so much on walking like a drunk sailor (at least that's how it feels when I walk more than 500 feet) that I hadn't noticed most of my pain has disappeared. AND...I was able to kneel the other day - granted on a THICK soft surface, but still, I was able to actually do bird-dogs without pain! Hopefully my mimicking the rolling walk of a sailor will eventually pass but I don't think I'm going to complain about that! My Ortho isn't concerned, but all of this is IS under workman's comp, they aren't concerned about sports performance but about getting me back to work without pain.
That is awesome!! No pain and the ability to kneel, sweet!!
That's good news, Catrin!
When I say no pain, I mean "ok really minor pain that is much less than it was post/pre surgery and it's from the arthritis that is still there" Wheww, easier to say "no pain". I've bone on bone and other issues with my knee but really, it is much better. It still isn't like it was before the fall but they tell me that things are still healing :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Pax
Another hiking test tomorrow, perhaps.
Sounds great, Catrin!
Sounds like you're making a great recovery!
I will make a recommendation that you continue with some rehab exercises on a regular basis from now on.
I had a lateral release done decades ago with great results; I was negligent and did not keep the muscles around the knee strong.
I haven't asked my doc about it but I am convinced that resulting imbalance was just enough to set me up for a catastrophic knee injury I had several years later. No more combat sports but cycling and swimming are great.
I just learned from workman's comp that there will be a financial settlement due to permanent impairment remaining after the surgery and recovery period. On one hand I am better than before the surgery, but far from what I was able to do prior to the fall that precipitated all of this. Considering that I still act like "if I only work harder" I will get over the restrictions - ignoring all evidence to the contrary - this acknowledgement is almost a relief.
Good news, Catrin. Glad you're getting something out of this, might be fun to get some cool hiking poles or a bike toy, show that knee who's boss!
Already have poles, and sadly I can't ride any more so no new bike toys...but some new hiking shoes for sure :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Pax
Excellent!Quote:
Originally Posted by Catrin
Buy something really nice....
That's good to hear, Catrin! New hiking shoes sound like a great plan. :-)
It's kind of a shame that I just can't use the same shoes for all hiking-related activities. Then again, I think about how bad it gets and then consider what it would be like if I didn't occasionally have the extra resources to purchase what I need to stay active (trying to do so in regular athletic shoes is almost crippling). It makes me think of other women with similar problems who simply don't have the funds for it - ever - and how easy the couch option then becomes. If everything hurts, at what point do you just give up? I'm thankful to be as stubborn as I am but being able to purchase high-tech from time to time makes it easier to take advantage of my stubbornness.
I hear that. I had coworkers back in IL with 2-3 grandkids at home who would tell me how tired and sore they were, their arthritis hurt all the time, but they never had enough money to do anything for themselves. They would ask me about riding, walking, or the gym but when it came down to it, the kids got the new shoes for school and they did without.Quote:
Originally Posted by Catrin
Catrin, hope the extra money will be a small offset of everything you've had to go through ....
I think about that every single time I get on the table for the hours of bodywork I get every week, almost none of which is covered by insurance. My LMT talks a lot about how he sees people walking around and knows he can help them. It makes me super sad and super angry, actually, that good care is accessible only to those who can afford it, especially when you think about how some people want others to have even less access to care.Quote:
Originally Posted by Catrin
Of course if most of my injuries had been competently treated when they happened, I probably wouldn't need the hours and hours I do now. And it's not an unrelated discussion, that there are so many licensed practitioners out there who really have no clue what they are doing, but they stay in business because insurance pays them and because people who are in pain or other types of discomfort seek out whatever treatment they can find.
Sigh.
A bit off topic, but the same thing happens in my profession. I hear horror stories from my clients. Part of being a professional is admitting that you don't have the expertise to do something.
My reaction to the "permanent partial impairment" of my leg from the fall has been surprising. It's actually been almost comforting - and it finally dawned on me WHY. As most of you know who have been following my various adventures since joining the forum 6 years ago I tend to always want to push my limits. PART of that is due to the fact that I literally don't get sore like most people seem to that I've observed. It HAS happened, but extremely rarely - not even once a year. No matter how hard/often/intensity level/etc., it just doesn't matter - I don't get muscle soreness. I do get fatigued, but that isn't quite the same thing. So traditionally when I feel something it's actual pain and it's too late. Of course now I've so many arthritic bits and broken parts I get pain - but that isn't the same thing either. At least now my body has found a way to get my attention :o
My recovery period from the knee surgery has been frustrating because there has been that little internal voice that I'm just being too easy on myself, not pushing hard enough, giving in, etc. The official notification that I've a permanent partial disability has actually served to shut up that internal voice for the most part and "given me permission" in a way to look at different options to stay active. It was also a surprise to read the actual DX for the impairment on the workman's comp settlement papers:
"Right knee pateltofemoral condyle tearing. Medial femoral condyle tearing of the articular surface"
Youch, no wonder I still can't walk quite right - though the arthroscopy and lateral release DID improve things, fortunately. I think that perhaps I am lucky that it isn't worse, not combined with patellofemoral arthritis.
So I am grateful it isn't worse - and the impairment would be far worse if the surgery hadn't helped as much as it did. So the point here is to listen to your body...
I can't imagine not feeling sore! I am the opposite from you, and my need to pay attention to rest, recovery, and stretching is increasing exponentially, as I age. I can feel sore from taking a 2 mile walk, despite all of the the stuff I do. I hate this.
Something makes me think that a lot of really good athletes don't feel pain and soreness until it's really bad. My son who raced was like this, and I think it has a lot to so with the ability to endure a high level of suffering.
Hang in there Catrin. Your determination definitely has both positive and negative effects on you - way to emphasize the positive!