I like running. I like being active. In general, I like motion. Sadly, many things that allow me to be kinetic are currently off limits.
If you have kept up with any of my running/fitness posts, you will know that last September -one week before my half marathon- I had a case of peroneal tendinitis. I felt like Chris Traeger from Parks and Recreation. It sucked, BUT God is good and allowed me to run the race all the same. (Not only did I get to run, but I set a new record time for myself AND got to go out for my favorite pancakes afterwards! It was one of the best days of my life.)
After the race, I took a little time away from the pavement and spent a little more time revisiting some of my other favorite fitness activities that had been cast aside during training: weight lifting (baby weights, mind you), kickboxing, dancing, etc. I would still go out for a light jog every now and again, but only at leisurely paces and nothing over four miles.
In late October, Habibi and I left for France. I knew we would do a lot of walking, but not a lot of running. We planned for a couple of jogs but, for the most part, walking from one pâtisserie to the next was the extent of it. At any rate, I packed reasonably comfortable shoes (I didn't want to stand out miserably as an American in my orthopedic looking sneeks!), but did not take into account the fact that my shoes were of a mesh sort of material...and would do nothing against the cold and rain. So, while in France, I purchased a pair of cute, black ankle boots that seemed OK...
...not.
While the new boots did keep my feet fractionally warmer, they did zero for support and stability. After a few days, the soles of my actual feet felt battered and abused. However, it was nothing a little pain au chocolat couldn't cure. Towards the end of our trip, I noticed that one of my knees (the right one, I think?) felt moderately stiff had a slight catch in it, but it didn't seem too serious.
Upon returning to the U.S., I was eager to get back into my running routine. I had big plans to work on my speed for short distances all throughout the winter. By springtime, I wanted to get a sub-7-minute-mile for my 5K pace, an achievable goal for having to run on treadmills until the return of warmer weather. Since it was still relatively nice outside in mid-November, I decided to keep training outdoors until I was forced to run inside on that miserable machine.
On Monday, November 19, I decided to go for a 3-mile run in my neighborhood. Day after day for several months, I had been running this same route, so there was nothing new about it. A mile and a half into the run, (at the crest of a hill I had run hundreds of times before) one of my knees gave way in violent protest; I had pushed myself too hard.
As I pirate-limped home (down a busy city street during traffic hour - FML), a flood of memories from that "slight" knee stiffness/pain I had felt in France came rushing back to me. Over the course of the subsequent weeks, my other knee began to get stiff and sore. I have not been able to run since then.
Through a series of trials and errors, I have found that most cardio activities aggravate the problem to some degree, although without any predictable consistency. This past weekend has been a challenging one, particularly when I am confronted with stairs, my current arch-nemeses.
So, in light of this terribly long lead-in to my point...
Well my point is this: Even though I was stupid enough to push myself too hard, too soon (that's what she said!) I want you to know how smart I am now. Let me tell you about my hypotheses:
Symptoms
Pain/stiffness in the knees at varying degrees - both anterior (front) and posterior (back)...and interior (basically the whole damn thing). Fatigued sensation primarily behind the knee and in the "kneepit." Irritation aggravated during/after specific exercises such as squats, lunges, running. Occasional aggravation after biking, stairs, walking, standing, etc. My knees will also, from time to time, "lock and buckle."
Basically, I feel like I'm 100.
I also might have tibial torsion (NOT the same as "pigeon-toed"), something my high school dance instructor suspected when she observed my pitiful turnout. This may contribute to my knee pain in some way, shape or form.
Option #1
Chondromalacia Patella (more accurately Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome)
Option #2
Synovial Plica Syndrome
Apparently, Options #1 and #2 are often misdiagnosed for each other.
If you have kept up with any of my running/fitness posts, you will know that last September -one week before my half marathon- I had a case of peroneal tendinitis. I felt like Chris Traeger from Parks and Recreation. It sucked, BUT God is good and allowed me to run the race all the same. (Not only did I get to run, but I set a new record time for myself AND got to go out for my favorite pancakes afterwards! It was one of the best days of my life.)
After the race, I took a little time away from the pavement and spent a little more time revisiting some of my other favorite fitness activities that had been cast aside during training: weight lifting (baby weights, mind you), kickboxing, dancing, etc. I would still go out for a light jog every now and again, but only at leisurely paces and nothing over four miles.
In late October, Habibi and I left for France. I knew we would do a lot of walking, but not a lot of running. We planned for a couple of jogs but, for the most part, walking from one pâtisserie to the next was the extent of it. At any rate, I packed reasonably comfortable shoes (I didn't want to stand out miserably as an American in my orthopedic looking sneeks!), but did not take into account the fact that my shoes were of a mesh sort of material...and would do nothing against the cold and rain. So, while in France, I purchased a pair of cute, black ankle boots that seemed OK...
...not.
While the new boots did keep my feet fractionally warmer, they did zero for support and stability. After a few days, the soles of my actual feet felt battered and abused. However, it was nothing a little pain au chocolat couldn't cure. Towards the end of our trip, I noticed that one of my knees (the right one, I think?) felt moderately stiff had a slight catch in it, but it didn't seem too serious.
Upon returning to the U.S., I was eager to get back into my running routine. I had big plans to work on my speed for short distances all throughout the winter. By springtime, I wanted to get a sub-7-minute-mile for my 5K pace, an achievable goal for having to run on treadmills until the return of warmer weather. Since it was still relatively nice outside in mid-November, I decided to keep training outdoors until I was forced to run inside on that miserable machine.
On Monday, November 19, I decided to go for a 3-mile run in my neighborhood. Day after day for several months, I had been running this same route, so there was nothing new about it. A mile and a half into the run, (at the crest of a hill I had run hundreds of times before) one of my knees gave way in violent protest; I had pushed myself too hard.
As I pirate-limped home (down a busy city street during traffic hour - FML), a flood of memories from that "slight" knee stiffness/pain I had felt in France came rushing back to me. Over the course of the subsequent weeks, my other knee began to get stiff and sore. I have not been able to run since then.
Through a series of trials and errors, I have found that most cardio activities aggravate the problem to some degree, although without any predictable consistency. This past weekend has been a challenging one, particularly when I am confronted with stairs, my current arch-nemeses.
So, in light of this terribly long lead-in to my point...
Well my point is this: Even though I was stupid enough to push myself too hard, too soon (that's what she said!) I want you to know how smart I am now. Let me tell you about my hypotheses:
Symptoms
Pain/stiffness in the knees at varying degrees - both anterior (front) and posterior (back)...and interior (basically the whole damn thing). Fatigued sensation primarily behind the knee and in the "kneepit." Irritation aggravated during/after specific exercises such as squats, lunges, running. Occasional aggravation after biking, stairs, walking, standing, etc. My knees will also, from time to time, "lock and buckle."
Basically, I feel like I'm 100.
I also might have tibial torsion (NOT the same as "pigeon-toed"), something my high school dance instructor suspected when she observed my pitiful turnout. This may contribute to my knee pain in some way, shape or form.
Option #1
Chondromalacia Patella (more accurately Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome)
- Pain around/behind the kneecap. Often brought on by knee stressors such as squatting, climbing, etc.
- Commonly known as "Runner's Knee" (Hmmmm...incriminating).
Option #2
Synovial Plica Syndrome
- Pain, snapping sensation
- Activities that repeatedly bend/straighten the knee (running, biking, stair machine, etc.) can irritate the plica.
- How hereditary is this? My dad had issues with this in the past couple of years that eventually led to surgery to "roto-rooter" the stuff out.
- Also, I just wanted you to know that I'm reading a very scholarly article titled: The Plica: Is a New Aetiological Factor in the Knee Osteoarthritis? Two Turkish doctors from the Department of Orthopaedics at Erciyes University in Kayseri, Turkey wrote it. You've probably heard of them: Ahmet Gumney and Ibrahim Kafadar. They seem smart because it's eleven pages with no pictures...you know, light reading.
Apparently, Options #1 and #2 are often misdiagnosed for each other.
Wow. That was a long, hypochondriacal post. Well TOO BAD! It's my blog, after all.
Congratulations if you made it to this point. I will reward you with this:
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