No exercise. None. Nada. Zilch. No running. No cycling. No aqua jogging. No pilates. Period. What the…?
Last night I sent my physio an email (an email he called ‘overly dramatic’ with a good-natured chuckle) somewhat concerned about the constant bruised-feeling in my inner knee. Within the contents of the email I may have described the feeling as a raging fireball rolling around in there that became 500 times worse after seeing the massage therapist. I wasn’t lying, I was just being descriptive is all. My moms always told me to use my words wisely. Had I written that my knee “hurt” or I was feeling “pain” do you really think he would have called me at 7:30 a.m. the following morning? Nope, I don’t think so.
But he did call me; not with great news mind you. On my way to work, with my aqua jogging gear stashed in the back seat for a date at the pool later that evening, dear physio rang me up to tell me No exercise.
He believes I’ve got a case of bursitis on the inner part of my knee. Bursitis is inflammation of the bursa, a fluid-filled sac that lies between a tendon and skin, or a tendon and bone. Bursa assists with joint movement and reduces friction between moving parts. When bursitis attacks, symptoms can include tenderness around the joint (check) and swelling (check). Common areas of bursitis are in the hip (which I’ve also had and is literally a real pain in the ass) the elbow, shoulder and surprise, surprise, the knee. What the…?
So here’s the deal, I am to rest. (Uhm, what exactly does that mean?) I am to plant my arse on the couch, elevate my knee, ice my knee, and load up on my good friend Ibuprofin. I am not to run, nor am I to cycle, or aqua jog, or pilates, or massage. Even the non weight-bearing activities can fire up the inflammation, says dear physio. I am to wait out the inflammation, until I can no longer feel a bruise to the touch before I engage in any of those activities again. Soooo how long is this supposed to take; you do realize I am not exactly the most patient chick around right? He couldn’t give me a definitive answer, but figured it wouldn’t take too long, maybe a week, maybe two, he said.
But here’s the thing: I need a run like I need the sun. My happy endorphins are fast dissipating, a cloud of darkness is already shading my eyes. How the heck am I to survive nothing? It’s one thing to take the running away, but to take everything? What the…?
On the upside, I did get squeezed into an early morning appointment with dear physio in a week and a half, which is better than having to wait until October … again, use those words wisely and sound that desperation in your voice on the phone 😀
Have you ever had bursitis? What did you do?