Healing and Heels

“Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”  -C.S. Lewis

 Soooo this is what 5 weeks of healing looks like....

Aqua-Noodling

"Maybe strong is just what you have left when you've used up all your weak."

Aquatic Fitness Adventures

12/18/11

So today I crutched back to the pool. It's not that my foot doesn't hurt. But it hurts constantly anyways so I might as well do something. And actually, compared to how much it used to hurt it actually feels a lot better after swimming. I think it's because swimming helps to flush all of that swelling out of my foot. And yeah, O.K. it makes me feel a bit better about myself. Less, you know, useless. 

I've developed a kind of system when it comes to what I do for my "workout". I do 10 minutes of either aquajogging with old lady aquabelt and then rest for 5. During those 5 minutes I don't move my legs but float and use only my arms to do laps. Repeat, repeat as many times as my foot can stand. It's not like it used to be, but I'll take it. All of the employees already know who I am and what I did to my foot so they all talk with me while I'm aqua jogging so it's not too terribly boring actually. In reality, I'm so exercise devoid that nothing is going to seem boring at this time. I feel pretty lucky that I get to do anything. So I'm not complaining. Right now, I get just as excited to go doggie-paddle for 45 minutes as I used to to to go on a 45 minute run. 

The best part though, is always the kids that are there. They don't look at me like I'm weird because I walk into a pool on crutches or because I aquajog slower than an 80-year old woman. The best was a little boy who asked me why I needed a belt. I told him it was because my foot was broken so I couldn't swim very well and I was afraid of sinking without it. After I got in we made eye contact and he goes "You're not sinking!" I yelled back "I told you I would float" and he said "no...you just told me you wouldn't sink.....It's basically like you're in a floating wheelchair right now." I just laughed and told him he had a good point. He stayed in the pool with his friends for a bit, playing games and telling me how many points they got from games that didn't seem to have a legitimate point system. (3,000 just for swimming down and back with one flipper on? Really?)


12/19/11
Today I found that while the young crazy kids go to the pool in the afternoon as I did yesterday, its the older in-shape women that show up on weekday mornings. No big deal or anything but this morning I was invited to join the "joints in motion class". Guess I look like someone who could use some water aerobics. 


I did get an excellent tip though. The "Joints in Motion" instructor suggested that I use a noodle instead of an aqua jogging belt. I figured I had nothing to lose really, so I tried it. Sitting on a noodle, it turns out works much, much, better actually than aqua jogging with the belt. Don't get me wrong it isn't better as in less pathetic....it's better...as in easier. Today then was a mixture of aqua jogging and aqua noodling and doggie paddling. Epic, I know. 


So here's how I adjusted yesterday's workout...15 minutes of aqua jogging to start out with. 5 min rest, 10 minutes of light, EASY, kicking, 5 minute rest, 15 minutes of aqua noodling. All said and done I'm up to being in the water for about 40 minutes at a time. Eventually either my foot starts to ache or I get to nervous that it's going to get hurt. I know, I KNOW that swimming is non-impact and can't make my stress fracture worse but that doesn't make it less scary. If we're being honest here I'm so scared that it'll hurt that after I get in I still panic for the first 30 seconds or so. 


Then after my workout I sat in the hot tub while all of the "Joints in Motion" ladies asked about my foot and warned me to be careful on the ice with my crutches. It was kind of like having a conversation with your grandma except I had like 3 of them all talking to me at the same time. 

It's something about the water but, I feel like now that I've started swimming and I'm in a slightly better place mentally my foot is slowly getting better. 

One week to kick patellofemoral pain butt

Stretch. Stretch. Stretch.
-Hamstring stretching, Quad stretching,Calf Stretching...basically constant stretching
Strengthen and Mend
-I WILL faithfully do my hip exercises every single day. Sometimes twice a day!
-I WILL wear my knee brace at all times OR tape my knee {even though the knee brace is ugly}
-Tape knee until muscles are strengthened/retrained. Kinesiotape is a miracle worker!!!!   
-Foam rolling, massage
-I will stop using the bag of corn in my freezer, I will buy an actual ice pack and be faithful to that as well
-I WILL take a few days of torment rest and  nothingness. {i.e. no running, walking, swimming, biking. just nothing. period.}vomit I mean...yay relaxation
-Physical Therapy :(

Desperate Measures {I'm willing to try anything here}
-Vitamins. I've heard of many many things that are supposed to help my poor knee.
      Ginseng. Is supposed to strengthen tendons/muscles
      Fish oil/omega 3's are supposed to be a natural anti-inflammatory
      Vitamin C-just because it might work.
-The mysterious world of barefoot running.
   I've read a lot that running barefoot can help your muscles retrain themselves so that they track naturally as they're supposed to. It's not well researched but I plan on running barefoot around a soccer field for my first run back.
-I will dedicate myself to reading everything possible on PF syndrome and figure out what I may be doing wrong.

No. More. Injuries.


P.S. Have your own PF pain youre trying to kick?  Click Here