snap, hobble, sob

earlier this week i attempted to post something via imified, but it kept erroring out. i never found out if it was a problem with their stuff or my stuff, but it was annoying, so forgot to post it when i got home that night. then, i thought about posting it today, but upon reading it, i realized it was woefully out of date — scary that three days can have such an impact.
one of the items in the post was me talking about how i’d reached a dangerous part of my CFC journey. i had started to feel really good physically. i’d dropped a few pounds, but mostly i was experiencing a re-connection with the strength my body hasn’t felt in many years… and i was enjoying it. that part of my fitness experiences is dangerous because it’s when i tend to stop trying to progress. why bother when i already feel results? isn’t that enough?
the very same day i wanted to tell you about the potential motivational hurdle, i encountered a very different obstacle in my journey: knee injury.
i’d done my very sweaty thirty minutes on the elliptical. i’d stretched out. i’d done my upper body free weights. i was on the floor working my core when a mis-placed foot during a bridge pose caused too much torque on my left knee and SNAP! i was injured.
as soon as i felt that snap i knew what had occurred. it’d happened to me 11 years ago on a plane to Boston for Heather’s wedding. i couldn’t extend or bend my knee fully and any lateral movement was quite unstable. i was beyond upset.
i hobbled home, applied ice and took some naproxen for the swelling and went to bed. i kept waking up in the middle of the night as i rolled over, fearful of twisting something more out of place. silly me, i went to work the next day. silly, because the elevator doesn’t go to the floor my office is on, access is only by stairs. silly, because my work involves a lot of different locations and ambulation is fairly mandatory. i smartened up enough to call the doctor and make an appointment for that afternoon. i wanted to get any treatment needed underway as soon as possible. i had CFC to get back to!
the doctor pushed up my pant legs, poked, pulled, yanked and wiggled my leg for a few minutes all the while looking up at me waiting for me to wince or cry out in pain. the lack thereof was determined to be a very good sign. the diagnosis: twisted tendons, resulting in inflammation. the treatment: more anti-inflammatories and ice packs. the prognosis: full range of motion will return, give it 10 days.
the latter was the most important news. i was so happy to hear it.
i’ve spent the last two days at home, avoiding all those work stairs and required hobbling. my boyfriend has been incredibly sweet and attentive, quite overprotective and adorable, actually. range of motion has improved 50% already and i hope i won’t limp too much when i go to drop off my photo for the gallery show this afternoon.
slow and steady will have to be my mantra when i return to CFC. proper form, don’t exceed my body’s limitations, take it easy or i won’t be able to do anything at all.
while this could have been a Very Bad Thing, i believe it’s actually a Very Good Lesson. i just have to remember it in a month when i’m feeling cocky and strong again. over-confidence is the mother of all disasters.