I got on the treadmill yesterday and walked for 25 minutes. Then I did minimal weight, high rep leg presses, curls and extensions. Then I stretched (really) and iced. Major accomplishment but prior to the doctor’s official approval. Doctor? Yep, here is what happened.
In late November I ran with the South Riding Running Club (SRRC) for the very first time. Even though wife is the past President, and served for 4 years, I never actually ran with the club. It was a good run and a fast 5 miles for me. The next day, my left knee hurt. My knees have hurt before. In fact, between the ages of 35 and 40 I had 3 arthroscopic procedures on my knees. I recognized the pain.
I wend to my trusted doctor, Dr. Thal, and he noted that I had similar discomfort 2 years prior but PT had helped. Now, it was MRI time to check what was going on as I had the symptoms of a meniscus tear…..again. According to Healthwise, as cited on Town Center Orthopaedic’s website:
“…The meniscus is a rubbery, C-shaped disc that cushions your knee….A meniscus tear is usually caused by twisting or turning quickly, often with the foot planted while the knee is bent. These tears can occur when you lift something heavy or play sports. As you get older, your meniscus gets worn. This can make it tear more easily.”
Getting older…check; play sports…check; hurt when twisted…check. Well guess what the MRI showed? Yep, the MRI confirmed the tear and existence of a flap plus some other wear. Solution: Surgery to remove the flap and smooth any rough edges.
I waited until after the holidays and for a good time at work to schedule the surgery. The best date was 6 FEB. My prior experience told me that I’d need to be off my leg for 2 or 3 days and then should be able fairly mobile. Wednesday surgery, work from home on Friday and back on Monday.
The surgery went well. Reston Surgery Center treated me well. IV in, hydrated, wheeled into OR, anesthesia connected, oxygen mask on….waking up, surgery over. If you’ve never had surgery, the time from the operating room to recovery felt like it took as long as it did for you to read the last sentence. Three hours after surgery started I was on my way home.
I slept on and off Wednesday afternoon and iced and elevated my knee. When my kids got home from school I told them about the surgery. I didn’t want them to worry. There really was never pain in my knee from the surgery but the anesthesia effects seemed to linger. I was sluggish on Thursday and had a low-grade fever. I started to feel better Friday morning and put in a pretty full day working from home. On Sunday I started exercising my core and upper body with activities that did not stress my knee. By Wednesday I was feeling pretty good but squatted to tie something and OUCH. Not ready for that yet. More ice.
As I’ve not been sleeping well for a variety of reasons (work, knee for a few days, and work) I got up around 4:30 on Thursday, went down to trainer and got on my bike for a short, minimal resistance spin. It felt pretty good. That led me to finally consider the treadmill. The knee felt OK, but I still iced it as there is some soreness. Today I helped out with my son’s baseball team and squatted again without thinking about it (I was a catcher for a long time) and felt pain again. More ice.
Overall I think it is doing pretty well. Tomorrow I see the doctor to get the stitches out and make sure I didn’t screw anything up my doing too much too soon. I think it will be a good day and am hoping for clearance to swim and continue building up to running.
Message to SRRC: I will be back as I really enjoyed the camaraderie of the run. Thanks!
Tri For Fun . . . Motivation, Competition, Life 