My Knee Hurts

My knee has been bothering me for the last week. I guess I did a little too much on my vacation and need to take one of those "steps back." Ugh. Also, it seems as if the swelling I once had in my knee has minimized slowly over time. While I once thought this was good, I now feel as if it was some needed cushion! Who knows what's really going on in there? I wish I knew. Here is a list of my workouts over the last week or so. For those of you athletes, you won't think this was much, but it resulted in pain and aches in my super-sensitive left knee.

Saturday, July 12: Westin Maui gym workout - 1 hour treadmill (46 min walk/14 min running interspersed) + lunges, push-ups, ab exercises, etc.

Sunday, July 13: Rest day

Monday, July 14: Ka'anapali shore path 1 hour walk/run (44 min walk/16 min running interspersed). In hindsight, I probably needed one more recovery day before I did another walk/run.... the shore path was so inviting.

Tuesday, July 15: Kayak/snorkeling/hiking trip - The hiking was not too strenuous and the kayaking was a great arm workout! I wanted one adventure day... it was vacation!

Wednesday, July 16: Rest day

Thursday, July 17: Ka'anapali shore path 1 hour walk, evening flight home to SF.

Friday, July 18: Rest day

Saturday, July 19: UCSF Mission Bay pool swim, 40 minutes.

Sunday, July 20: Rest day

Monday, July 21: Rest day

While I was lying by the pool on my trip (this is mostly what I did outside of the above listed activities) I was thinking of what I could possibly do next about my knee, if anything. Since I've been home, I've been doing more Internet research on anterior knee pain. You never know when something new could pop up, right? I am also considering making a follow-up appointment with Dr. Anderson. I wonder though, is there any more she can do? My guess is that she'll probably tell me how Pilates is really good for me, not high impact activities. Great. The more research I do, the more I understand that I'm dealing with a syndrome. That means it's a mystery, different from one person to the next. Whether my knee pain is patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS, sometimes called kneecap tracking pain) or Hoffa's Syndrome (fat pad inflammation), my experience is unique. The recovery of every person takes a different path and per Matt Fitzgerald's information in Brain Training, it's up to me to find my own path.

This past weekend I came across an interesting publication online, what I have read so far, there are similarities to Mr. Fitzgerald's findings, and then some. At first, I thought it was a scam. It is titled SaveYourself.ca and it's written by a Registered Massage Therapist in Vancouver, Canada named Paul Ingraham. A Registered Massage Therapist? O... K... I read on. The basic of it is that Mr. Ingraham has done a great deal of study on several common athletic injuries and has provided his findings, for a nominal fee. Hmm. PFPS, Iliotibial Band Syndrome, Plantar Faciitis, Lower Back Pain, etc. I wasn't sure of the validity of this information until I read he has included research findings from his work with Dr. Scott F. Dye of the University of California, San Francisco. Interesting, I've heard of him. I read an article in Runner's World last year about knee injuries and the many syndromes involved. Dr. Scott F. Dye was included in this article, among other medical professionals. Alright, I thought maybe Mr. Ingraham's online publication was reputable information. I decided to spend the $14.95. Maybe I would read something I hadn't heard before? Maybe not. At least it could be good to read if theories I have learned in the past are backed up and supported by additional research.

As usual, I will keep you posted on any new information I learn. You must all think I'm a bit off my rocker with all of these new books and articles! Hey, it's all I can do. Unfortunately, I'm dealing with knee pain that has no instruction manual for recovery. Per Paul Ingraham, I need to "Save Myself." I'm doing my best. Hopefully his article will help.