Recently, the program has had me ramping up the amount of running I've been doing. And, I had been ignoring my body. After some of my runs last week, I could barely walk. Even when I went in the pool after running, it still hurt a lot. So, I finally listened to what my body was telling me to do, rest.
Why do we get injured? It is actually more common than people may think. This especially happens if we don't properly train, stretch, and put too much on our body at once. That's where I've been struggling. I'm the person who comes home from work, quickly changes, goes for a run, and comes home, and works with children, ignoring water and stretching. I can no longer do that. Stretching is very important. It helps keep muscles loose and helps improve pain. Also, drinking enough water can also help you recover quicker.
Another thing I have learned by accident that can help me recover quicker, is wearing compression stockings. They compress the areas of pain and swelling and improve healing. They are also useful for treatment of varicose veins, and other leg swelling.
I have diagnosed myself with patellofemoral syndrome. It presents with anterior knee pain, and it worsens with squatting, running, and by doing stairs. It sometimes has a catching sensation. This condition tends to occur when individuals increase the amount of training. Treatment in the acute phase is to rest, and to modify the activity that was causing the pain. For me, that means rest, compression, and elevation when I can. After this initial phase ends, I need to work on strengthening my hip abductors, and my quadriceps.
I will continue to press forward, and never give up. I feel like a lot of people give up when problems face us. Keep pressing forward, keep running the race, and we will succeed. Let's face another day together!
