The Great Big Weekend Adventure
I have a case of the Mondays. As if going back to work after a too-short weekend weren’t bad enough, there’s The Question. “What’d you do over weekend?” For people (like me) who limp around in pain every day, the weekend is a time to finish weekday chores left undone thanks to aches and pains. But that’s no fun to hear about, so I keep my weekend recaps vague. “Oh, not much,” I’ll answer instead of giving a play-by-play on how I did three (count ’em: three) loads of laundry on Sunday.
Today, the answer was modified a little: Oh, I just went apartment hunting. Just went apartment hunting? Just went? It’s more like: I had a huge weekend and pushed myself more than I have all month. I went apartment hunting!
The thing is, for the average person, that’s a boring weekend chore. A huge weekend is something like scaling a mountain or shopping for six hours straight or going to a concert. It’s climbing Mount Kilimanjaro barefoot while juggling bowling pins lit on fire. All right, maybe not that crazy.
So as pathetic as I feel for saying this was a big weekend, it was. My husband and I went to see six apartments in two days, standing in the elevator, walking around each unit, strolling to the garages and mail rooms and business centers until I could barely stand. I think I even heard my knees plead with me, Pleeeease … Just pick one!
In the end, I’m not sure if this was a good knee weekend or bad. My knees were screaming, but would they have been screaming more without the PRP treatment? Or are they hurting more because of the PRP? The world may never know.
Finally, as you may have guessed—at least I hope you’re perceptive enough to have guessed—we’re moving. That’s right, we’re packing it all up and moving out from under the giant beast that lives upstairs. No, he will not be missed. How we’re going to deal with all of the packing and moving (without giving my husband a hernia) is still a mystery to me (though my mother’s signed on as Moving Man No. 1). I’ll keep you posted as the move gets closer.
6 comments
Hi:
I like the blog. I’m glad that the PRP treatments seem to be working. Here in NYC, there’s a guy at Hospital for Special Surgery that is apparently an expert in PRP. It makes sense to me.
FYI:
When you are healthy again you should consider finding:
- A Functional Trainer / PT who can train your hip/pelvis to act as the primary decelerators for your body weight, specifically the gluteus maximus, medius and core musculature. If your knees fall inward still, then you will need to strengthen your external rotators and work on balance as well.
Anyway. I also have a blog and fitness studio in NYC. If you lived closer I could probably get you started. If you ever come to NYC please look me up.
Cheers,
Tomas
[Reply]
Tracey Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Hi Tomas,
Thanks for visiting. I had a great PT who was helping me strengthen my hips, quads, and hamstrings but I had to give her up when my insurance cut me off. (That’s a whole other story for another time.) Now I’m trying to keep my PT up on my own, though your recommendation sounds smart for once I’m over the PRP pain. I’m not located in NYC, but I’ll definitely check out you blog for some tips. And thank you for the information on the Hospital for Special Surgery. I had heard they were tops in the country when it came to orthopedics, but I didn’t realize anyone there did PRP. Good to know!
[Reply]
Just a quick question:
Do you feel you can access your hips aka glutes? One way to tell is simply stand on one foot with the other foot just about 1/2 inch off the floor, fire your glute on the standing leg and close your eyes. If you can maintain your balance and engage your glutes (you can use your hand to touch your glute as you try to engage it) then that’s a good sign. However if you find it really difficult to engage your glutes then you most likely have inhibited glutes which would contribute to overuse of your quads and hamstrings as well as effect you knees directly.
Finally, I don’t know if anyone has looked at your IT band or TFL (connective tissue and muscle on the outside of your thighs) but they should not be tender to the touch. Have you ever used a foam roller? or Body Stick? Both of these are excellent for keeping soft tissue pliable and mobile.
If you have any other questions. Email me. or call.
Good Luck and hope your get better soon.
Tomas
[Reply]
Tracey Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 9:19 am
So this was a little embarrassing to attempt at work, but I pulled it off without anyone catching me in the act. I failed miserably, but I did stay on one foot longer than I thought. Still: pitiful. Before I started PRP, I had been doing some exercises to strengthen the glutes—I’d wrap a resistance band around my knees, lie on the floor on one side, and open my legs like a clam, fighting against the band’s resistance. I’d also wrap the band around my calves, take a wide stance, drop to a semi-squat and walk back and forth across the room while keeping the band taut. I’m not sure if those are the best glutes exercises, but I sure felt the burn. Since PRP, I haven’t re-started PT again. But it sounds like that should be a daily exercise I do. I’m glad you mentioned that since I probably would have forgotten in my quest to strengthen my quads. I can’t wait to focus on my glutes more when I get back to PT.
I’ve never had anyone look at my TFL (that’s a new term for me), but I know my IT band is a tight. It’s not tender to a light touch, but massaging there is another story. I have a wonderful foam roller I hate using but love the effects of. Right now my IT band is a little more lax thanks to the fact that my couch has been my best friend for a couple weeks.
I think one of the underlying points you’re making is super important to keep in mind: Everything’s connected. This is something I wish I knew six years ago. I have knee pain, but that doesn’t mean I can forget to strengthen my core or glutes or quads or hips…
Thank you for your help and inspiration—and motivation!
[Reply]
Did you find a new place?
[Reply]
Tracey Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Yes! There was a lot of back and forth—and I think I’m still getting over sticker shock—but we found a nicer place with concrete between the floors so (fingers crossed) we won’t hear our upstairs neighbors anymore. I was really worried about paying more than we are now, but the giant made me feel better about it last night when he dropped his couch in the middle of the night, then paced back and forth while doing laundry. So, I’m pretty exhausted but hopeful that this place will be better than the last.
[Reply]
Leave a Comment