Injuries and a Fitness Strategy

I had knee surgery in Nov 2005 and in Dec 2006 - a torn meniscus and a micro-fracture procedure - where they drill through the knee cap to bleed it and cause secondary cartilage growth. Things were tenuous for a while:  I had to wear an immobilizer on my left leg that caused such back pain. Three months!! Plus I had to lay horizontal with my leg in a constant passive motion (CPM) machine for 3 to 4 hours daily. Lets also throw in there that my quads pretty much atrophied to pretty much nothing.

So in the last few months, I've been hitting the hiking much more than normal. Two peaks, three mountain biking trails in the last 2 weeks, and a long trek across the Back Bay flats of the National Wildlife Refuge south of Virginia Beach.  So for a while I was beginning to think I could keep going harder than normal, but knees always keep you honest. On Monday morning, I started feeling that tell-tale sign of unhealthy pain in the outer part of my left knee - the  kind of pain that made me take notice and start rethinking the near future.

So I placed myself on a 3-day (at least) moratorium on all walking or hiking. Actually, no hiking for at least a week. I DID go walking today in the evening at a reduced pace (116 steps/min) with hand weights, but it was very relaxed and on a flat surface, so I experienced little knee pain. But it's there lurking in the background. And so I need a new strategy - to adapt and alter my approach. Here's what I'm doing now:

• I starting wearing my Nike patella band when hiking/power-walking at normal pace (>125 steps/min).
• I am now icing my left knee several time a week to keep any swelling down.
• I have backed off doing mountain biking trails temporarily until my knee pain fades at full pace on flats with a 12-lb weight vest.
• I am minimizing walking up stairs/steps. I compensate for this by walking more smaller/shorter distances while at work.

TAKE-AWAYS:

• Older (>40 years old) need to develop fitness strategies that incorporate rest, recuperation  and redirection.
• It's important to know when to back off - when to retreat and when to advance.
• Have multi-faceted strategies > ones that enable you to alternate strategies depending on the weather, conditions, injuries, or even emotions.