Good moment today...

[fajrdrako]

I had one really wonderful moment today.

I was watching Mamma Mia! and needed to go to the washroom, but didn't want to miss anything in the movie, so I snuck out of the theatre in mid-song, trying to make it really fast.

Then realized after I'd crossed the length of the auditorium and walked down the hallway that I'd done all that - what, twenty metres? thirty? - without even remembering I had a bad ankle. Walking quickly, no pain, no lurch to my step, and if I was limping I didn't notice.

I haven't taken an unselfconscious step since March. And there I was, walking as if nothing was wrong.

When I remembered, of course, I realized I was still (or again) limping a bit - there was probably a stiffness or pain that reminded me - and the ankle has been extremely swollen for the past few days. That hasn't changed.

But... I hope I'm right in thinking that every few days I am still seeing changes. Improvements. Thursday and Friday were sort of discouraging, through increased ankle pain; today was extremely encouraging. Onward and upward!

Comments

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

I KNOW THAT FEELING! Isn't it wonderful!

Now, go baby it for a little bit :D

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

go baby it for a little bit :D

I did! I've been worrying a little, because it's been swollen. But progress so often comes in fits and starts.

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

Yes, it does! But I'm gonna give you the advice my trainer gave me.

When we work out, we actually destroy a little bit of muscle tissue. That's so the muscles will regrow - they come back stronger. It's called micro-tears - the fiber tears a bit.

The reason we have down time in between workouts is to allow the muscle tissue to rebuild along the micro-tears.

When you have an injury (like yours), and you get to the point of moving again, because the muscles are "out of practice", the same process occurs - microtears. It's a little painful, but if you rest well in between exertions, the muscle rebuilds along the micro-tears.

Of course, you also have the extra bit of bone rebuilding, and ligaments re-stretching. All of those require downtime in between the exercise to come back properly.

So, continue to move, just make sure to have that downtime :D

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

All wise words. Yes, I hope to go for a (short) walk this evening - and then rest and ice the ankle.

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

Yay! What a great feeling. It's funny how it happens so unconsciously like that. Maybe the happy feeling of Mamma Mia! helped as well. :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm sure the happy energy of "Mamma Mia!" did help - just the kind of thing I need. I maybe can't dance, but I can feel like dancing, and that's always good for the feet.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes! Wow. That's the moment: when you don't think about it beforehand, and then midway through it you stop and notice! Yow! Excellent.

See, it'll happen.

You're coming closer to getting back into balance.

Cold packs alternating with warm packs will help your ankle's swelling, no? Keep taking the same care of it; it's trying, but it's just not fully healed and its old self yet.

Good for you, good for you, good for you. Wow.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping to have more moments like that with time.

Yes, I need to spend more quiet time with ice packs. The Foot is doing its part better than I'm doing mine.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping to have more moments like that with time.

Until they outnumber the other moments. You will!

quiet time with ice packs

Hee. Well put. And, wonderful if you do look at it in that way!

Foot is doing its part better than I'm doing mine.

Well, think of it this way: you have all kinds of other distractions on your attention, while your foot has one job only, and has to deal with only that! Hm?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

The Foot has several jobs: both walking and healing, just now, which are related processes. It's doing really well with both.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Well put.

Last week you mentioned that you'd discovered that you have flat feet; I'd mentioned that I do, too, but I was mistaken: I have an unusually high arch that is extremely flexible, so my feet both tend to overpronate with every step -- that is, collapse inward. I had gotten shoe inserts to correct the supposed overpronation-from-flat-feet, and it turns out that wearing them only one week started to twist my left big toe out of alignment, ack! So I took them out of my shoes. Much better! I don't want to accidentally cause more trouble than I already have.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Intersting discovery about foot shape. You might want to do to a podiatrist for advice - I know there are specialists in Ottawa for just that sort of thing: figuring out what shoe supports would be the very best for your feet, given your work.

I'm lucky that I can sit down at work a lot.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

By the way, at work tonight I saw a medical magazine come through that had illustrations on the cover of human foot bones and various plates and screws [g]. Yeah, I took a good long look at it all. Something like that's what's in your foot, eh? Well, they looked really spiffy!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm sure my plate and screws are very stylish.

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

That's GREAT! :-)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think that in general I'm limping less, too. I hope so!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Wonderful news!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I should try walking longer and futher today. I really should.

[lunacy-gal.livejournal.com]

Fantastic! :-)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Big grin.

[meret.livejournal.com]

That's wonderful! :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It was great - I hope it happens again!

(Great icon there - makes me grin.)

[nina-ds.livejournal.com]

That's great news!

...now for the bad news. Not to bring you down, but that ankle is never going to be the same, so you'll feel the rain coming, be stiffer in the cold, etc. I hate to be a spoilsport, I just know from experience, it's so easy to overdo, you do have to remember to ice/elevate it occasionally.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'll remember to treat the ankle right. But I do hope to get back to my old walking speed... Or something close.

I like to think I'm doing incrementally better all the time. Not sure I am, but close enough to imagine so.

[nina-ds.livejournal.com]

I find that most days, I'm absolutely fine, but on a day like today when it's about to rain, I feel every joint that's ever been sprained/strained. I've never broken a bone that I could put a cast on (kneecap), but I've dislocated both ankles and my right knee so often, it's ridiculous, and it sounds like the way yours was broken also caused ligament damage?

But you'll get your speed back up if you want to. You said you do yoga, don't you? That's really good for alignment and strength/stamina.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes, I got lots of ligament and soft tissue damage. Yuck.

Yes, I do yoga - never find as much time to practise as I intend, but I do it and love it. And every time I walk it makes it easier to walk more. Or so I'm telling myself.

[filkferengi]

Excelsior! Also, woot!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It's so much better when it doesn't rain!