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Thoughts on my Day Off
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- Written by: Healthysport
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Today is my day off. Did meditation first thing in the morning with my freshly brewed coffee and followed it with a walk/jog in the park. It was a good start. When my walk/jog ended, I sat on the grass right in front of a beautiful water view and performed and filmed via iPhone what I consider standard exercises for a runner's knee. Runner’s knee is called chondromalacia but it is not solely due to running. It is a reduction of the cartilage of the inner side of the patella and starts rubbing on the distal femur bone which can also erode its cartilage. It can be due to wear and tear as we get older, due to running or other sports, or obesity that puts stress on the knees, or prolonged standing like how teachers, nurses, retail salespeople to name a few do it in their jobs. I won’t consider my knee pain chondromalacia because I can still manage some heavy knee exercises without traumatic pain. But I suffer from muscle weakness due to my sudden stopping of exercises on account of the pandemic some three years ago. Still, I don’t completely rule out chondromalacia so I adjust and modify my exercises. My guide is pain and I avoid anything that causes it : I reduce the range of my knee ROMs when dealing with knee extension machines, I certainly avoid low squats. I also avoid climbing and descending steep steps. I am alright with lunging. I have generally switched my running to walking and if I jog, it is only a little faster than my regular walk. I’d rather call it a fast walk bordering on jogging.
[NOTE: some of the exercises I feature are for educational purposes only. Consult your PT or MD before self-diagnosing and trying these out on your own]
Having said that, the pitfall of running is the overuse of a certain group of muscles while ignoring another group in the legs. Contact sports like basketball or football or tennis or volleyball involve almost all the leg muscles in available planes of motion and directions, giving and receiving forces which can sadly cause a variety of injuries - fractures, meniscal tears, ligament tears/sprains, muscle tears/strains, cruciate injuries, dislocations etc.
Running muscles, ligaments (soft tissues) and joints on the other hand tend to utilize only one plane of direction of movement using the same soft tissues acting over and over again while ignoring the non-involved tissues. It leads to muscle imbalance. The movement is forward, a little swerving here and there, a little alteration of terrain but running doesn’t require back steps and side steps or even full turns unless you turn at the midpoint of your distance to return to where you started. Unlike contact sports (and others that include swimming, biking, ballet/dancing, yes that is sports), running doesn’t have much variety in its execution.
In my nearly 20 years of running I suffered plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendon pain, knee pains, low back pain but none of them required me to go to the ER or visit MD. For some lucky reason, I recovered from them by just doing what I thought was appropriate. It can be argued that I am a PT so I have some self-skills to recover. From the very first day of my running days, I was cognizant of the fact that there is wear and tear inflicted by running on the body, especially the muscles and joints. Sooner or later, I will retire my running shoes and switch to simple walking and if not, swimming. So there was a sense of less aggressive training on my part.
It helps also that I saw a lot of patients who developed joints’ wear and tear WITHOUT running. Wear and tear indeed is not exclusive to a certain sport or people. It applies to any human who is involved in using the legs which obviously means everyone.
How many non runners have undergone total knee replacements or knee arthroscopy, and who suffered osteoarthritis? Some of my friends think that running is abusive to the joints. I beg to differ. As long as you don’t abuse your legs by pushing and pounding to the max and resting when your body warns you and adjusting your pace at your most convenient level, it can work. Wisdom through caution plays a big part as well. A 61 year old man playing a full basketball game with 20 year olds is not wise. A 61 year old trying to beat an elite runner half of his age may not be wise. Even if it is not your knee getting damaged, your heart or brain would.
And then there are knee problems resulting from events beyond anyone’s control. Genetics is one of them. Arthritis is usually genetic. Most knee conditions I have treated in my 30-year hospital work involved bone fractures resulting from falls, especially postmenopausal women suffering from osteoporosis while their reflexes and strength are being depleted by age. They fall. Between lack or speed (poor reflexes or what I call ‘self-correction’ while losing balance, weakened muscle strength, low endurance combined with other medical issues like vertigo, low BP, abnormal heart rhythms, poor sensation and proprioception or even neuropathy resulting from bad circulation and diabetes), elderly people are at high risk of falling.
I know this because I feel it. Despite my years of being active, I sense the fall risk. When I need to grab on the bathroom sink to balance myself while changing undergarments after a shower, or when I cannot stand on one leg long enough to put in my sock, it means I am a fall risk. A sudden turn, a sudden change of position, an unexpected change of the terrain or surface of the sidewalk, and those little bumps on the streets, (I think they are called pavement heaves), can easily destabilize an older person. A sudden curb in the dark, or a sudden drop of an incline, there are many risks in the real world.
I had a patient who lived in one of the rich enclaves of my county who fell in her vast garden and stayed on the ground for two days because no one heard her cries. Another fell while stepping in her bathtub, again, no one heard her cries. There was elderly small lady with a big dog who fell on her face as her dog on leash ran towards another dog across the street. Another elderly gentleman who was taking photos of ducks while backing to get out of their way, stepped on a big rock and fell backwards. All of them broke either a hip or a knee.
These are anecdotal stories, more like a warning than a trend. The good news is bone and joint injuries aren’t a death sentence or debilitating. With proper management of an Orthopedist for surgical interventions and Rehab Therapists for proper recovery, a patient can return to his or her normal lifestyle in no time.
My new Normal Begins
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New Normal Begins
I woke up late after reading through the book until past midnight. I lingered a bit in my morning bed and came up as soon as I started thinking about all sorts of useless things. I meditated as the first rule of my day. In my meditation, the Lord sent me a message about my life. I used to be a child doing all sorts of shit and now I have matured and know better. I better know better.
I wanted to stay indoors the whole day after learning there is no work for me. But I decided to drive out just to make my body move. First thing, I visited the usual park. At mid morning there were a bit more people, all kinds of people. I walked half of my usual distance. My self-control surprised me; I had opportunities to engage with some homeless dudes but I have done that old script before and knew exactly its outcome. It’s better to keep my distance from them. I need to establish a routine, like a protocol to follow now that I am so close to living the retired lifestyle. There are situations I need to assess quickly and react to correctly. Much like at work, there is a code blue if a patient’s heart and breathing stop. An alert if they are about to go into cardiac arrest. We all develop these codes in preparation for something dangerous or close to it being dangerous.
It would be very sad if I limit myself to the same limited space, doing the same tasks, seeing the same views, becoming a fixture that no one cares about. I don’t want to be that mysterious foreigner who walks around everyday in the same spot and the same route. I am now getting bored with the sameness and the only difference is the homeless crowd made up of faces that change every week. I know I have books to read, I have enough of them to last me reading through the remaining years of my life. And I have self-writing assignments that will keep me jotting down whatever comes to my thoughts as long as I can do it. And even computer languages that can help me learn new skills will never cease in keeping my days very busy.
But routines can sometimes lead to a loss of motivation. So I added a little variety to my day off. What if I go to another park, somewhere north of here and see if I can see a difference. And I should not overthink this plan. The only thing I am sure of is that if the task I am contemplating has nothing to do with sin or waste of time, the Lord will protect and advance it and I should not worry.
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And I did it. Only God knows how satisfying it was to get out of my comfort zone. I soon parked at the John D MacArthur State Park. I went there to a similar trail I followed when I was still studying horticulture at the local college. Obviously the crowd, (outside of the elementary kids who were doing a field trip perhaps), were just old like me, even much older. The crowd was sparse and that is reasonable given the day of the week and time of day. I took the same familiar steps I took in my horticulture days, walking the boardwalk and climbing up the stairs helped me traverse the Intracoastal leading to the other side of the peninsula that came face to face with the ocean. It was a beautiful spot but the weather was not inviting. The clouds were gray, as if heralding a heavy downpour soon. But I kept recording. Being alone and taking too many videos and photos made me look suspicious to the eyes of many but I did not pay them mind. I am one who is not recognized in a place where everyone is desperate to fence themselves for their sense of security, and I understand their high brow distrust if not outright desire to run me out of the place. Well, this is something I need to accept. I will forever be a stranger to a lot of places I’d visit from this day forward. It will be a part of my life and whether I am in this country, or another county or other village, there is always the possibility of being regarded with suspicion if not disdain and I must be ready to save myself when the situation smells fishy. I need to also fence myself from potential dangers. I must be on constant alert. In this country, people are too loose with weapons, especially guns. Any appearance in places where no one has seen you can be misconstrued as provocation. I recall that news in NY where a group of teens got lost and entered the driveway of a man who just shot them killing one of the girls. I am training myself against these disasters. In Manila I met an ‘overly’ friendly young man at McDonalds with whom I casually mentioned my desire to travel to the Quezon province and immediately offered himself as my guide. I was close to taking his offer until he started asking for pre-guide tour payment. He sounded like a con man. That clicked as a red flag. I canceled the deal instantly. Fate intervened at the right time. Yes, trouble knows no limit, no boundary, no geography.
But that is just a caution among my many other cautions as I get older.
- If you make walking and travel plans, it would be preferable to have a companion. It could be a spouse, partner, a friend. If alone, at least inform someone who is close where you’d go and your expected return. Notify this someone if a change of plans happens.
- We all know this by now: Do not post your plans on social media.
- Do not follow the same route at the same time on the same days.
- Women: carry a mace if you travel in places you’re not safe. Obviously avoid those places in the first place LOL.
- Have a landscaper’s view of the terrain you’re planning to trek. For those who are over 60, consider the cost of climbing stairs or elevations with leg arthritis problems. Use cane or sticks if necessary to help you climb. Remember that the distance you venture out is the same distance you need to walk in returning. Do noy go kayaking too far that your fatigue takes over. You will need energy to kayak back.
- Make sure the walk or stroll is easy and comfortable. Avoid extreme weather, wear the most comfortable clothes, hydrate, apply sunscreen on sunny days, hats (especially in sunny Florida). Bring your cell phone with you. If on water wear a safety floater jacket.
- Do not attempt to learn how to run jet skis, launchers, boats, sails, paraglides, surfing boards, without proper instructions and basic training, It is not safe to test and experiment with these things on your own.
- Please avoid wakeboarding when there is a change in tides
- Avoid cycling and motorcycling in heavy traffic streets unless you are experienced with the best reflexes.
- That holds true for night walkers and strollers, be alert about your surroundings and have a quick response.
- You may think you are the safest driver in the West. What you should be concerned about are the drivers around you.
- If traveling abroad, do your diligent research about your country of destination. Pay attention to places to avoid and what times of day are safest and least risky for accidents. I remember walking the sidewalk of Manila last year and there were countless sudden curbs and steps (oh those steps in every store and mall!) which I did not see at night due to poor lighting.
- Best of all, please protect your private space. Your hotel room or vacation house or hostel bed is your protected bubble where you rest and sleep and meditate and get intimate with whoever is with you. Unless you are like me, I consider reading and listening to music and surfing the Internet as my intimate companions.
There are still countless safety measures people consider important that aren't included here but you get the gist of what I am trying to say. Of course my travels are 90 percent local and 10 percent outside. I think I am good so far. There are lots of places I have not trekked on yet in the USA alone.
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