The one pro of being injured… I get my Friday nights back with no curfew. I went to dinner club and did not check my watch even once. Friday we had barbecue. Saturday, we went to A barbecue. In the south…there is a very big difference.
The MRI came back negative for stress fractures, calcification etc! I was still pretty disappointed since these means I don’t have a clear timeline on the recovery. I tend react better when I know what to expect. Then, I can formulate a new plan.
I do know that it will be at least 2 or 3 MORE weeks before I can return to running. My injury is not a textbook case so there are no definitive answers, but a significant amount of scar tissue has built up around the obvious dent in my leg and is causing all sorts of problems and pain. I asked what would happen if I go for a run say… tomorrow even though it really hurts. I could get some serious complications- such as bone formation in my muscles and around my tendons. Mr Dr. seems to think this is pretty serious, even with the MRI just showing soft tissue issues…so I’m going to be careful.
However, I am trying not to catastrophize the injury. I need to take it a day at a time… which is extremely challenging considering my past experience with injury. This weekend I’ve been focusing on what I can do instead of what I can not.
I met with a gym frequenter friend who showed me shoulder and arm strengthening workouts. If my leg is injured, there is no excuse not to have an extremely toned upper body and tight abs, right? I dug out my old floor pilates DVD I used when my foot was injured a few years back. I must say, it didn’t give me that coveted runner’s high, but it was definitely a work out.
I also set up a massage therapy session yesterday which is part of my rehab plan. I’m doing all the mini leg “exercises” I’m supposed to so that my muscles do not completely atrophy. Plus I spun on the indoor trainer for 10 minutes to get the blood flowing.
Today… I’ll try to swim some laps…even if I have to finish the workout with a pull buoy.