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As some of you know, I’ve been recovering from a knee injury these last few months. The whole process has been dragged out way longer than it needed to be: I switched my insurance in January, then I needed to go to all new doctors and get referrals for every single one. It’s been a headache (and a knee ache!), to say the least!
However, I’m happy that I don’t need surgery, that I’m in physical therapy, and I’m on the road to recovery. By no means do I ever want to become a fitness blogger, but now that I’m getting back on track, I do want to get a good routine up and going again.
Getting Back on Track – My Fitness Journey
My fitness journey has been a pain in my butt, to say the least, after graduating from college. I danced from age 3-18 — everything from ballet to tap to jazz to hip-hop. I was in really good shape back in HS. Dance was super fun, so it never felt like working out to me. When I went to college, I casually took a few fitness classes a few times a week at our school’s gym.
I’ve had a few major setbacks over the years that I’m still trying to overcome. I was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel when I was 18, and when I got my first 9-5 job, my left arm pretty much called it quits. Sitting at a desk, typing for 8+ hours a day did it in. It would go numb at night, when I was driving, while I was working out, etc…and it was nearly impossible to work out on my own. I had to have surgery on it a couple of years ago, and while surgery helped my arm a lot, it was just incredibly weak overall.
When I moved to Philly, I did a trial of a personal training program, and I LOVED it. I paid a pretty penny for it, but honestly, it held me accountable and I finally learned how to work out the right way with my weak arm. I was super happy — I’d wake up and get in my workout before the workday (I’ve never been a morning person, but I gladly woke up at 7 am to get my sessions). Right before my knee injury, I was able to push 210 pounds on the sled. It was a major feat for someone who’s weak arm felt fatigued after rolling a suitcase for too long!
Getting Back on Track – What Happened to My Knee
I was on a train one day, and as I grabbed my luggage from the overhead compartment, my knee just buckled and gave out. It happened to be my boyfriend’s birthday that weekend, so I just limped along and told myself I was fine — which was not the correct thing to do.
I hobbled into Urgent Care when I got back home, and my doctor said I had a moderate-severe knee sprain. She gave me crutches and told me to go to an orthopedic if it didn’t get better in a few weeks. I was on crutches for 4 weeks and finally sought more help. My doctor gave me a walking brace so I could get off of crutches and get more testing.
January rolls around, and I have a new insurance — so all the doctors I saw were no longer valid. I had to start the process all over again. Luckily, I did not need surgery, but I did have a meniscus tear that required therapy. Not to mention, since I walked in a knee brace for so long without a solid doctor, my knee just became super weak overall.
Getting Back on Track – What’s Next
I’ve been in therapy for a minute now, and I already feel myself getting stronger. I’ve mostly weaned myself off of my knee brace (I did have to wear it in Paris), but now that the weather is getting a little nicer, I’m challenging myself to take walks around my neighborhood during the day. I can walk about 1.5 miles at the moment without my brace which is a major feat for me!
I should be out of physical therapy by May. I am hoping I can fit in a couple of personal training sessions before I move away from Philly in June. I’ll have to find a new fitness regimen in Virginia once I move back, but I don’t want to let this knee injury get me off track with working out. I’m a much happier person when I’m active, and it’s nice to be able to put my phone away for an hour out of my day and just focus on my well-being.
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