I took my leg to the phsyiotherapist today, and he wasn’t exactly a bearer of good tidings…
OK, let’s start with a short lecture on anatomy. There are two muscles that go from the back of the knee to the heel. It’s the gastrocnemius muscle, which is on top, and the soleus muscle, which is underneath (see pic below). You can strain or rupture either, rupture being the worse of the two conditions. I’ve ruptured both.
During the healing process, the gap in the muscle may calcify (this is my translation of what I understood PT to say…) and thereby making the muscle more likely to strain or rupture again. For the rest of my life. And this is what scares me. I can live with the pain, no worries. But I’m terrified of a possible permanent damage.
My big mistake was to take that step-up aerobics class the day after I strained my calf during Zumba class. That probably took me from strain to rupture. Then it probably didn’t help that I only rested for ten days before going for a run. Or only let two weeks pass before I tried going back to the gym again.
I have another appointment with PT in three weeks. In the meanwhile I will have to
- Accept that there will be no more aerobics or running this side of New Years Eve
- Keep my walks to under 30 minutes (15 minutes being even better)
- Avoid shopping sprees (apparently, walking is walking even if you’re doing it at a shopping center)
- Not wear high heels
- Do the exercises he gave me on a daily basis
I have to confess that I’m having a hard timing going into Pollyanna-mode here, but giving it a try I’d say it will give me that much more time for doing family history research and sorting LEGO. And doing all sorts of Christmas preparations, including home made sweets. Which of course I can’t eat because I’m not working out. But I can watch others enjoy them, surely that must be a treat too? 
Picture from http://nicktumminello.com
