We have a piper down

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It started on Thursday evening. The sharp, shooting pain in my quad wasn’t one to be ignored. I audibly gasped and my husband asked what was wrong. I shook it off as the pain slinked away, thinking that it was nothing more than a freak occurrence that wouldn’t happen again.

Except every time I moved that night, the pain woke me. In my mid-sleep haze, I wasn’t exactly sure what motion was causing it. But I was pretty sure that it was the worst pain I’d felt in awhile, and that possibly I was going to die (the mind works in crazy ways).

In the morning (after having a panic attack, which my husband talked me through) I began moving my leg in different ways to assess what motion caused the pain. Not straightening. Not bending slightly. Not bending a little bit more. BENDING AT NINETY DEGREES. Holy hell, I saw stars. Raising my leg with my knee bent. THAT TOO. My leg shook at the thought of feeling the pain and naturally my mind raced. What about running? What about my Alex’s Lemonade Million Mile Run streak? And training? Or even walking down the stairs?

After a visit to the doc in which he made me move my leg to show him the pain (Couldn’t he just take my word for it? No. He could not.) The diagnosis was a torn/strained quad muscle. The treatment? Follow RICE: rest, ice, compression and elevation.

RICEleg

As I sit here on my couch, with my leg propped up, ice pack strapped around my ace bandage, I’m left wondering… now what?

This probably comes as news to no one but I’m not very good at resting. I mean, sure, I complain sometimes about the whole running thing but generally speaking I’d rather move than not.

I’m also fully aware that I need to give my muscle a chance to heal. Over the past few days my range of motion has advanced and I’m able to do things like squat slightly.

However, if I squat slightly more than slightly? Well, let’s just say that it still feels like someone is stabbing my quad with a shiv. That is not a good feeling, folks. But I’m also encouraged that I’m able to squat slightly, because last week? I could not. Maybe there’s something to this RICE thing. Maybe.

So I’ll just be over here, trying to rest and impatiently waiting for the healing to happen.

I’m not used to injury – how long do these things typically last? When was your last injury that made you RICE (or at least take a couple of days off)?

21 thoughts on “We have a piper down”

  4. Noooooooo!!
    Oh honey, that sucks so much. I feel for you, I really do. Stay off it, ice and rest. I know how hard that is to do, but you will be back in no time.

    Reply

    • Thanks so much, Suz. It’s hard because I had such grand plans for this month, especially with it being the Million Mile Run and all! Instead I’m doing the million hour sit. Which isn’t fun at all.

      Reply

    • I’m trying – it’s hard not to push it and do too much, too soon. I keep testing it to see if it’s hurt and YEAH, it is. Patience is not my virtue! 😉 Hope your healing happens quickly!

      Reply

  7. You are living the DREAM! Wow I cannot remember the last time I was forced to lay around. When I tore my MCL, I still had to go to work and that sucked. If I were you I would read and make the kids wait on me…lucky lucky you. Xxxxx seriously, get better soon if that’s what you want, but enjoy the moment if you can.

    Reply

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