Doctor's Appointment

Last Tuesday I went to see the doctor due to chronic knee pain. I think this started last September but it got worse on November after (or during) my 32K run for Leg 3. I could barely run after the 21K mark and I almost limped my way through the last 5k.

But as you know this did not stop me. I still went on to do a 16K, 10Ks, and then a couple of 21K races, the last being at Goldilocks.

Is this what they call a runner's knee? I don't know for sure yet but it's quite painful and I haven't been able to run or even walk properly since the last run. I feel so lousy and heavy, mostly heavy. Maybe it was weight gain or maybe it was that I did not train and recover enough for that 32K run. A lot of maybe's and so I went to Asian Hospital to find out.

While waiting, I picked up a magazine called MIMS Med Review because one of the articles in it had "Chronic Pain" in the title. To my surprise, the article was a nose-bleed one especially to a commoner like me.

The article was "The Place of Pharmacological Treatment in Chronic Pain" by Dr. Mick Serpell, FRCA, and it started with "The processing of nociception involves multiple neural pathways, transmitters and receptors..." I should have stopped there because all I could think of was Inception but I read on dreamily until about 3 pages in and I already finished stuff on NSAIDs, codeine, and opioid drugs.

It was like mental bloodbath in that article but amidst all that confusion, I think I understood something. This phrase was highlighted and I sort of get it:

"It is easier to keep pain at bay rather than trying to control it after it has resurfaced."

It made sense and I should have understood this earlier. Dr. Serpell was saying that "...rapid control of pain symptoms can reduce the risk of chronicity" and this mirrors what many runners and bloggers already say: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.

It is natural to feel pain but you should know when to take it easy so that you can enjoy what you love doing for a longer time.

My advice is not new but I would like to say it as a reminder to myself:
1. Train well and get enough rest and nutrition.
2. Give yourself time to recover.
3. When you feel pain, do the famous RICE (Rest-Ice-Compress-Elevate) and see if the pain is only temporary.
4. If unsure, consult your doctor immediately.

I want to add that you should keep your weight at the optimum level. Like I said, I feel heavy and lousy lately and maybe that affected my running form and the impact on my knees.

Doctor's advice was for me to stop running for a while. I was expecting that.

But I fear I might violate that in the near future. :P