Energy level: good
Pain level: 0 for non weight bearing
3 for 100% weight bearing
Today’s challenge: Escalators!
It’s been heaven being driven to and from work last month, but alas it’s time to resume public transit and face my arch enemy: the escalator. Much has improved since March and I’m ready to overcome moving steps & vertigo. Given my klutzy history I have no business hopping onto any moving staircase with on leg. But the time has come to put my foot down and cross that bridge.
Great news! I can make it to BART without breaking a sweat. Woo hoo! Rewind to 6 weeks ago, the same quarter of a mile left me sweating and so exhausted that I couldn’t muster the coordination to hop onto the escalator. There’s a huge difference between being non weight bearing for a ¼ mile and being almost fully weight bearing for the same ¼ mile.
It’s a little unsettling getting onto the moving steps, but I make it! Vertigo – checkmate – you loose!
Being able to trust my weight on my recovering foot makes a huge difference. Later in the day, high on confidence, I am inspired to take a few steps forward and I do it! I walk!
Okay, it feels more like a waddle than baby steps, but the important thing is one foot goes in front of the other without any crutches! Yee haw! It’s a level 3 for pain – right at the cusp where the pain signals my brain not to cooperate.
Wow! It feels good to be on two feet again. The key here is getting all the connective tissue on the bottom of the foot (the plantar fascia) to release its death grip. It has been stubbornly bunched up for months and I want my elasticity back!
Stretching helps, but the real gains are realized when every fiber of the foot is engaged with 100% weight bearing walking.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment