Nov. 16, 2021
I went to see my doc friend yesterday. I got my second hyaluronic acid shot in my steadily recovering left knee. The shot only takes a few seconds. The injected substance is supposed to lubricate the joints, thus making knee movements smoother. According to the doc friends, most patients report a noticeable difference after the third shot. My third shot is next Monday. Let's wait and see.
Though I have no pain with most daily knee movements, I remain careful to avoid stomping actions and aggressive landing impacts. The doc friend says these are the main cause of the damaged medial meniscus. I should avoid them as much as I can if I want to stay active until old age. Before leaving his clinic, I said, "Will I be able to do light jogging again?" "That's for sure," he said. I was so relieved to hear it. When I got my knee MRI-ed to get the diagnosis of medial meniscus injury, he said there would not be a dramatic recovery. My heart sank at a sad prospect of never being able to have a go at a barefoot marathon. I was too scared to ask what he meant by "no dramatic recovery". He suggested a hyaluronic injection, but I didn't take the treatment on the spot. I said, "I'd like to give it time and see how it goes." Doc said, "Fair enough."
Weeks passed, and my knee was recovering steadily. I continued my "self-prescribed" rehabilitation along the way. It mainly consists of body weight muscle training that doesn't involve dynamic knee movements. Exercises that impose a lot of pressure on the injured area is also strictly avoided. For example, at one time I tried to do single-hand push-ups on my right and. It seriously strained the left knee, and I wasn't able to do even one rep. From this experience I learned to do it with the left knee on the floor while the other leg pivoting the body on the toe. Though it is not an ideal form to do the single-hand push-up, I think it a good compromise.
I slowly introduced light jogging along the way. I never ran on concrete roads again, though. Doc strictly dissuades me from doing it. Instead, I started jogging on the grass. I am lucky to have a huge park within a walking distance from home that is covered with green grass. It even has a 500 M track. It was originally covered with wood chips. Now weeds grow all over them. But it's more comfortable on bare feet.
At first, I was afraid that a slight increase in intensity and/or resistance could rip the meniscus again, leading to another long, and sad period of no exercise but only rest. So, I was careful not to be too bouncy. I was slithering like a snake to minimize landing impact. It's not exciting. But it is a necessary baby step.
When I jogged 3.5 K for the first time after the injury, I was so relieved. I was even more relieved when there was no noticeable abnormality with the knee on the following morning. It was then that I felt more opened to Doc's suggested medical treatment.
With two jabs done, I feel more confident about my recovery. I feel lucky that I have someone in my corner who doesn't only offer me a sure treatment as a professional but also give me sincere advice as a friend.
<Afternoon Session>
Warm up: 3:20.36
3.5 K Barefoot Jog: 22:49.21
Active rest: 1:30.38
180 M sprint: 36.83
Active rest: 2:18.04
180 M sprint: 36.37
Active rest: 1:16.84
Karate training: 3:42.95
Total 36:10.77
<Late Night Session>
The late night bike ride was fun. Traffic is scarce. Even when a car or two comes around from behind, its approaching headlight is immediately noticeable in the dark. There are people who wrongly assume it's dangerous to bike or run at night. But with proper equipment it is not. I have one flickering red rear light on the bike, one flickering white light on the front. Not only that, I have a wearable light on my chest that is 5 times brighter than the headlight on the bike, and there is another red light on my back that flickers a lot more slowly than the rear light on the bike. So, I have four lights to let surrounding traffic know that I am there!
Tonight I lubricated the chain with a spray that I had bought for my Kawasaki Vulcan S650. It didn't feel like mechanical actions were any smoother, but hopefully it did some good.
21.8 K: 1:08:42
I listened to an interview with Matthew Walker while cycling. It was organized by Google. For someone who has just finished reading his international bestseller, there was little new information. Nonetheless, it kept me spellbound all throughout the ride. Interesting exchanges between him and the interviewer are interesting added spice to what is already undoubtedly intellectually super stimulating and educationally enlightening.
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