PT and Me: A Tale of Delayed Hurt

Today was my first day of physical therapy. I wasn't really sure what to expect because, in my former life as an Irish dancer, I always competed injured. There was no time for healing...you only have so many years to compete before you're considered too old to do so. Case in point, the highest age group, "Senior ladies", was age 19 or 20 and above.

So I was interested to see what these physical therapists could do to help me without putting me in a boot, cast, or restricting my activity. I met with Mike at Athletico to do an assessment and then put me through my paces. Mike is pretty awesome. He's a runner and triathlete, and works with Team in Training. And he's a tad sarcastic. Perfect for me!

We set up a schedule, did some new exercises, and then he taped up my knee to see if we could get the muscles moving in the right direction. Mike also iced my knee before I left because he said I'd be pretty sore from all we did today. I thought he might be exaggerating a bit as I didn't really feel like I'd worked out.

Here's what my knee looks like now:

Notice the gentle glow of the Christmas tree.

See those plaid pants? I made those plaid pants in college for my intro to costuming class. I know, I'm that awesome.

Well, I figured that since my knee was taped, I'd be able to go for a run in the snow this evening. Alas, as the day wore on, my knee hurt worse. Just as Mike predicted. And of course, my bus broke down and I had to shovel the driveway, which is always depressing. Thus, no run this evening. Since I'm off work tomorrow (getting a crown done...fun), I figure I can go for a run in the morning when the sun is up and see how I feel then.