In Defiance of Chronic Pain

 

 

I was never athletic as a child. I never participated in any organized sports in or out of school. I grew up with three brothers, and we did what most kids did back then. We played outside a lot, and we “organized” pick-up games of football, basketball, softball, ice hockey, etc., with friends and neighbors. I never accelerated at any of them, and honestly, it never bothered me because the focus was on fun and healthy competition.

 

Fast forward to my college and graduate school years. I started walking as my main form of exercise, occasionally worked out at a gym, but that was about it. I am fortunate that I inherited good genes and have a good metabolism, so I truly never worried about my weight or the need to aggressively work out. Walking seemed to be the perfect exercise for me, and I enjoyed it. After graduate school, I started having children, and after my first pregnancy I began to experience knee pain. By knee pain, I mean debilitating knee pain, where it hurt to go up and down stairs, to kneel down to give my infant daughter a bath, and to sit for long periods of time. It was really frustrating, and I could not pinpoint one thing I did to set off the pain. I went to a few highly respected orthopaedic doctors before finally getting an answer. Basically, my kneecaps “fell off” medially, as my patellar tendon did not hold them in place.   It was something that had been happening over time, and somehow I did not experience pain until my mid-twenties. Thus, for years my knees were tracking incorrectly (which I now know is a condition called patella chondromalacia, which had it been caught in my younger years could have been remedied) and rubbing in all the wrong places.   So between the years 1993 and 2006, I had six knee surgeries to help correct the problem, make my knees more stable, and guide them to track more properly. I have screws and pins holding my patellar tendon and kneecaps in proper positioning, but what has ensued is there is now no cartilage in my knees.

 

Because of this, even though my tracking is greatly improved, I live with chronic knee pain. It is just part of my life, and for a long time I allowed it to get in the way of my activities. At some point along the way, though, I decided I was not going to allow my knee pain to limit me from doing the things I wanted to do. Yes, some days my knees hurt a lot, but other days the pain is a just nuisance. I decided I can deal with it.

 

I was told by my latest orthopaedic doctor (whom I have been seeing for over ten years now) that I could/should not do any high impact activities. I never gave up walking as my main form of exercise, but I wanted to do more. I wanted to start toning up and getting my body ready for my middle years. Thus, I ventured into taking pilates classes. Luckily, my best friend was willing to jump on board with me, and we proceeded to take many years of pilates classes. We also tried yoga, but pilates was our favorite. We then added taking dance classes at the dance studio where our daughters took dance. I mean, why not?! We were there all the time, we may as well join in on the fun. We experienced classes in all forms, as we took jazz, tap, ballet, and modern classes over a period of probably ten years. We had a lot of fun, and our girls had many laughs at our expense!

 

The time came when we decided it was time to try something knew. My friend and I had walked many miles, taken many pilates and dance classes, but we were wanting something knew. My friend came across an article in the paper about adult learn-to-row classes being offered in the summer. That was it! We eventually signed up, and after completing a four week learn-to-row program, we were hooked! We joined the adult recreational team the following year, and together we rowed in several recreational regattas, made a lot of fun new friends, saw beautiful sunrises and sunsets while working our bodies, and we had a blast.   Rowing has become a very important part of our lives, and even though we do not really row right now (for various reasons), we still support and participate in functions at the local rowing club.

My next physical challenge came as quite a surprise to me. While in massage school, I was asked to join a group of women who were participating in an obstacle run. I was hesitant to join because I didn’t run (because of my knees), and the obstacle course made me nervous. But I threw caution to the wind, and I agreed to do it. I talked my oldest daughter into joining with me,   which made it even more fun. We all wore silly costumes, and the run ended up being so much fun! I actually found myself able to run between each obstacle as well as do each obstacle to the fullest. I was so exhilarated!

Somehow, I went home from that and decided it was time for me to train for a half-marathon! Talk about crazy, but that is exactly what happened! Unfortunately, my best friend was not able to come along for this ride, but she has been a great support for me in this endeavor along the way.

 

I talked to my orthopaedic doctor about my plan, and his exact words were, “you let me know how that goes.” He had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, as he clearly thought it was a bad idea but knew me well enough as a patient to know I was going to do it. And I did. I trained for five months, slowly and carefully. I made sure I received expert advice in all aspects of training, from good running shoes for me, and for proper running attire (yes, it does make a huge difference!). As an added benefit, my husband coached and encouraged me the whole way. Shortly after I began my training, I happened upon a former rower who was also training for the same marathon, so we started running together at least once a week. Having a running buddy made training so much better. On May 27, 2012, at the age of 47, I ran the Buffalo Half-Marathon and completed it in 2 hours, 14 minutes, 15 seconds. I was very proud of my accomplishment.

 

After that, I pretty much gave up my running shoes. My running buddy moved out of town, and running alone was not appealing. Plus, I had changed careers, my life was crazy, and I truly had little time to invest in any regular training for anything. I decided to do other physical challenges that I could do at home such as a 30-day ab workouts, a 60-day Piyo challenge, a 30-day plank challenge, and other things like that. After a while, I started taking barre classes. I absolutely love the workouts I get in those classes. Those have all served to help me remain active, stay in shape, and stay strong.

 

This past summer, my running buddy from 2012 came in town, and we decided to go for a run together (even though neither of us had run much since completing the half-marathon four years earlier). That was it. The running bug bit me once again. I had not done any of my prior training during the summer months, so I decided to challenge myself and run during the summer. Naturally, I picked the hottest summer in years to do it, but I was only doing it as a challenge to myself, not with any particular race in mind. I ran short distances mostly, but I got stronger with each run I did. Also during this past summer, my husband decided he wanted to start running. I was thrilled! We started running together, we participated in a few 5K races (my first ones!), then decided to join a Marathon Relay group with my running buddy. That ended up being so much fun, and we all ran really well. My husband then came up with the idea that we should all train for a half-marathon. I was shocked, but went along with his enthusiasm. So, in just a few days, we will be running what will be my second half-marathon. On April 30, we will be running in the Hall of Fame Marathon & Half-Marathon in Canton Ohio. Joining my husband and me will be my running buddy from the last half-marathon, my husband’s younger daughter, and her girlfriend. My main goal for this time around is the same as it was the last time: to finish. I plan to run my best race, and if I finish in around the same time frame as I did the other half-marathon I ran, I will be happy. Five years have passed, my body sometimes reminds me of this fact, but I am feeling really ready for this race!  I have trained hard, trained smart, and been consistent.

 

My knees remain my biggest challenge, because they are not good. But I do not let them be an obstacle to my physical goals. The longer I stay active, the more I keep strengthening the muscles all around them, the longer I can go before having to even think about any further surgeries. I refuse to live a sedentary life because of the chronic pain. I will not allow chronic pain to dictate my activities. I will remain positive, strong, and will continue to challenge myself. I am sharing this journey with the hope of inspiring others to find ways to overcome chronic pain and lead active lifestyles. My journey is mine, and has worked for me. But I know everyone has a different scenario. With that, remember that the human body is meant to move, to be active, and anything you can do to promote this will only serve to help you lead a healthy and productive life!