POST 705; DECEMBER 15, 2012; BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON

I have not so good news ...

On  December 06, I spent the afternoon and early evening as UPS Driver Helper.  Sometime during my many trips up and down the truck steps, I succeeded in pulling the knee cap tendon of my left leg. 

I said at the time that it was not a permanent sort of injury; well, it seems I am mistaken.  That "slight" pull is still with me, having become aggravated during the subsequent walking on Saturday (Jingle Bell Walk in Mt. Vernon); on Sunday (Alger Alp Hike), and on Tuesday (18-mile speed walk).

Last two days on Ibuprofen allows me to hobble around my apartment...when it wears off after 18 or so hours, the pain returns with a vengeance. 

I now have a full blown injury...the very thing I have avoided for so long.

Goes to substantiate my earlier findings...before beginning a new realm of stress - up hill, down hill, around sharp bends - CLIMBING DESCENDING STAIRS -, it is essential that the tendons / muscles to be brought into play be given an opportunity to become attuned to the new range of motion and severity of loading about to be encountered;

i.e., slow down and enter the new movement(s) slowly and without excess pressure...that also means warm-up exercise !

The stairs of UPS trucks are rather high and far apart...it is, after all, a truck.  Repeated up - down, up - down ... especially lifting a box at the same time puts tremendous stretch and compression on the knees. 

I simply did not exercise / stretch sufficiently to condition my knee to the new loads it was about to receive.

Now, I must pay the price. 

I certainly have destroyed any opportunity to continue as a UPS Driver Helper...no, they have not again called for me ...

I certainly have destroyed any opportunity to continue intense walking.

I certainly must let the injury heal...normally, a 6 week healing process. 

Gratefully, my Lymphatic System is still finely tuned.  This will enable my body to clean out damaged tissues and speed up the healing process.

In the interim, the non-injured parts of my body must continue exercise to maintain Lymphatic System functioning.

Many believe it takes the body longer to heal as one gets older...

Will be interesting to see how long it actually takes this ol' body to heal...I'm betting on 3 - 4 weeks !!

...and I keep wondering what its gonna be like when I do get old.