Is It an "Age" Thing? Perhaps...

Yesterday I went for an MRI on my right knee. Almost from the beginning of my natural life I seemed to have orthopedic issues. When I was very young they planted me in ugly, and I mean ugly ortho shoes to supposedly correct my flat feet. Well guess what....they're still flat! I spent years enduring the shame, torture and humiliation of those darn shoes (okay I'm over dramatizing a bit, but you get the point).

When I turned 6 my legs grew faster than my body, and as I look at those pictures now I laugh at the skinny gangly blond headed young girl. Arms appearing to reach the sides of her knees and legs seemingly starting at her neck and heading south. OK again perhaps a slight exaggeration.

Since I loved to play sports my ortho problems seemed to follow and I was always taped up before games. I remember as a teenager laying in bed a night with intense pain in my knees. It would often keep me awake, but I thought it was the price I had to pay to play. Doctor after doctor gave little support-"growing pains" was typically the response. Funny how the "growing pains" never went away after I was done growing.

Since I marched in a drum and bugle corps from ages 11.5-17 a lot of time was spent pounding my knees on grass, roadways, or any other marchable surface. I had to wear knee supports and pads to protect my overly sensitive knees. But the pain and discomfort of my knee issues neither kept me from playing sports or marching with the drum and bugle corps. I always needed to be active. It wasn't until I was 27 years did I learn the "name" of my knee ailments-chrondomalacia bilateral patella alta and Osgood Schlatter's Disease. Interesting...I thought it was growing pains?

So I would be plagued with some issues throughout my life. It's okay, one learns to deal. Throughout the years I've had some knee scopes, a torn meniscus and a few minor twist and turn injuries, but I just kept on going as I LOVE to play.

This year, right before my favorite time of year Summer, I severely sprained my lower back, and I mean severely! I never knew such pain. This was an area that had never had a problem so this was definitely new to me. Agony, pure agony-months later I'm still contending with back issues, and I often find myself in disbelief. I thought if one exercised those types of things didn't happen. I guess I'm a tad naive or frankly stupid, because injuries can happen to any one, at least that's what I've been told. So that has been my Summer and now Fall, back issues.

So I finally join up with our alumni corps, the Belvederes. We had a few parades and standstill concerts lined up. I was excited to be back with old friends, and feeling like a youngster once again. It was the second parade I participated in since going back, and it was in our home town. It was just like old times until...I planted my foot and my knee bent and turned the opposite way-ewiooooouuu! I stopped only momentarily as the horn line was marching my way. I hobbled off to the side of the road in agony, still thinking in my mind, "it's just a cramp, it will go away-WRONG!" As the corps and the remainder of the parade marched by I sat on the side walk accompanied only by my cymbals AND excruciating pain. I couldn't move. Not only was I mortified, I really didn't know what to do. A nice gentleman came over and asked if I was okay, I said "yes" initially and when I tried to move changed it to "no I guess not." To make a long story short, an officer came over, then one ambulance, then another and I ended up being transported via ambulance to a local hospital where they nicely offered to cut off my pants. I declined and said I could take the tugging on my leg to pull them off-yeah, right.

After ice, x-ray, and exam the ER doctor informed me he suspected some pretty intense damage (no kidding). I was sent home with crutches, a knee immobilizer, a prescription for pain (it was 10 pm in our everything closed town), a very serious "You absolutely MUST see your orthopedic doctor tomorrow," and lots and lots of pain. My ortho visit the following day was uneventful-"try to wean yourself off the immobilizer and crutches and start Physical Therapy. OK.

The pain didn't allow much sleep and the therapy was painful. But most disconcerting of all was the minimal improvement with treatment and the concerns expressed as to whether there was more to this injury. So off for a second opinion, more x-rays, a second exam, and an MRI.

Still in pain (14 days later) with knee slightly bent, I await the results of the MRI. My conclusion-if I would just sit still and not participate in anything, perhaps I would remain injury free. But then again, COULD I do this? Better still...do I really want to? Nah...I wanna' have fun, pain and all. I want to participate in as much as possible, it keeps me humble and active.

So is it an age thang? Maybe, maybe not. Seems to have followed me for a very long time, and I'll just continue to turn around and chase it right back. Results of MRI, pending.