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Running at the Kep 100km @ approx 30km mark
As soon as I got back from WA I had scans on my left leg to see what caused the whole leg numbness that led to me DNF-ing in the Kep 100km last weekend. Long story, cut short .... it turns out I have a big Baker's Cyst behind my left knee cap. It has burst and is leaking synovial fluid all through my leg. The result: numbness followed by lots of pain.
The positive in all of this is having a definitive diagnosis. At least now I know what I'm dealing with.
Conventional treatment options for a Baker's Cyst include: a cortisone injection, aspiration (ie, a needle into the cyst to drain the fluid), anti-inflammatories etc. In some cases once the cyst has burst it can resolve itself. Since none of the former treatment options are particularly appealing, I'm going to give it a bit of time and see if it settles by itself. There's a "but" in this story though. Ugh! There's always a "but" :( The "but" is that most Baker's Cysts are symptomatic of some other underlying problem - normally a cartilage tear and/or osteoarthritis - and that underlying problem is what really needs to be addressed. In my case, the underlying cause has got to be the osteoarthritis that has hindered my running for nearly 2yrs now. Sigh ...... And an additional "but" (as if one "but" wasn't enough!) is that Baker's Cysts frequently recur.
So .... the "where to from here" .... is to spend more time in the gym while the Baker's Cyst settles and hopefully resolves and then to work on a new training regime to prevent a recurrence. I've got plenty of options with what I include in a new training program. I just have to accept that all of those options mean less running. I have got to the point of accepting that running isn't everything but I haven't yet accepted that less and less is better.
4 comments:
I do have to add that I am very lucky in that I do enjoy my gym workouts and my trail walking is still close to painfree. They are two big positives.
Oh, and for those who may be wondering ... yes! I have made a return to my MB12wbt program.
Oh, and still no diet coke!!! That's 3+ weeks now. Whoo Hoo ... !
Hmmmm - I guess that's good news and bad news! Great that they have found out what the problem is and sad that you can't run for a while and must reduce your distances. I like your "positives" though. And well done on sticking with 12WBT, especially the no diet coke bit. I have my fingers crossed for you that the cyst will heal by itself. We must have a catch up brekkie soon!
Sounds like preventing a recurrence will be tricky. Agree that cross-training is the way to go if you can't run the volume of ks you'd like.
That's a great pic by the way - very cool running gear!
And congrats on putting up with Mish's meaness and staying off chemical coke.
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