I went to see the orthopedist on Friday. After x-rays and poking my knee, the test results came back negative. Essentially, I suffered a minor subluxation (dislocation). My self-treatment after the injury was to initially wear a knee brace, which I took off after a few days when I began to feel my leg relying too much on the brace. When I took off the brace, I started simple leg lifts with my leg straight--at home on the couch and at work in my chair. Now I can walk up and down stairs pretty much okay, but I'm still a little ways from running again. The doc told me to continue this course of treatment. When I'm ready to run, I'll have to start all over, slowly at first on flat ground and work my way back up. One thing's for sure...I'm not trail running on the Appalachian Trail again--if it's not my knee, I still stand a good chance of doing serious damage to an ankle. Besides, I've got other great options for hills.
The hardest part right now sitting still. I'm definitely going through running withdrawal. With my workload picking up at the office, this would be the perfect time to relax on a run, re-center, and re-focus. Soon enough. I just need to be patient.
