The Positive side of Injury
Before 2015 ended I made a general plan on how I want my 2016 to be: full of adventure, growth, and contribution to my community. I don’t know how I will grow and contribute yet but I know that fulfilling the adventure part is easy enough as I already have a series of hikes I can join in once 2016 starts. I have also signified participation to a major hike that will be on November 2016. I have it all planned out- until I got a knee injury after my Binacayan- Pamitinan hike on December 30, 2015.
I thought that the pain on my knees were just like the normal after hike pains that I always get and which fade away just after a day. When the pain stayed for five days- I decided to go back to my ortho. I found out that I have chrondomalasia patella- a patellofemoral injury where the cartilage under the knee cap becomes soft/damaged in my case, because of overuse. The injury is an effect of my Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) which I acquired after running with a heavy pack during my Mt. Purgatory traverse (Jan. 2015). It has been one-and-a-half months already since the pain started and sadly, it is not going away despite 13 sessions of physical therapy.
Having an injury is not good of course but I am trying my best to find the positive side in this story. Incidents like this should not deter us from meeting others and learning. It is a good time to grow- creatively and intellectually. Here are some of the things I realized on the road to healing:
1. I have more time to do other hobbies
Sketching is a therapeautic hobby to ward-off negative thoughts!
I have a lot of other hobbies other than hiking- I love reading, writing, sketching and watching movies. Because I cannot join hikes as of now I can focus on doing other hobbies which are creatively stimulating. I had fun reading A Separate Peace by John Knowles, Kafka by the Shore by Haruki Murakami, and White Fang and Call of the Wild by Jack London during this recovery period. Now I am reading A Map Maker’s Dream- a journal of a monk and cartographer of sixteenth century Venice.
2. I re- discovered swimming
Re-discovering swimming at the AFP-COC pool
I read that runners go to the pool to continue training even when they are injured. Swimming is “soft” on the knees is recommended to those with knee injuries like mine who still want to keep in shape. Also, running bores me- I just do running because I thought I have no other alternative. It’s nice that I re- discovered swimming as I realized the exercise is better suited to me. Time easily flies when I swim. Before long I will just realize I have accomplished 30 lapses already and had been swimming for 1.5 hours!
I have been swimming at the Armed Forces of the Philippines- Commissioned Officers Club House (AFP-COC) since the year started. Entrance fee is P80 and they are open until 9PM unlike other public pools which is open only until 6PM at the latest. An ID is required to enter AFP and wearing slippers when entering the premises is not allowed.
Many others are using the pool for training. Lucky for me I met a triathlon coach who invited me to join them while training because swimming is more fun if you have someone to train with, he said. He also taught me how to swim effectively to conserve energy. It made a lot of difference and I owe it to him that I can now swim more lapses.
3. I can join other weekend events
Haribon Native Tree Trek at Camp Aguinaldo
Because I don’t have activities during the weekends, I am now free to join other groups. For this I joined Haribon’s tree trek. Our first trek was at CCP and the second was at AFP (Camp Aguinaldo) Grand Stand. Here we got to learn how to identify native trees and also got to know facts about our trees. It’s nice to walk the city and know even just the local names of the trees we see. If I am not injured I would’ve joined a hike instead of this learning event.
4. I understood my body more
If there is one important lesson I got on being injured it is that I AM NOT INVINCIBLE NOR STORNG ENOUGH. Maybe I am stronger than other people who do not have other physical activities or sports but I am not invincible. My body will suffer if I do not stretch properly and train prior to doing heavy activities. I can only get over my limitations slowly and with the instruction of other people with more experience and knowledge about a given sport.
I acknowledge that I got the injury from my own doing and will prevent future injuries by remembering learnings that I got during this period which is to: STRECH THOSE MUSCLES BEFORE ACTIVITIES!
5. I have more time with my Family
Back when I was hiking almost weekly, I seldom had time for my family. I would go home only once a month or once every two months and would skip family events just to join hikes. I don’t go home weekly but now I have time to join gatherings and spend more time with my parents.
xxx
This injury is really a struggle. It can be very hard seeing your hiker friends having the time of their lives pursuing summits while here you are, in a chair because it is hard for you to stand up. However, there is a bright side to everything. We have to focus on that and not let our injuries get the better of us. I believe that injuries happen because we have to learn lessons we could not learn any other way. As Fra Mauro mused in his journal ( A Map Maker’s Dream):
"With our paths in life mapped out for all of us, it usually takes the one that leads us away from our goal (to where we are not) to affirm where we should be."
I don’t know where I am going because of my injury but my heart is telling me that I am being directed to where I am supposed to go.
Come, walk with me as I travel the road to a better knee:))
