365 True Things: 101/Knee

Yesterday, my right knee was bothering me—tender to the touch on the inside next to the kneecap, and stiff. I figured it was because I'd been sitting in a bar-chair (so feet weren't touching the ground), plus I'd folded my right leg under me while I worked on my laptop on the counter. Probably put some stress on the knee. Eventually I went for a walk, and the discomfort mostly went away.

Last night, though, the knee was really bothering me while I was in bed. And when I got up this morning, I could barely bend it. I stiff-legged around for a while, then took some aspirin. Slowly, it got better—until right now, it seems to be fine.

Very weird. Both that my knee was bothering me at all—I hadn't done anything to injure it—and that it cured itself so quickly.

I am scheduled to do trail work tomorrow with a friend, so the painful stiffness this morning was alarming. What if it didn't get better? Should I go to an orthopedist? To go to an orthopedist, would I have to go to my family doctor first and get referred?

I don't get sick, so I'm unschooled in the ways of "specialists" and getting to see one.

Fortunately, my knee seems to be cooperating now. It did give me a bit of a scare, though. I know more than a few people who used to be avid walkers and then all of a sudden their knee(s) started giving them trouble and they couldn't walk far at all anymore. Knee replacements eventually ensued in some cases.

I do not want to be one of those people. Not yet, anyway. I'm too young for that! And walking is my lifeblood!

Maybe I'll add some knee exercises into my exercise routine. When I get around to starting my exercise routine. Should be any day now.