I’m not Superman. I’m not even a puny Peter Parker.
If you see me still walking with a minor limp, it’s because I succumbed to a left ankle injury. No, it wasn’t a sprain. Not even a strained muscle. The diagnosis was tendonitis.
And when I say succumb, I mean, it really hurt to place all of my weight on my left ankle, even after compression, medication and relaxation early last week after Heritage Days.
The ankle flare-up started Wednesday, July 6, after covering the storytellers event. I stood through the two-hour event, which is normal for me, reasoning I’d stayed sitting at my desk most of the rest of the day, and at some point I must have angered a tendon in my left ankle.
Early the next morning, my ankle was lightly barking at me about “hey, let’s not repeat that.”
Of course, Thursday evening was the kick-off party for Heritage Days. There was more walking and getting photographs at a busy Lester Buresh Family Community Wellness Center. And then a preview story for the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Theatre’s presentation of “The Drowsy Chaperone.”
Friday my ankle announced again – “alright. Yesterday was a lot more standing. Please give that a rest.” And we did, when the events for Heritage Days were canceled Friday evening, as fireworks are really not my favorite activity in the world.
Saturday, the ankle was very resolute on “I am angered when we bend the ankle this way.” But Saturday was the busiest day for Heritage Days activities, and I tried to avoid bending the ankle in the way it suggested.
Fun thing about tendonitis – if you constantly move on the foot to the point the tendon is getting exercise, the pain does dissipate for a while, right up until it eventually bursts (which did not nor has not happened). So as the day wore on and I was walking, it seemed to get better. And then I’d do something like rest uploading photos in the office or getting lunch at Chameleons and the dull ache would return.
All day Sunday was spent laying on my couch and watching musicals as part of my July movie scavenger hunt after going through a lot of photos for Heritage Days for our photo pages, and some brief pained walks to the bathroom.
Monday was spent mostly at my desk at the office, and starting at around 3 p.m. when I finally took Tylenol because of the dull ache, my ankle reminded me that it was not a happy camper and started muscle spasms. Muscle spasms that lasted all that evening and required me to attend the Lisbon council meeting via Zoom, as my leg did not want to support me getting off my couch. Spasms continued even when I was trying to sleep Monday evening.
Which resulted in Tuesday being the day I went to the clinic to say “Yeah, something’s not right here.”
That’s when doctors confirmed there were no broken bones or torn ligaments they saw in the x-ray, but the tendon I identified as being painful to being touched was my issue. Because nothing was clearly broken and I was a few days in to this flare-up, the doctor reasoned it wasn’t grave enough for full immobilization, just suffer through a few more days of rest and hope it improves. And he was right. I ordered some ankle braces on Amazon just to be safe, but those were delayed until Saturday morning delivery.
With a compression wrap and more leisurely gait, I’ve been told to take it easier for the next couple of weeks. I’ve got Tylenol and Aleve at home and at the office.
If I’m walking with a noticeable limp, it’s because that tendon still hasn’t fully cured. I will say the compression (originally from an ACE bandage and now an ankle support brace), relaxation and increased over the counter painkillers have helped push it back to a much fainter ache, compared to Monday and Tuesday’s “I want to stop you from putting any weight on me at all” I experienced after getting to my apartment.
As well as the reminder that I’m just human.