Working Parts

 In recent years I have had opportunities to appreciate how my body continues to work and move. I am aware that it could have gone another way.

Almost four years ago my left knee started giving me trouble. It would periodically lock up, was sometimes sore, and developed a lump in the back. The osteopath and massage therapist I see worked on it for months. It wasn't fixed but didn't get worse so we took a wait and see attitude. Then just before I was scheduled to fly to Scotland the summer of 2019 my osteopath ordered an ultrasound to make sure it hadn't transitioned into something that could give me trouble; the good news was that it was a cyst and there wasn't much to do beyond what I was already doing. That fall I hit the treadmill regularly, and sometime during my daily walking in 2020 I realized my knee wasn't a bother any longer. No one could have predicted how or when that might happen; I was grateful it took care of itself.

There is particular body part that has given me trouble since I was a child: my ankles. While I am walking they occasionally collapse without reason or warning. Sometimes I can catch myself, and sometimes I go down. One morning on the walk to high school my right ankle turned and I went down hard on my knee. I was wearing the only pantsuit I've ever owned and tore a hole where I landed; I still remember how sorry I was that I chose that outfit that morning. My ankles have been a nuisance over the years, but there has never been a lasting injury.

I wasn't sure that was the case when I went down almost three weeks ago. I got up from the couch and the next thing I knew I was face down on the carpet. I not only turned my right ankle but landed hard on the top of my foot. It was the worst fall I've had due to an ankle turn and hurt so bad I thought I might pass out. I could move my toes and ankle, albeit with care and caution. The swelling and bruising came fast. Ibuprofen and elevation got me through the next few days, and luckily there was no lasting damage. Once it is totally better I intend to "write the alphabet" with my toes to strengthen my ankles. It can't hurt and it might help.

The ability to get back on the treadmill this week was all the sweeter after that fall. I put on my walking shoes and recognize how lucky I am to put one foot in front of another.