The results of an MRI shows a stress fracture in the tibia of my left leg. I am SO disappointed!!! It’s a 4-6 week recovery before I can start exercising on it again. CDT 1 : Kate 0. I WILL BE BACK, to even the score, CDT. But probably not this year.
I suspect what happened was that my left leg still wasn’t very strong coming out of the rehab I had done on the left ankle leading up to this trip, and it wasn’t up to the task.
Here’s how I think it unfolded:
I sprained my ankle last June trail running, by August I thought it had gotten better but my knee developed a problem.
I saw a sports med doc about the knee on and off for the next 6 mths and despite the treatments it kept getting inflammed and sore.
Early March I saw a physio therapist to see if something else was happening, she figured out pretty quickly my ankle was causing my gait to change and that was putting stress on my knee, I spent hours a day rehabbing the ankle and adjusting my gait back to normal and a couple of weeks before this trip I had achieved that. I had been carrying a loaded pack and walking 10 mile days, but not concurrently. Outlook was for 99% chance of a successful hike, so things were looking very good!
However, all of the muscles etc in that leg weren’t as strong as my right leg, and so when subjected to walking in soft sand, long miles and a heavy pack it was under stress. The cherry on top was when I developed the blister under my left toe and in my efforts not to change my gait, I think I over compensated and pronated too much. At some point my leg decided enough was enough and it developed a stress fracture.
While it seems like the end of the world to me, and it sure does, it’s certainly not, and the trail will always be here.
Embrace the Brutality (until it takes you down)
– Elevated
