We all know the knee is an important part of movement and needs respecting and looking after. I have always been conscious of my knees, especially the right one.
When I was a little younger, I used to train for MMA, this I did for 3 years but after a series of training fight, my right knee kept giving way. Every time, I acted out the final fight scene like Danny Larusso in Karate Kid, rolling around on the mat after having the knee swept by those nasty bigger boys!!! It used to make me feel physically sick and finally I paid a visit to the doctor to be checked out. This ended my fighting career, hyper-extension in the knee ligaments which resulted in 6 months of physio. From what I remember my knee cap was floating a little too much and I was told I could carry on but I would eventually end up in wheel chair.
Fast forward a number of years, well to the 7th May 2017 and my final climb up Fangs Brow for the Fred Whitton Challenge. The feeling started to return and steadily got worse as the ride went on. It was a tough decision to make but I also know when to cut my losses. The knock on affect for my main job would have been disastrous and my wife would not have been too happy if I took my usual pigheaded approach. So I came to rest at the top of the climb and if you read my previous blog you will know how much this pained me.
After meeting up with my fellow rider Ian, back at the start, he explained my next plan of action and all hell would break loose if I ignored him. He can be quite persuasive.
A doctors appointment was booked and to cover myself I booked a sports physio appointment with Jon at Shepherds Physiotherapy. Due to the cyber attacks my appointment with the GP was cancelled and I knew the backlog of appointments would be huge, this is not a medical emergency so decided not to pursue it.
I arrived at Shepherds Physiotherapy and warmly welcomed by Jon. Firstly we discussed the ride, my injury and what had happened since. I had stayed off the bike for 10 days, only once having an easy spin on the rollers. All seemed fine but you never know what is going on around the joint. He checked my knee and there was still signs of swelling. He explained that I had aggravated the suprapatellar bursa, one of the small sacks of fluid that aids in the smooth movement of the knee. There could be an underlying issue somewhere else in my body and the ride had certainly added a lot of pressure to this bursa and caused the inflammation. I was just happy there was no long lasting damage.
Next he asked me to complete some simple exercises to see my range of motion, it became evident there were limitations on my right side. I was asked to lay on the table and Jon started to apply some pressure on the right side of my back. A range of muscles called the Ilopsoas in my back had become tight, he was applying pressure to release the tension. It could be an area that needs revisiting or it could all be fine after one session of poking. This man has magic hands.
Once I got off the table and stopped feeling dizzy. My fault, I got up too quick, I completed the same range exercises and was now even on both sides. He provided a brief explanation of what was going on and what affect the tightness of these muscles can have on cycling and a cyclist’s power. He had now released my POWER!!!!! that must have been what has been holding me back all this time.
His final words were “take it easy, it will take a few weeks for everything to settle down.” I planned to meet the rest of the Back On Track CC for a spin and if 19.5mph average over 45 miles is taking it easy then I am sorted.