Biomechanics

If I have any advice to give to anyone over 50, it's to look after your injuries.

I see this over and over again. A little incident happens: you carry too much stuff, there's a twist, a stumble, a pain. You don't think about it at the time and carry on.

Then after a few weeks the pain really starts, it get's worse, doesn't go away.

This happened to my left leg two years ago. After 9 months of doctor appointments, x-rays, MRI scans, more pain, more waiting I finally went to a private consultant.

After paying pretty much a grand my knee damage was solved by fitting a leg brace. This miracle of modern engineering redistributed the pressure applied to my bones allowing the injury to heal and me to walk.

My left knee is mended.

However...

It seems that my trip up the Georgia Caucasus Mountains gave me the same injury in my other leg. This is not uncommon.

In considerable pain I took the risk of going back to the biomechanics and asking for the same brace for the other leg. She advised me to get a proper diagnosis but in the mean time my risk seems to be paying off.

So far, so good. Less pain.

Interestingly my specialist had an injury herself. As a speed skier, she got  a neck injury after a fall several months ago. In considerable pain she was only now going for an MRI scan.

We are all fallible.