This caught me completely off guard. Yesterday, I could feel a small, niggling pain around my knee area. So small, it was easy to ignore and go about the day the way i'm accustomed to. That includes the occasional long walks and running to chase trams and trains.
In the afternoon, while walking up the stairs going to the loo, it hit. A sharp pain on my knee that left me frozen for a few seconds. The pain reminds me of those "day after the marathon" or "day after mountain climbing" muscle pains. Most often, this is the by-product of overworking muscles without adequate warm-up. I'm not sure if that's what happened to me now, but heck, i'm sure about the pain I feel.
Last night, I tried to walk it off and traversed the length of Mong Kok hoping that the pain will go away. For a moment there, my plan was working as the pain began to subside. But upon arriving at my flat and sitting down, it was back, with a vengeance! So, like any old fogey will tell you, I went down to 7-11, bought Salonpas, and plastered it all over my knee. And it didn't work as well as I expected.
Today, i'm an injured man.
I'm a person stuck in perpetual slow motion since my knee is preventing me from moving any faster. My walking rate is just 25% of my normal pace, which means it'll take me 4 times longer to get to where I want to go. (And today, i'm planning to go to Sheung Wan because I heard they've got new jeans!)There's a noticeable limp when I walk, and yes, there is still a big Salonpas patch stuck on my knee - and since i'm wearing shorts, it's there for everyone to see.
There are upsides to being injured, though. I went to Park & Shop downstairs to get groceries this morning, so I was limping back home carrying 4 bags. Someone actually offered to help me carry the bags all the way to the lift. While she was already carrying 2 bags in one hand, she was using the other to try and balance me. Then there's the MTR guard who assisted me in going up the stairs. It was a surreal sight, though, an old-ish, short Chinese guard assisting a tall, healthy-looking young guy. It was a reversal of roles kind of thing.
Oh well, this knee thing must be my body's way of telling me to slow down. I guess i've been very busy and always in a rush the past few months. This is definitely a good excuse to take things a bit slower.
2 comments:
You should have that checked Lester. It could be something worse than what you think it is. Funny how you still think of chasing after those new jeans! You're so jean-aholic, it's hot! Take care, ok?
Thanks, Mark. The pain went away after a day, so I think it wasn't that serious. Besides, I'd rather have this knee checked in Manila where my doctors are. I feel iffy having anything looked at here.
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