Low HR Training

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How are you feeling Ace? (Read 570 times)

    Good luck with that - do you have access to a pool? Maybe you can sneak in some swimming for some very low impact stuff.
    Yes- we belong to a Y and my wife says they have a water-running setup. I've never done it but may try this weekend. I won't have any trouble with the elliptical, as the pain walking around has diminished in the past week to almost nothing. I had never heard about the calf flexibility thing (15 degrees) before yesterday. Some runners are naturally flexible and can hit 15 degrees+ without stretching, and others need to stretch a lot to get there. The doctor had me sit with my legs straight out with toes pointed up. With relaxed leg muscles, he pushed against the bottoms of my feet (so that my toes went towards my body, kind of like trying to flex your front shin muscles) and then he measured the angle where the foot meets the ankle. It makes sense that one can get away with a little less flexibility for flat running, but I can see why one would need more for hills.
      I am 100% sure what is wrong with me, which is Pseudothrombophlebitis (rupture of a Baker's cyst). A Baker's cyst is not really a true cyst, but rather a buildup of synovial fluid. Synovial fluid is produced inside the knee for lubrication of the joint. For one reason or another, this fluid is escaping the knee joint. This is likely due to a small cartilage tear (a small enough tear that normally would not cause any problems or much pain). When the cyst ruptures, the fuild flows into the calf region and causes intense and instant pain/swelling in the calf. In both cases when I had a lot of pain, the pain started in the back of my knee and quickly moved into the calf. For the next few days afterward, the back of knee seemed fine but the calf was in bad shape. My calf has a huge light reddish bruise (for a month now). The bruise is very itchy and the skin is very hard and bumpy, which is caused by the synovial fluid irritating the skin. However, the pain basically disappears in 3-7 days and I can run pain free. This past Sunday- my calf had a burning sensation, but not the quick intense pain I had before. Since Sunday, the burning sensation in my calf has turned into intense itching again. The area of redness is brighter red and bigger than a few days ago. I think this time I had a slow leak of synovial fluid into my calf instead of a large rupture that locked up the calf instantly. I have read several places that symptoms of Pseudothrombophlebitis resembles a calf tear, so I am not too upset with the doctor that misdiagnosed me with a calf tear. This is actually better news in that I am not really very injured compared with having a muscle tear. The bad news is that it is a ticking time bomb. I might go out and run and be fine, or once in awhile I may run and have another rupture/leaking of synovial fluid that will lock up my calf without much notice. I am not sure what to do now. I have zero faith that a typical orthopedic doctor can help. I may be able to search and find a doctor with some experience with this syndrome. I am having a hard time finding much online, and what I do find is somewhat contradictory as far as treatment. This probably explains things better I can.. http://www.genou.com/anglais/poplitealcyst/poplitealcyst.htm
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