Thanksgiving 2009 has come and gone, and I’ve managed to get by without any injuries. This stands in stark contrast to Thanksgiving 2008, when I nearly while playing a pickup soccer game.
I’m embarrassed to admit that this injury actually occurred when we were playing with a bunch of kids, all of whom were eleven or under. Beyond this, I wasn’t doing anything particularly strenuous when it happened. Rather, I was just jogging around, playing at about half-speed.
Anatomy of an injury
As the ball rolled past me, I took a step, planted my left foot, and passed it with my right foot. As my right foot came down after kicking the ball, I felt a pain shoot through the back my right heel, near the base of my Achilles tendon.
I spent the next few days in agony, barely able to flex my foot. By Monday, it was starting to feel better so I decided to hold off on visiting the doctors. Soon thereafter, however, it plateaued so I went to see an orthopedist.
The orthopedist confirmed that my achilles was intact. While I had likely strained it, I hadn’t done any major damage, and it was just a matter of time until it would start feeling better. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory and told me to rest it as much as possible, and to also work on stretching it to improve flexibility.
The most unfortunate side effect of this injury is that it totally derailed my fitness program. By the time I was ready to get back at it, we were heading out of town for Christmas and New Year’s, and I wound up struggling to get things back on track.
Another near miss
While I made it through Thanksgiving week unscathed, my wife wasn’t quite as lucky. Last weekend, she actually while we were out playing touch football with the kids. The good news for her is that it was a very minor injury, and she was able to get back on the elliptical within a few days.
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