My Knees Were Failing Me Mid-Run Every morning for about eighteen months, I dreaded the first three miles. My left knee would swell slightly by mile two. By mile four, a dull ache settled in just below the kneecap. It…
Every morning for about eighteen months, the base of my left thumb screamed at me before I even got out of bed. Gripping my coffee mug felt like squeezing broken glass. Turning a key, opening a jar, pulling on a…
Six weeks ago, my L4-L5 herniated disc flared up worse than it had in years. Getting out of bed felt like someone had wedged a hot knife between my vertebrae. Simple tasks — tying my shoes, loading the dishwasher, sitting…
Six weeks after my IT band release surgery, I was already tired of hobbling around my apartment. My right knee felt unstable every time I took a step. The surgeon had cleared me to start light walking, but I had…
Every morning for about eighteen months, I woke up wincing. Rolling out of bed felt like a punishment. The pain started deep in my lower back, just to the right of my spine, and radiated down into my hip and…
For the past three years, my upper back felt like it was slowly folding in on itself. Every afternoon around 2 p.m., a dull ache would creep across my shoulder blades. My neck felt stiff by dinner. When I finally…
Every single morning for nearly eight months, my first step out of bed felt like stepping onto broken glass. That sharp, stabbing pain in my left heel would shoot straight up through my arch the moment my foot hit the…
Six weeks after my rotator cuff repair surgery, I was miserable. My arm was pinned awkwardly against my chest in a standard sling, my neck was stiff, and I hadn’t slept more than three hours in a row since the…
Every morning for nearly three years, putting on my shoes felt like a small act of courage. My left ankle would ache the moment I stood up — a deep, grinding soreness that radiated toward my heel and up into…
Every morning for the past eighteen months, I woke up with my right hand completely numb. Pins and needles shot from my wrist all the way up to my elbow. I’d shake it out, flex my fingers, and wait for…
