Having a Wobble

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One thing I hadn't anticipated experiencing in the early stages of retirement was the wobbling phenomenon. It's not so much a gait issue as the realisation that when I try to balance, especially on one leg (as you do) I no longer feel steady. Now, all things considered this could be an age-related issue, but after experiencing a marked and rapid decline in my ability to hold a yoga pose or even stand on tip-toes, coupled with increasing pain in my knees and feet when I undertake bouts of sustained exercise I decided it was time to take professional advice. 

Amazingly my doctor did not dismiss it as a symptom of ageing or even a vivid imagination. Instead she referred me to a consultant to take another look at the degeneration in the knees which is of course common as we hit middle age and beyond, ably assisted in my case by too many pulls and strains whilst skiing. Reassuring me that I am not even on the cusp of requiring knee surgery whilst prescribing some seriously effective painkillers/anti-inflammatories, the consultant in turn referred me to a physiotherapist.

Her initial diagnosis four weeks ago was that  whilst my glutes, quads and hamstrings are all playing their required roles, seriously tight calf muscles are having a deleterious effect. I was duly handed a rubber exercise band and a list of exercises to undertake at home, with a promise to keep up my gym work-outs and classes. Apparently, there's no such thing as too much exercise.

A month later, I can honestly say that steadiness is returning and I returned for a physiotherapy review today. The tightness is disappearing and now centres on the achilles tendon rather than the hamstrings. I have been given more exercises and assured that whilst the degeneration in the knees is irreversible, there is absolutely no reason why balance mode cannot be restored. 

It seems the cause has nothing whatsoever to do with age but rather insufficent stretching out after exercising! Oh la la, my days in the gym are not yet ending and nor is a wheelchair beckoning.

The battle for fitness continues ....


Comments

Kathy @ SMART Living 365.com said…
Hi Caree! I just stumbled (NPI) over from another blog where I saw yours listed. I'm putting together a list of good retirement blogs on the Internet and because I jsut got done with my yoga class (where we practice balance EVERY SINGLE TIME) and I could relate. And thanks for pointing out that even though it is tempting to blame such things on balance, lots of times there are other reasons--like tight hamstrings! Good luck with your stretching AND balancing in the future. I look forward to your progress! ~Kathy
27 December 2017 at 20:35
Jane said…
My hamstrings are tight too - did they say what causes this? I wonder if it is from too much sitting. I need to get back to my daily yoga and walks, I guess. Good that you got that checked out and were taken seriously. I was told by my doctor that the latest strategy with aches and pains is to work through them and stay active, NOT rest.
30 December 2017 at 17:43
Caree Risover said…
Thanks - yess it is invariably in Yoga that I realise I am not alone!
3 January 2018 at 11:29
Caree Risover said…
Don't your hamstrings tighten to help support the pelvis when your hip flexors are tight? I think I'm only just coming to realise how much effect one slightly malfunctioning part of the body has on another, but as you say exercise (and stretching out afterwards) is usually the best strategy.
3 January 2018 at 11:37
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