I’m not quite 30, and yet I have already been diagnosed with two syndromes: patellofemoral and cubital tunnel. The good news about these is that they are treatable with physical therapy and lifestyle changes.

With the patellofemoral, my kneecaps like to slide off course and grind into my femur. Sounds lovely, no? I started PT this month and have a daily regimen of various exercises to strengthen specific areas of my legs. The good part is that my legs are already quite strong from spinning, so that’s helpful. Today the therapist showed me how to tape my knee.  It feels a bit awkward but it is helpful. Looks like I’ll be buying some fancy tape in the near future. The therapy is helpful, but it’s extremely slow-going. This is not going to be an overnight quick fix. But I will be ever so happy to have normal knees again! Feeling like I’m 80 with arthritis is no walk in the park (pun intended).

The other syndrome involves the ulnar nerve in my left arm getting pinched by my elbow and making a couple fingers in my hand go numb. At this point, treating this deals with lifestyle changes. I am not supposed to carry Logan (or anything heavy) with my left arm. I have mostly curbed this habit, but it takes a conscious effort as I’m right-handed and carrying items with my left arm is just natural. It also helps that Logan wants to walk everywhere, but there are times when I need to pick him up. I also need to not keep my arm bend for long periods of time: hold my Nook with my right hand, hold the steering wheel of my car towards the bottom, and move my computer keyboard from atop my desk to my lap.

This last step has proven a challenge so far. My desk is a behemoth piece of oak furniture, which has a leg opening that is narrower than my chair. I also need to remove the arms from my chair, so I an not tempted to lean on them, putting pressure on the nerve. I tried putting my keyboard on my lap, but I can’t keep my legs bent for long periods of time, and when I straightened them the keyboard would slide. Nice catch 22, no? Plus, the cords made movement a challenge. Now, I’m on the hunt for a good lap table. I have a laptop desk, which I may bring into work, and I just ordered a wireless mouse and keyboard. My work is only spending freeze, so I know there’s no way they would provide them for me. And I’m pretty sure that cubital-tunnel syndrome doesn’t qualify as a disability. 😉

If the lifestyle changes do not help the nerve, the next step would be to put my elbow in a brace to prevent it from being severely bent. That doesn’t exactly sound comfortable.

Well see how this all progresses. At least, I have a doctor’s and a therapist’s order to continue spinning. 🙂