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[pct-l] Re-introduction



>>Did anyone else suffer from sore knees after his/her thruhike?  I can walk on
flat ground but jogging and/or uphill or downhill walking is still too
painful.  How long until the soreness goes away?<<

One thought is that walking has developed some muscles to extreme, put
others on hold, tightened up some others, and any combination of the
above.  There is not necessarily any damage when chronic knee pain is
experienced.  The musculature adjusts and changes according to use, and
one consequence may be pain somewhere.  I speak from experience.  I went
to a sports medicine doctor for chronic knee pain and he said that I had
"tight buns."

My gluteus minimus muscles were so tight to be dysfunctional, and my
hamstrings were tight as well.  This had the consequence of painful
knees during any hiking, and some swelling.  A year after this pain
started, I developed what I thought was some form of plantar fascitis,
or heel spurs.  

The sports medicine witchdoctor spent an hour pushing, pulling, having
me do all sorts of strange things before diagnosing.  I did two
stretching exercises four or five times a day for two weeks and the knee
pain went away.  I went back a year later for the heel pain and he said
I hadn't continued to stretch long enough.  The heel pain was a function
of tight buns...

I'm a convert to sports medicine!

Jeffrey Olson
Laramie, WY
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