A Faster Clop

I was feeling a bit sorry for myself in the last few weeks. It seemed that no matter what I did, how much I rested, whether or not I took medication or where I went, I was in pain enough that I couldn't sit, stand or lean comfortably. It was like the Monostat commercials, I kept changing positions & moving chairs until it got so bad I didn't want to go anywhere with anyone. I was just too damned miserable.

I started thinking about what might be causing all the pain. I've been trying to increase my steps to strengthen my right knee - nothing like not being able to go places that makes you want to go there. Most of the pain was in my shins, the inner knees & right hip. My injured knee got wobbly from the pain & my left wrist ached constantly.
I thought about shoes. I pronate or roll to the inside of my foot when I walk. My expensive shoes help with that problem. They're about 7 months old but for most of that time, I wasn't walking much at all.
And then there's that cane, which I hate, that might be changing my gait. Figuring it might be cheaper to leave the cane in the car than buy new shoes, I started by leaving the cane in the car for the short walks. Most of my trips are short walks. Go to the coffee shop. Go to the bank. Go to the drug store, you get my drift. Going to Safeway is different. It's a much longer walk from parking to buggy. I prefer to park by the buggy returns even though I have a parking pass & sometimes they're empty. But, I left the damned cane in the car. And guess what?? Friday, I had a whole list of errands to do & went to 4 different places where I walked without the cane. I came home a little wobbly & sore & had to have a nap because I was so tired from the unaccustomed activity. I was a little stiff the next day & my injured knee ached a little but nothing else hurt, not even the hip.  I think I solved the problem.