I get by with a little support....

I didn't mention this, but I got a "jumper's knee" strap the other day. I have a bulky neoprene brace left over from my roller derby days (torn PCL) and I ran in it the other day. It helped, but it was obnoxiously large and cumbersome. I had been reading up on knee injuries and somebody recommended one of those little strap dealies. I've seen people running in them and I couldn't imagine how something that small could do any good (that's what she said), but the more I read, the more people swore by them.

$13.99 at Walgreens later, and holy crap, that thing is amazing. It really is supportive and stabilizing.

...and it doesn't cover the ink!!!

Now my knee is starting to feel a little less like Jackie Chan kicked it. This is good.

I added it to my collection. I realized the other day that I am adding on to a ridiculous amount of injury support gear:

-ankle brace (around here somewhere - from spraining my ankle playing softball in high school. And before you think I'm some athlete or something, I got cut from the school team. This was church league.)

-wrist brace (tendonitis in my waitressing days)

-two knee braces - the generic one and a fancy one, from the derby injury. Luckily that particular tear is an impact injury so it doesn't have nearly as much to do with running as other knee injuries.

-two finger splints - one day, one night (PS - the finger is STILL too swollen to wear my rings on it. I was told it can take several months for the swelling to go down. I got upwards of 95% of my range of motion back in it, though.)

-compression sleeves, if those count

-calf brace from the latest injury

Not to mention that I am never without icy hot, kt tape, aleve, a foam roller, the stick, and a frozen water bottle for rolling around on owie body parts.

Ah, the life of an injury-prone runner....