When I was lying in bed on Sunday night unable to get off to sleep I found that I could flex my left knee and it would make a very satisfying clonking sound. I have to admit that I did it quite a lot; I enjoyed hearing the clonking sound. It's the simple pleasures in life that are so rewarding.
On Monday my left knee was fine, for the most part. It felt a little achey and stiff after I had been sitting for any length of time, but wasn't a problem once I got moving. Yesterday it hurt much more and I had a pronounced limp (l.i.m.p.- pronounced 'limp') and I found it quite painful going down stairs. In the evening it seemed worse and only really stopped hurting when I was lying down. Lying down is one of my favourite things, so that wasn't too much of a hardship. Gentle experimentation showed me that the satisfying clonk had gone, to be replaced by an 'ow' sound coming from my mouth every time I tried it. I stopped trying it.
This morning it seems a little easier and, sort of, frees up after I've taken a few uncomfortable steps. Downstairs is still painful, but upstairs is fine; so I suppose the only way is up! I hope it continues to make progress over the next couple of days so that it is back to what passes for normal in time for the week-end. I don't blame my left knee for rebelling and going clonk, after all, I'm sure it's had a lot to put up with over the years. It's just that I have never really considered the importance of a knee before. It's like everything else, you only miss it when it doesn't work properly.
So, this is sage advice for my friends; if your knee goes 'clonk' when you can't sleep, stop doing it because the 'ows' are sure to follow.
