Accidents happen. You’re doing your thing, and suddenly, life throws a spanner in the works.
You find yourself in the doctor’s office, staring at an MRI scan result, with the top orthopedic surgeon in the county solemnly predicting a grim future for your mobility.
“Good luck walking again,” he says.
It’s a phrase you hope never to hear. But that’s exactly what happened to me.
In 2015, I decided to sign up for parkour classes at the local academy. Parkour has always fascinated me. It’s essentially a structured version of what we did as kids: vaulting over railings, climbing up drainpipes, running up walls, rolling around… all that fun stuff, but with proper training.
Inspired by shows like “Green Arrow”and with a strong background in competitive gymnastics, I felt like this was something I was meant to do.
So, at the age of 46, I finally took the plunge.
For a while, things were going great. I was learning, improving, and loving every second of it.
Then one day, during a seemingly innocent jump, disaster struck and my worst nightmare came true. My knees gave out with a bang, a crack, and a wallop.
I ended up completely benched, living on my boyfriend’s sofa for 3 weeks, my left leg worse than the right, and my life turned upside down.
Want to skip to the good stuff and find out how I made a full recovery?
Get my e-book and read the full story of how I beat the odds.
Beating the odds: how I recovered from a bruised bone without help
Accidents happen. You’re doing your thing, and suddenly, life throws a spanner in the works. You find yourself in the doctor’s office, staring at an MRI scan result, with the top orthopedic surgeon in the county solemnly predicting a grim…
Thanks to a fortuitous set of circumstances I found myself with access to a superb team of knee specialists at Basildon Hospital (Essex, UK). Initially, they couldn’t find anything wrong with the X-Rays. It wasn’t until an orthopedic surgeon with a flair for drama saw me that I was rushed into an MRI machine.
The scan revealed the truth about my injury and it was grim: extensive bone bruising around my left knee (the bones looked like a crackled paint effect), some ligament damage but with the menisci intact and, overall “in good shape, all considered”. Surgery was off the table due to my age and, although I was royally pissed off at the time, in hindsight I consider that a blessing.
The surgeon’s partying words?
I would make a full recovery, eventually, but I might never walk properly again.
I refused to accept that verdict. The surgeon, acknowledging my fitness background, initially refused to refer me for physiotherapy as he considered me better equipped. He was right, physiotherapy (which I eventually got) proved to be ineffective. So, I designed my own rehab plan.
What exactly is bone bruising and how can it be treated?
Bone bruising (aka microfractures) is a result of a traumatic injury but also stress to the affected bones arising from repetitive overload of the area when it’s not strong enough to take it and not giving it enough time to adapt and repair itself. This, in everyday English, means overdoing it whether it’s working, running, walking, jumping. The symptoms include excruciating pain, swelling, change in the colour of the skin, and stiffness of the joint if one is affected.
The remodeling of fractures is an incredibly complex process and there is still much to be learned about it.
First of all, when it comes to “ordinary bone maintenance” our bodies essentially carry out two tasks every day: remove old and damaged tissue (osteoclastic process) and replace it with new and healthy tissue (osteoblastic process) in an attempt to reach homeostasis (i.e. keep the status quo).
When bone bruising occurs the osteoblastic process now also needs to fill in all the tiny little cracks making up the microfractures as well as carrying out “ordinary maintenance”. When the trauma initially occurs an acute inflammatory response is triggered. Although painful and uncomfortable for the patient, this reaction is essential to initiate healing and, contrary to what the “Ibuprofen” brigade would have you believe, shouldn’t be suppressed. This phase peaks for approximately a week and then gradually gets less strong but never goes away throughout the various stages of the healing process.
Following the initial inflammation phase, the process of bone regeneration starts: at first the body generates a fibrous granulation tissue at the site of the injury which is then followed by the formation of a collagen matrix made up of a number of molecules that are being recruited and extracted from surrounding tissues (including bone marrow, soft tissue, periosteum, etc.).
The formation of new blood vessels at the site of the injury is the next important process followed by the mineralization of the fibrous granulation tissue. At this stage, although the bones have reacquired some degree of mechanical rigidity they aren’t fully healed yet. It is at this stage of the healing process that osteoclasts and osteoblasts get really to work to reabsorb the hardened callus and replace it with lamellar bone deposition in situ.
This incredibly complex sequence of events can take months and even years to fully regenerate a broken bone. In my specific case, I was advised that it might take up to a year from the moment the injury occurred and possibly longer due to my age. (As it turned out it took almost 3 years to make a full recovery).
Want to hear the full story?
Steps to recovery from bone bruising
1. Acceptance
The first step in my recovery was acceptance. It’s OK to be miserable for a bit, but then you must move on. Fully and wholeheartedly accepting the situation for what it was allowed me to focus on how to turn it around. It’s essential to believe that you can improve, even if progress is slow and the future uncertain.
2. Rest and nutrition
Bone bruising is like a thousand tiny fractures. The healing process is slow and excruciating. Rest is crucial. Your body needs A LOT of sleep to heal, and you must allow it to do so.
Alongside rest, nutrition plays a significant role. I cranked up my calorie intake to ridiculous levels, focusing on protein to help my body repair. It was a bit of a financial strain, but necessary.
3. Supplements
To combat inflammation and support healing, I increased my intake of antioxidants. I found turmeric (curcumin) and resveratrol particularly effective. Supplementing vitamins and minerals essential for bone and tissue repair was another critical aspect of my recovery.
4. Movement and exercise
Once the initial pain subsided, I began to reintroduce movement. It started with small steps around the house, gradually increasing to more structured exercise. This gentle reintroduction was vital. I used machines at the gym to isolate movements, ensuring I didn’t overstrain my recovering joints.
Finding Joy in Movement Again
As my healing progressed and I became more nimble, I knew I needed to find something enjoyable that I could do at home with limited space and that I could stick with long-term. I discovered GMB Elements first and then Animal Flow. They both focuse on low-impact, movement-based exercises that are fun and engaging. These practices not only helped me regain strength and mobility but also kept me motivated.
By 2018, I was confident enough to take and pass the Animal Flow instructor courses. This was a huge milestone in my recovery as I declared myself officially healed.
Back to Parkour
Finally, in November 2021, I went full circle and returned to Parkour. It was a triumphant moment, and despite the long healing journey, my knees were stronger than ever. The scar tissue had fortified my bones, enabling me to perform even bigger jumps than before my injury.
But even so, it took a while to accept that at this point in my recovery from the bone bruising, my chances of getting injured again were the same as anyone else’s. I had to dig deep into my faith reserves but I did it and, as of 2024 and now being 55, my Parkour practice keeps improving. I’m also doing gymnastics at least once a week and my left knee is hardly ever the body part that gives me grief while my DOMS reigns supreme.
Lessons Learned
This experience taught me the importance of resilience and self-belief, something I used to struggle with big time.
When faced with a grim diagnosis, it’s important to take it on board, but it’s even more important to listen to your body and instincts.
Research, experiment, adapt, and find joy in the healing process.
Injuries don’t have to be the end of your active life. They can be a new beginning, a chance to rebuild your body stronger and smarter.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, although in the moment it totally sucks donkey’s balls, remember that your body is designed to heal. Provide it with the right environment, rest, nutrition, and movement, and it will work tirelessly to recover.
For a more detailed account of my recovery, the exercises, movements, and tips that made a difference, check out my eBook. And if you need guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m here to help, sharing from experience because I received so little help myself when I needed it most.
Beating the odds: how I recovered from a bruised bone without help
Accidents happen. You’re doing your thing, and suddenly, life throws a spanner in the works. You find yourself in the doctor’s office, staring at an MRI scan result, with the top orthopedic surgeon in the county solemnly predicting a grim…
References:
Marsell, R. and Einhorn, T. A. “The biology of fracture healing” – PMC3105171 [NCBI]
Marsh, DR and Li, G, 1999, The biology of fracture healing: Optimising outcome, British Medical Bulletin, 55(4):856-869
J. Jamdar, et al., Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 2004,
10 (6): 915-916.
Eneroth, M, Olsson, UB, and Thorngren, KG. 2006. Nutritional supplementation decreases hip fracture-related complications, Clin Ortho and Related Res, 451:212-217