I have been an avid runner, soccer player, and bike rider since my early teen years and as such my legs have always been my powerhouse. But sadly, after only a few weeks of forced inactivity, my left calve muscles have atrophied an enormous amount. Although this is normal for someone in my circumstances, it’s depressing that muscles that took years to develop can disappear in a matter of weeks. My left calve has become remarkably skinny and jiggles now like the flabby underarm of a sedentary 80 year old. It looks disturbingly scrawny and out of place attached to my thigh, which has retained its muscle mass.

Although my leg has gone south surprisingly fast, one group of muscles has definitely benefited from this whole ordeal. My arms have never been very strong; they were always a bit reminiscent of the underdeveloped arms of a T-Rex. But now, thanks to crutching around and pulling myself up the stairs, my arm and shoulder muscles have become amazingly solid. Since these muscles became much more defined very quickly I haven’t quite grown accustomed to them. They seem very foreign to me, like they don’t really belong on my body, almost as much as my atrophied leg.

It will most likely take months for my leg muscles to return to normal. In the meantime I will enjoy my new arms. I plan to continue regularly working them out, to keep my new found muscle mass, long after the crutches are gone.