Working Around an Injury

I have two broken feet and a broken finger.

Anyone know of any good exercises that I can do with these types of injuries?

I can't do squats, can't do push ups, can't do much of anything besides crunches.

Any other ideas?

Also there are no pools near me. Thanks.

I've already gained 10 lbs. I don't want to buy new jeans.

Do you have access to a pool? If so, get in the water! Swimming has cardio benefits and is a full body exercise to boot (pardon the expression).

Aside from that I can't stress enough to let your injuries heal. The absolute worst thing you can do is try to come back too soon and end up re-injuring yourself. Be patient and follow your doctor's and/or PT's plan for rehab...and in all things, listen to your body.

reply to post by RomaSempre


As I stated, no pools in area.

I am aware of the need to heal, that's why I am wondering if anyone knows any work around exercises.

You may be able to do situps, or partial situps. Stretching and even working with one arm will help cardio. I had 23 major surgeries. My whole right side has been rebuilt with titanium plates in the femur, pelvis, and a titanium rod inside the tibia. I had a compression fracture of the L1 with disc herniations in the T11-T12, L3-L4, L1-L2, and a GSW to the shoulder, neck and head. All I can do really is swim, and walking, which you can't do with the feet broke.

However, I want to tell you the biggest problem I have is with the weight gain during the downtime. It has been the hardest thing for me to turn around. Make sure you monitor your diet accordingly. I worked out what I could. Even if I did leg raises on one side only it helped to keep me active. You can gently do leg raises if it doesn't hurt too much. But anything you can do until you heal up to keep yourself active is better than nothing at all. It is just something to do to get through this time of healing and you can catch up when you are better.

spirit_horse
You may be able to do situps, or partial situps. Stretching and even working with one arm will help cardio. I had 23 major surgeries. My whole right side has been rebuilt with titanium plates in the femur, pelvis, and a titanium rod inside the tibia. I had a compression fracture of the L1 with disc herniations in the T11-T12, L3-L4, L1-L2, and a GSW to the shoulder, neck and head. All I can do really is swim, and walking, which you can't do with the feet broke.

However, I want to tell you the biggest problem I have is with the weight gain during the downtime. It has been the hardest thing for me to turn around. Make sure you monitor your diet accordingly. I worked out what I could. Even if I did leg raises on one side only it helped to keep me active. You can gently do leg raises if it doesn't hurt too much. But anything you can do until you heal up to keep yourself active is better than nothing at all. It is just something to do to get through this time of healing and you can catch up when you are better.

edit on 14/10/13 by spirit_horse because: (no reason given)

Yeah it's really tough. I've always been lanky and now suddenly I am gaining weight.

The hardest part is trying to figure out cardio.

I have been doing this rotisserie workout from this webpage for some form of weight exercise but it's hard to find something to take over the cardio.

scoobysworkshop.com...

I will try the stretching and see if I can get my heart rate up at all.

How does a person break two feet and a finger may I ask. How are the feet broken, will pulling on the leg tendons cause them to get worse?

The weight you gained may be water weight, sometimes the body does that in response to physical stress. Pain relievers also can cause bloating, they may reduce liver and kidney output under some situations. When the pain relievers go bye bye or the injury starts to get more healed, the water goes away. Just don't be pigging out on too many carbs in the meantime. Try to get a moderate amount of light exercise if you can, but don't be pushing it.

rickymouse
How does a person break two feet and a finger may I ask. How are the feet broken, will pulling on the leg tendons cause them to get worse?

The weight you gained may be water weight, sometimes the body does that in response to physical stress. Pain relievers also can cause bloating, they may reduce liver and kidney output under some situations. When the pain relievers go bye bye or the injury starts to get more healed, the water goes away. Just don't be pigging out on too many carbs in the meantime. Try to get a moderate amount of light exercise if you can, but don't be pushing it.

My feet have broken metatarsal bones after slipping off a ledge and landing harshly. Also that's how I broke my finger.

I'm not currently on pain killers.

This isn't water weight. I don't have a high salt diet and as sad as it is for me to admit, my pants are snug after a few weeks.

I don't eat carbs either, I am on a ketogenic diet.

Isometrics might be your only option. Or try to do simple stretches and crunches? I'm guessing with two broken feet, most everything is painful or clumsy.

And is there no YMCA or anything near by. Are you sure there's no pool?
Even a big hot tub would do

reply to post by OrphanApology


Your going to eventually have to go to physical therapy aren't you. See if you can get a consult with them. They will probably be able to point you in the right direction.

It's nice to see some one being proactive about their recovery.

Low mobility? weight gain? Ayurveda to start eating a healthy diet and Yoga for Your body, meditation for Your mind. There are quite a few videos on YouTube™ |'d start out w/a very low impact i.e. Yoga for Seniors or similar.

TDawgRex
reply to post by OrphanApology

 

Your going to eventually have to go to physical therapy aren't you. See if you can get a consult with them. They will probably be able to point you in the right direction.

It's nice to see some one being proactive about their recovery.

I own my business so if I'm not working, no money. No money, no health insurance. No health insurance, no way to afford the overpriced healthcare in America.

Physical therapy is outside of what I can afford right now. I have to figure something out I can do all by myself.

LewisStulePhD
Low mobility? weight gain? Ayurveda to start eating a healthy diet and Yoga for Your body, meditation for Your mind. There are quite a few videos on YouTube™ |'d start out w/a very low impact i.e. Yoga for Seniors or similar.

Broken feet and finger, yoga is not possible right now.

reply to post by OrphanApology


I'm in a similar situation insurance wise. Can you afford a exercise ball? It provides many low impact exercises that you should be able to perform. Many of them come with a workout CD as well.

It is working for me and my back injury...though the healing is slow going.

BTW, once you are back on your feet, take it slow the first six months so you don't aggravate the injuries. You should be back to full speed within a year as long as none of the bones are fused. Also you can probably expect some arthritis to set in earlier than it would have. That happens when you injure the joints.

reply to post by TDawgRex


Yeah I have a medicine ball. I guess I could add that to the crunches. Also one thing I've noticed is when I use the other three fingers without the one that's broken, they start hurting around the metacarpal bones I guess because the one finger is stressed and pushed away because of the splint. I guess your bones are supposed to work together at the same time or it causes stress.

Maybe I will make a weight bag from water and put it around shins and do some bicycles.

I fear that my broken finger will fuse together but there's not much I can do at this point. The hospitals around here place things on your credit report after 30 days of non-payment. If that happens I won't be able to keep my business open because of various credit lines I need from time to time. I am hoping it's a simple fracture and I will be up and about in six to eight weeks.

If not I'll probably have to close my business to and go work for a corporation that has employer tied medical insurance. This nation makes it almost impossible for small businesses to function. Between the taxes and the health insurance industry you'd almost think they want everyone to be a slave to big corp.

I will try the medicine ball though and see if that works to increase cardio value.

reply to post by OrphanApology


Good luck and I wish you a speedy recovery.

One more thing though, be aware of any exercise that may put unneeded stress on your back, such as flutterkicks or Hello Dolly. Sit Ups and Crunches can be hard on the spinal column as well. You don't need to add back pain to your problems.

reply to post by TDawgRex


Thanks, I'll be sure to put a blanket/stuff some clothes at bottom of back for arch support, make sure I don't put too much weight.

10 Tips For Injury Work-Arounds

1.Nutrition
2. Know When To Tough It Out
3. Use The RICE Method
4. Train With Lighter Weights And Higher Reps
5. Be Creative
6.Work Around the Pain
7.Use Proper Form
8.Warm Up Properly
9.Stay Positive
10.Rehab & Prevention

Foods4betterhealth.com

reply to post by OrphanApology


I'm so sorry for your injuries and hope you fully recover. I'm not sure if this would be possible, but I know these leg lifts can tone! If I think of anything else, I'll post it.

Edit: Videos are messing up. It's called Side Lying Leg Lifts, try this Youtube links for examples:

Youtube

reply to post by Ameilia


Thanks for the suggestion. I think I could do those without any problem as they wouldn't interfere with my boots or put pressure on feet. I will try those tomorrow when I do workout plan and see if they help with getting heart rate up at all.