stress fracture and meniscus tear...what now?

megs4413

started going hard at the gym about 6 weeks ago and my knees started to hurt. The MRI on one revealed a stress fracture in my tibia and a meniscus tear. I'm on crutches for the foreseeable future. I don't want to decondition terribly, I've worked so hard! What kind of things can I do at home that don't include weight bearing on my legs? Is there any benefit to trying to work out at home with an injury like this? Help!

TavistockToad

Speak to your doctor about a referral to a physio

sijomial

There's a huge benefit in terms of preventing as much muscle loss as you can.
It's two part: generally avoiding being inactive (walking on crutches is also great for traps and triceps!) and doing specific exercises that doesn't aggravate your injuries or interfere with your healing.

But you need professional advice on what you can do with your specific injuries.
I had two major knee injuries and non-weight bearing for 3 months but didn't have the tibia injury so what I was allowed to do/encouraged to do may not be appropriate for you.

collectingblues

What does your ortho recommend/say in terms of activity?

I have a stress fracture in my foot, and my ortho was *very* clear about what was and wasn't allowed. I'd be hesitant to give you advice, since I don't know your specific limitations.

But for things that involve sitting -- you could do core work, kettlebell, hand weights, etc. Does your gym have any weight systems that you could use?

muedra52

Pool running.

Lean59man

Muscles have a memory and will quickly return to your previous level.

You can still train upper body if it doesn't cause you discomfort but make sure to take some time for healing.

However, the gym will still be there when you are better so relax and don't be OCD about missing some workouts.

Don't overeat.

Just about everybody has meniscus tears in their knees. Most don't even notice them.

Don't jump into knee surgery. Rest up and let your fracture heal. Let your knees calm down.

Most likely you won't need knee surgery.

Don't overdo it when the time is right to resume training. You went too hard, too soon.

spiriteagle99

Definitely ask your doctor what he recommends in terms of exercise. Probably not much, at least for the first month or six weeks. When I had a pelvic stress fracture, my doctor told me to rest. I didn't take it as seriously as I should have, and continued to walk the dog every day and do obedience training. That activity lengthened healing time by at least two months. Better to rest completely, frustrating as it is, than to not be able to exercise for 6 or 8 months.

I decided to use the time to really focus on my eating and ended up losing 8 pounds while injured. You don't have to get fat just because you aren't exercising.

SonyaCele

You should also focus on how you injured yourself so you don't do it again .

ijsantos2005

Curious. What caused it?