Resume routine after injury

emmies_123

Hi all,

So i managed to either heavily bruise or sprain my toe last weekend.
When do I know it is safe to resume my workouts? Majority of my workouts would put pressure on toes.

In the meantime:
Is it safe to use rowing machine if I go slow and position foot so no pressure is by toes?
Is it safe to do upper body weight training from a sitting position (workout at home)?

At first I thought I had sprained it due to inability to walk the day after injury. But it is healing a lot faster than Dr. Google says it should. Today I can put foot flat on floor (while seated) with no discomfort, but still can't walk due to pressure on injured toe.

jennifer_417

Honestly, the smart thing to do would be to check with your Dr. before doing any real exercise.

But if it were me (not doing the smart thing), I'd just do whatever didn't cause any pain, whatever I can while babying the toe.

HoneyBadger302

I'm probably the wrong person to ask - even a broken toe, at most I'll tape it to the one next to it and just go back to doing whatever I was doing before, just perhaps with a slight limp. Then again, I'm also the same person who was racing my moto one week after a surgery on my leg with stitches all up the inside of my ankle and tibia....

So, you can always ask your doctor, or just listen to your body, and if it hurts, don't do it,

rsclause

Toes can stay sore for quite a while. I would give it a day or two and get back to it. I am not a very good go ask my doctor person. I just bought some life insurance and they asked "who's your doctor" I said I don't have one. They then asked "when did you go see one last?" I said it was a physical for JV football, I am 56.

emmies_123

Lol yeah I have not visited a doc for this, which is why I don't know how bad it is for sure. it is def bruised all to heck and back but I'm hopeful to be able to put weight on it by end of week.

quiksylver296

Isn't the newest medical advice to keep moving with a sprain? That they actually heal faster? I'll have to see if I can go find that study...

ETA: Found it!

Well, the study is about ankles, not toes. But you would think it would be equivalent. (Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and am not giving medical advice. )

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3103112/

Silentpadna

Mobility, if you can handle it, helps break down whatever scar tissue maybe trying to form. Sometimes immobility due to inflammation can act like a vicious cycle, making it harder to get back to the mobility you had and make it more painful when you attempt to resume.

Of course, this can't apply to everything, as obviously some injuries require rest for healing. For me, I try to figure out what I can tolerate and push just a little bit past that - much like what happens in physical therapy.

In weight training, many lifters employ the "Bill Starr Method", which essentially involves rehab right from the start with as close to full range of motion as possible - using light weights and lots of volume. This tends to track with @quiksylver296 above...something I somewhat intuitively suspected, based on a lot of anecdotes.

emmies_123

Thank you both I think tonight I will try to test my limits once I'm home, see if I can start walking on it fully. and tomorrow I will try doing exercises that don't require standing or foot movement.

Goal is to get back to expected routine next Monday.