Exercise options during recovery from foot surgery

liwo81
liwo81 Posts: 23 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I’ve been walking and biking 3-8 miles almost daily for several months but am having some foot surgery next week. I’ll have a pin in my toe for a few weeks then in a surgical shoe for another few weeks. So I won’t be able to get in the extensive walking and biking like I’ve gotten used to. Any suggestions on some exercising that would give me some burn without compromising the toe? I’m hoping I can bike after 2-3 weeks but only time will tell. Thanks for any suggestions.

Answers

  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,442 Member
    Ask your doctor, but I bet you could swim if you use a pull-buoy so you don't kick once the sutures have healed.

    I would imagine if you have clipless pedals and cycling shoes you'll be able to get back on the bike within the month as you hope.

    There is a man in my city who has very limited use of his legs. He has a bicycle (a trike actually) that he powers with his hands/arms. It looks like an awful lot of work. It doesn't make sense to buy one just for a few weeks, but maybe you can find a way to rent or borrow one.

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,009 Member
    When I hear pin I'm thinking a constantly open wound, well, basically a pin with a ball at the end sticking out of that toe. Which probably means that TO should keep this very clean and as far as possible out of water. This is what I mean: https://www.luxefootsurgery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Pin-Removal-After-Hammertoe-Surgery.jpg

    To be honest: if this is something like this I'd suggest putting google eyes on the ball and relaxing and letting your foot heal for a few weeks. But yes, discuss with your surgeon what's possible and what not.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,835 Member
    Some gyms have arm bikes. If you've never used one, it's more energetic than you'd think.

    Upper body lifting, seated, may work. It's not a good calorie burner compared to cardio modalities, but it's good in other ways, and keeps the activity habit going.

    I agree with yirara about prioritizing healing, at least during the acute phase of healing.

    If you've been losing weight, I'd recommend going to maintenance calories during that acute healing phase, too, and getting good nutrition. It's likely that your calorie needs will go up (by an unknown amount) during healing - could be just a little, could be a lot. Do expect to see some inflammation, so water weight gain/retention that will affect the scale, until healing is mostly complete - don't let that freak you out.

    Best wishes for smooth and speedy healing!
  • dougii
    dougii Posts: 679 Member
    I just had work done on my left foot a couple of months ago that required me to stay off of it for two weeks then slowly start using it again (I'm currently allowed one walk a day of 1.75 miles, increasing by .25/week). I spent a lot of the down time working my upper body with free weights and machines. As the foot began to tolerate more use I worked the legs with low weights and got back on the elliptical. I'm now back to my normal weights when lifting, still on the elliptical, and to my GSDs delight am getting in a nice 1.6 - 1.8 mile daily walk. Healing was my first priority, so far so good. Best of luck to you!
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 1,071 Member
    get a good quality pedaler and cycle with your hands instead of your feet like a magnetrainer or a deskcycle, or my current one, a bit cheaper, is a yosuda from amazon. i had very good results that way, but don't get one of the $39 ones unless you have patience with uneven scraping and rubbing as you pedal. some people probably can deal with that - it drove me crazy!

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