Strength training ideas for person with disability?

macwheeler

Hi folks,

MFP has been great for me, I've been finding it very easy to lose weight.

However, I would like to add some strength training alongside the cardio I do every day.

The problem is, several years ago I had a very bad motorcycle accident. The lesser of my injuries was a shattered collar bone.

Unfortunately, I was in a third world country when this happened, the medical care was not great, and for the first couple of weeks my collar bone was ignored, as they treated the more dangerous injuries.

As a result of this my collar bone has healed in a very strange shape, I have reduced strength in the arm, and cannot lift it above shoulder height without significant levels of pain. Even a simple push-up is difficult, accompanied by all sorts of grating and popping noises from that shoulder.

Now this is quite a problem for upper body strength training.

Any suggestions on overcoming this please?

Thanks.

trackme

ouch! You really should go see a physical therapist/athletic trainer who can assess you and put you on a tailored exercise program. Good luck!

cafeaulait7

I have a neuropathy pain condition in my upper back/neck, and it's been crazy hard figuring out how I could lift for it. I've been cool on the lower body lifts (unless I have to pick up a heavy barbell with my arms), but finding lifts for the UB muscles has been very difficult.

But I found some!! Go through which muscles are your triggers and which might do fine if you could isolate them. Then research isolation lifts for all the muscles you think are OK. Try the lifts, but try them one at a time and wait to see how it does on your body (my pain comes on after the activity).

You might also try lifts that use your trigger muscle but only at a limited ROM if that could work. My delts are like that. As long as I only do the low part of the ROM, I'm OK. It's better than nothing, so I don't raise above a certain trigger level. Maybe some day I'll be able to go higher, but for now it's nice to work them at all!

Of course, get a physical therapist first if you've never gone that route. PT can help tremendously. I stalled out on PT and had to get creative, and I'm so happy that I did. Good luck!

macwheeler

Thanks for the advice.

I've actually seen a doctor about this, there is not much that can be done. If the collar bone was simply broken and healed badly I could have had it reset. Unfortunately it broke in 4 separate places, and has healed in a kind of zig-zag, I'm pretty much stuck with it unless I opt for some major reconstruction surgery, with no guarantee of regaining full strength and dexterity after it.

Good advice on the trigger though, I know exactly the limits of movement for this shoulder, I just need to find exercises that don't go past those limits.