Injuries and setbacks getting better

bll_jsh

I have been on MFP for a couple of years now and love the app alot on my android phone and the scanner it works great for calorie counting and maintaing weight loss and right choices on eating better food. My fitness jorney to aid the weight loss has been a scatter of things recently I tried T25 and was treaking alon the Alpha circuit and fell on my ankle wrong on week 4 of the 10 week program. I have an old ankle injury that has kept me back from doing the high impact type of fitness training that I was gained to in my younger years but recently found the oldie but goodie Power 90 program on ebay for $40 shipping included have to say I am on day 3 and I feel it don't overlook some of the classics that are out there for cheaper cost to get on the latest fad. I am treaking along and love it I only hope the weight loss and overall fit will come better this go around. Any tips and advice?

THECaptainObvious

Hey there! I've tried numerous workout programs too and ended up injured: pinched my sciatic nerve at Curves, bulged a disk in my neck doing random stuff on my own at the gym. The doctor finally told me to JUST WALK LOL Now that I'm healing I'm doing more treadmill, elliptical work and pushups/sit ups. I'm loving the lower ab crunches (like a situp but you move your legs instead of your torso!) Good luck and feel free to add me Let's do this!

MickeyBoo

I have a bucket load of injuries to my back, knees and ankles that are permanent and impact a lot of what I am able to physically do. I have found that with my weight loss so far the chronic pain has improved and that in itself is motivation to keep going, but I've also incorporated a lot of weight training into my program which has given me a lot more basic strength that I didn't realise I was missing. One bit of advice I can offer is to look into weight training over cardio, while cardio helps to burn fat, weight training helps to build muscle which burns fat more effectively and its amazing how much better I feel after a good weights workout over a cardio session!

Best advice I can offer is to see an Exercise Physiologist, they can assess your injuries and tell you which exercises to stay away from, and which exercises will help. Or how to modify exercises so that you can still get the most out of it but with no risk of further injury. They will give you advice on how to protect the area that is injured(correct strapping) and also how to alleviate any stress after a workout like swelling and inflammation.

I'd also see a quality PT who can run you through a workout, whether at home or at the gym and give you some new things to try week to week so that you're not getting bored and your body doesn't get used to the same exercises etc Mixing it up helps a lot!

Good luck!

DontWeightForMe

Very good topic. I'm frustrated because my first week I was suffering with soreness from the shock of exercise!
Now I'm closing in on my 2nd week and pulled a muscle in my calve today. Its so frustrating & setbacks stink but you just need to modify and roll w/ it until you can do more.

meshashesha2012

i think the key is to be honest about your limitations. o guess part of the problem is that many people don;t actually know what their limits are or know when they are close to a threshhold.

when you get to the point where you are in pain then that's your body's way of saying STOP and recover.

case in point i have an old injury from when i played rugby years ago. i tweaked it again last year when i challenged myself to do 100 pushups in 10 minutes. by the time i reached 85 my shoulder was saying it was time to stop, yet i wanted to finish those last 15 to reach my goal. i ended up in a sling for a few days because it hurt to move my arm in anyway. it also took about 2 weeks post sling until i could comfortably raise my arm overhead. now i make sure to build rehab movements into my workout

for ankle injuries weight loss helps but there are also lots of rehab movements you can do. you can also try running in the pool or on a trampoline as that will help get rid of some of the impact.

final advice is to always always use proper form when performing exercises. i see many people on here get knee and back issues, blame it on the exercise bit majority of time it's probably because they are using incorrect form.

DontWeightForMe

Very good advice:)

Rogiefreida

I know all about setbacks and injury. I'm 4 months 1 day into recovering from a completely shattered ankle (3 shattered bones in the ankle, torn ligaments, broken foot, torn ligaments in foot and big toe) and I'm still banned from high impact activities that I'm used to, such as running and zumba. I've just taken up what I am able to do at this point, which is weight training and yoga. The yoga, along with physical therapy and weight lifting are really helping me regain my range of motion and I'm hoping that I can begin running again in the early spring.

Experiment until you find something that works for you. Weight lifting has been a god-send for me. I'm losing inches (not really any pounds, but I don't care about that as long as my pants fit!) and my mental attitude is a million times better thanks to working out.

bll_jsh

Thanks for the advice guys I really appreciate it. And to comment on some of the posts I have seen a PT for my ankle and back and went through about 4 months of therapy and got a lot better so far. Power 90 is less impact than T25 and P90X and it is helping me to keep exercising. And the weight lifting on the program is really good whether bands or dumbbells. I just got to take it easy do my rehab stretches with ice and maintain a healthy diet and hopefully I can reach my goal of below 200 lbs. Thanks for reading and good luck to you all.