Exercise after car accident -- when?????

ice_fire_89

I was doing great. I went from 154 to 140. I could do 10 real chin-ups. I had ONE DAY left on Insanity. Then some nimrod wasn't paying attention and we got in an accident. I have whiplash and a thoracic strain, so nothing too serious save for the muscle spasms. The doctor said I should feel better in about two weeks and then get physical therapy (we will see how long that lasts ... if it's stuff I can do at home then I won't go, even if I'm not the one who has to pay for it...).

So there is the background. My questions are:

1. Has anyone been in a similar situation (whiplash or thoracic strain), and if so how long did it take you to get back in shape?

2. What sort of exercise -if any- can I do? I'm supposed to stretch, so I'm doing that. I was thinking of some slow walking.

3. When did the muscle spasms stop?

4. If you can think of anything helpful I didn't ask about, please share. :-)

Thanks

ice_fire_89

Also, it has been six days.

kmbrooks15

I would discuss that in detail with your doctor. None of us here are qualified to give you that information; even a doctor on this board would probably not want to advise you without seeing your medical records and test results. It's easy to reinjure yourself if you do to much or do the wrong things, so ask your doctor what's safe to do.

Good luck!

mickiebabs

I agree with the previous poster. Also, don't skip the PT. It doesn't matter if you feel that you can do the same exercises at home. The PT will help you get better and increase your activity level at a safe pace. They will also change up the routine and add more and different exercises as you progress. So just going for a session or two to get the hang of the exercises isn't really going to work that well. At the end of July I finished up 8 weeks of PT due to a nasty knee injury. In that 8 weeks I went from barely walking 1000 steps a day to walking more than 2 miles a day. I'm still not where I'd like to be BUT I couldn't have done it on my own without the PT helping me. Best money I've ever spent.

Follow your doctor's advice, try to do the exercises that you've been given but try not too do to much that hasn't been suggested. If you push yourself too far, you'll just end up causing more damage.

ice_fire_89

Thanks for the replies. I guess I'll try and be good and wait this out. This sucks. Thanks for the candid advice. I appreciate it.

Julieboolieaz

I second the advice-do what yory dr recommends, ask questions and be patient. It stinks! But you need to heal well now so you'll be able to live well down the road.

I had a similar situation. I got rear ended (on my way to the gym, ironically) back at the end of January. I went to a chiropractor and massage therapist for 3-4 months for headaches, neck pain, stiffness, compressed disc in my neck. I waited until I was done with my treatment (which wasn't a total cure, but as good as it would get). to resume exercise-anything more than walking. I started back gradually and listened to my body. I couldn't overdo it, but built up gradually. I had some numbness down my right arm and in my thumb and forefinger, figured id have it forever. I'm back at it now pretty hard core and feel so much better. The numbness is mostly gone, only occasionally will I feel it, which is way better. I'm lifitn heavy 3x week and doing Zumba or interval cardio 2-3 times.

Ymmv, but slow and steady worked for me. Hope you feel better quickly!

ice_fire_89

Thanks :-). I'm glad to hear you're doing so much better --- that's motivating to me, though I hope that since this isn't that serious I won't have to be off my routine for too long :-(. I will if I have to. One good thing about this, is that I'm going to eat better while I can't exercise, so I don't gain the weight back. I know I'll lose muscle, and that's frustrating.