Doctor's orders suck. Help?

therealklane

Even if they are for your own good.

Three trips to the pediatrist, two bunions, one needle to the toe, tendonitis in my achilles tendon, severe pronation, and a fancy new ankle brace and set of inserts later...I've been told that I can't have any fun for the next six weeks. Basically. I can't do anything that puts any type of stress on my foot/feet. I was specifically told (with finger counting and wagging) "No walking. No running. No treadmill. No elliptical. No biking. No heavy weights. No jumping. Nothing." I said, "Well what CAN I do?" Swimming the response I received. That's great I can do that. I have a pool. It just gets old after about an hour.

Six weeks is a long time. Especially when a lot of my work outs DO include my legs/feet. I've come this far and I don't want to backslide. It terrifies me even though I *know* I will not allow myself to do that.

So, here I post to you fine people looking for advice, upper body workouts, and full body work outs that 1. will not strain my freakin' foot, and 2. I can actually do at the gym (or in the pool).

:flowerforyou:

Realistically, it's 6 weeks. My straight forward advice is to follow doctors orders and only swim or do any other activities that his office specifically clears.

Foot and ankle injuries can completely derail your life long-term if you don't take care of them. I ended up not being able to work, exercise, walk without crutches etc for 5 months because of an ankle injury, and now, a year later, I still have to be cautious when walking/running for long periods of time, jumping etc and I'm 22. This injury will literally impact my activity level for the rest of my life. If you don't take care of it now and give it the 6 weeks the doctor is telling you to, the likelihood of you ending up in a position where you need surgery (which means more recovery time) or end up with a chronic injury that will impair your quality of life significantly increases.

It's 6 weeks in your very long life; take it easy, do what the doctor allows, and stay on top of your logging and you'll likely still lose or be able to maintain your weight over the next 6 weeks.

Trust me, I understand about the chronic injuries. I tore my ACL and fractured my tibia playing softball in 10th grade. The doctor (actual quack) said it would heal on its own and sent me through 12 weeks of therapy that damaged my knee further. My first year of college I re-injured it playing golf, which left me barely able to walk back to my dorm without my leg collapsing from under me. I will never forget that day. Ended up having to have surgery to replace the ACL and repair the bone. I was on crutches and in physical therapy for 12 weeks basically learning to walk again and of course building my strength. I've been very fortunate that I have had little to no pain in my knee from working out, but the issues with my foot are now causing knee pain from the way I've been walking/favoring that foot. As soon as I feel pain in that knee, I'm scared..not for my foot but for my knee. Should be the other way around, I know.


I know I need to take it easy, it's hard to do that when you're used to working out 4-5 days a week. Between finals and attempting to obey doctor's orders, I've only gotten in one day of actual meaningful exercise this week - which was swimming a mile. Today I'm writing a 15 page research paper that is due at midnight..so.. We'll see how much I have done by 5:00 and that will determine whether or not I get back in the gym today or tomorrow (for upper body of course...)

Thanks for the advice so far, guys. I appreciate it

stealthq

You can still do seated weights, free or machine, if you make sure to sit in a pike position or otherwise prop up your legs to take your feet 100% out of the equation, even for stability. That'll take care of upper body.

Weight machines like hamstring curls, leg extension. Ab and back moves done from a prone position - those usually use upper/lower legs for leverage, no foot involvement.

Hand bike (hate these).

Lofteren

I would tell your doctor he better change his attitude about your health or you're going to stop seeing him.

Lol, I think these kinds of responses are funny. Patients seem to have forgotten which person is the doctor. If you know so much about podiatry then why are you going to see them in the first place?

The other day I diagnosed a woman with carpal tunnel syndrome after having done electrophysiological studies on her upper extremities. It is a simple and straight-forward diagnosis and generally has a good prognosis if treated properly. She didn't believe me because she doesn't work on a computer and stood up and defiantly declared that I was wrong.... SMH, some people....

Edit: OP, sounds like a perfect opportunity to work on your bench press and chin up

AllOutof_Bubblegum

Concentration curls, preacher curls, seated overhead press, seated lateral raises, pullups and bench presses are all lifts that you can do with no/minimal pressure to the feet.

parkscs

I would tell your doctor he better change his attitude about your health or you're going to stop seeing him.

Lol, I think these kinds of responses are funny. Patients seem to have forgotten which person is the doctor. If you know so much about podiatry then why are you going to see them in the first place?

The other day I diagnosed a woman with carpal tunnel syndrome after having done electrophysiological studies on her upper extremities. It is a simple and straight-forward diagnosis and generally has a good prognosis if treated properly. She didn't believe me because she doesn't work on a computer and stood up and defiantly declared that I was wrong.... SMH, some people....

Edit: OP, sounds like a perfect opportunity to work on your bench press and chin up

I feel like people who make statements like that just haven't known enough people in their lives that "pushed through the pain" and ended up permanently injuring their rotator cuff, knees and so on. 6 weeks off may sound like a lot right now, but ask someone whose had to go through a surgery and/or will simply never 100% recover from an injury if they'd rather have spent a few weeks focusing on upper body instead, and I'm pretty sure the answer would unanimously be yes.

_funrungirl

Swimming is probably one of the best exercises you can do. It works your entire body.

If you can sit you can do upper body exercises.

simplydelish2

How about some light weight kettle bells - even if you sit during part of the routine. Can you do a stationary bike?

Even if you only swim an hour or so a day...you can do it for 6 weeks.

Best of luck to you for a quicker than expected healing!

squirrelzzrule22

Would it help to get one of those underwater Ipod straps or something? Listen to music or a book on tape while you swim? Swimming for an hour straight will burn a lot of calories and be a great all over work out. I totally recommend trying to get into it if you can. It can be boring but sort of meditative too!

LoneWolfRunner

Wow... some very humorless gents here...lol... I have had both hips replaced because of arthritis... the right one twice because I eventually cracked the plastic liner... my doctors had a fit when I started running on them three years ago... told me I should even be aware of how many steps I take on them... I know full well the difference between pushing through pain and aggravating an injury... I wasn't smacking down on docs... just pointing out they don't know everything and they sometimes give overly-conservative advice so they don't get sued.... I'd rather do an ultra than cheese doodle....

kat00_ca

Core exercises that will not allow you to use your feet to stabilize. i.e. Russian twist with legs up. Do leg lifts lying down. Use resistance band as you get stronger. You can do this on your sides and your back.

Upper body workout (light) so that it doesn't force you to use your fee to stabilize.

Swimming but mix it up. One day, do laps. Next day, do aerobics minimizing your leg movements, etc.

Source? This is what I had to do with a bum knee when I could not put any weight on it. I lost some muscles for a few weeks but was still able to maintain it though leg lifts, etc.

And last point, rest up if you have to but do not under any circumstances do ANY exercises that will force you to use your feet as stabilizer.

Jerseygrrl

Thinking outside the box here - if you want a tough upper body workout, go to a medical supply store and rent a wheelchair. Wheel yourself as long as you can, as hard as you can, and then up the time a little each time.
I guarantee it will get your heart pumping and work your upper body.

parkscs

Wow... some very humorless gents here...lol... I have had both hips replaced because of arthritis... the right one twice because I eventually cracked the plastic liner... my doctors had a fit when I started running on them three years ago... told me I should even be aware of how many steps I take on them... I know full well the difference between pushing through pain and aggravating an injury... I wasn't smacking down on docs... just pointing out they don't know everything and they sometimes give overly-conservative advice so they don't get sued.... I'd rather do an ultra than cheese doodle....

I guess the difference is your hips won't recover with a few weeks of rest, while the OP is likely just dealing with a minor overuse injury that can easily recover on its own given time and rest, or could grow into something more debilitating if ignored. Your post came across as suggesting her doctor was wrong for recommending she rest, but he was 100% right to do so. It's like kids who keep training through shoulder pain and then later find out they've done permanent damage to their rotator cuff. I guess it's just a subject I don't see a lot of humor in.

kpatry755

I swim 4-5 times a week, about 1.5 miles in 50 mins, which for me is plenty! I will say, if you are only able to swim a mile in 1.5 hours, your stroke needs work, which might be a good thing to focus on. I have found doing Speedo Pace Club workouts to be really helpful in mixing things up and alleviating the boredom. I also have a waterproof Ipod that makes my swims much more enjoyable.

As for your stroke (freestyle at least), my I suggest that you pretend there is a line drawn down the middle of your body from your forehead to your toes. Your goal when swimming is to make sure that each arm does not cross this line when pulling through the stroke. Also, make sure your fingers are tight together, so no water drifts through the fingers, causing drag. Try to imagine your legs are a pair of scissors and your kick needs to come from where the scissors meet (your hips) and not your knees.

Good Luck, I hope these 6 weeks pass quickly for you!

arumping

I didn't read through everything so if this has been answered, my apologies. There are water weights you can get that are very helpful in the pool. My local workout place has them and I use frequently. Not sure of cost but you might check it out.

sofaking6

I used to be on the swim team, you can definitely mix up your pool workouts to keep them from getting too boring. I agree just going back and forth for an hour isn't too exciting (although I would give anything to be able to do that since I failed at recuperation and now can't use my right shoulder!!!). Try doing 25/50 meter sprints, you can time yourself and really work on your cardio that way.

Also, try backstroke and breaststroke to mix it up. I wouldn't recommend butterfly because it does put the most pressure on your feet since you use them to propel out of the water. I also would stay away from kickboard work for the same reason. Both are great exercise but probably not for you right now!

If you're just hitting the end and turning around right now, you could also try the "real" swim turn ie flip under and around and kick off the wall. You don't have to kick hard at all so it might be ok. It's something to challenge yourself with at least.

melduf

Six weeks is a long time.

A lifetime of dealing with an injury that healed wrong is even worse! Pool for the win! Aquafit classes and aquajogging (yes, it exists and it's pretty weird to watch!)

_benjammin

You can still do seated weights, free or machine, if you make sure to sit in a pike position or otherwise prop up your legs to take your feet 100% out of the equation, even for stability. That'll take care of upper body.

Weight machines like hamstring curls, leg extension. Ab and back moves done from a prone position - those usually use upper/lower legs for leverage, no foot involvement.

Hand bike (hate these).

^Yep
Plenty to do in the gym as mentioned above.

therealklane

I ordered the aqua weights today (they were more reasonable than I expected) and they should be here Saturday. It looks like it will be a nice weekend to try to use them. I'm not going to the gym (again) today since I'm only one page deep into my research paper and it's due by midnight. I *will* be at the gym tomorrow.


Thanks again for the tips, guys. I really appreciate the help!

acpgee

Is the problem with both feet or only one? My leg is currently in a cast with instructions to be strictly non weight bearing.

Walking on crutches with only one functioning leg is a pretty strenuous cardio workout. My resting heart rate is 64, but 10 minutes of hopping on crutches gets my heart rate to 140-150. According to my HRM I burn 177 kcal in 20 minutes.

Timorous_Beastie

A few years ago, when I was told to avoid lifting, running, walking, etc. with a stress fracture for six weeks, I hated every second of it.

Now that I'm more than six weeks with a back injury, with no relief, and the only thing I'm getting from doctors & physical therapy is "let's try this for a while..." I really *wish* I had the kind of injury that could be healed in six weeks. It's really a drop in the bucket.

Ohhim

Waterproof MP3 players help once you get past the 60 minute mark.

The cheap $40 JLab Go/Pyle built in headphone ones usually don't last longer than about 8 months of daily use, but at that price, I've been happy to send in for warranty claims (most come with 1 year) as they break.

Also, switching between a few different swimming workouts (mixing pull drills, kick drills, front/back/breaststrokes, etc..) also can help - just search for swim workouts or triathlon workouts.

TheFrugalFatass

I like the rowing machine. It does use knees, but no pressure on feet. Rowing on water is probably more fun.

Actually, a rowing machine would put tremendous pressure on the feet. You use your feet to push off.

ButterflyEl

Oh God I relate to this. This is why I'm having to lose weight for the first time in my life!
I used to run three times a week, go to the gym every other day, walk the dogs for an hour in the evening, garden and have an active incredibly physical job.
Then 12 months ago I lifted a pot in the garden and a disc in my back prolapsed. I spent 3 months barely moving at all. Literally all I could do was lie in bed in constant agony. Many MRIs, painkillers and physio later and after about 9 months I was finally able to walk for an hour a day again and I was back to work full time. Still no lifting, bending, doing things like hoovering, gardening and definitely no running but I could actually move at least... I was also almost strong enough to attend the specialist back exercise class at the hospital as up till then I wasn't even fit enough for that! Despite a lot of improvement the muscles in my left leg were incredibly weak and uncordinated enough so that my physio was worried about me doing any sort of impactful exercise so I wasn't allowed in the back class. I could have called it a day and dropped out of my course and job (I was a veterinary nurse) and really focussed on building up strength but I made the decision with my physio to try and build up strength by doing everyday activities and getting back into work and doing more and more...
Then almost 3 months ago after one of my busiest but least pain filled days I sat down at the end of the day at work and my knee dislocated- just popped out with a sickening deafening crack..
No one is fully sure why it did that. Apparently it can "just happen" but I don't think it's co-incidence I had all that weakness in that leg and that I'd been really pushing it putting more weight on it and making sure I was using it as much as my right good leg and then my knee gives way.. so if I'd have taken the time out and taken the route of really focussing on the physio and putting the job to one side perhaps it wouldn't have happened. I've now had to leave my course and job due to the knee injury anyway so pushing forward and trying to rush things really was pointless.. so please ignore the comments suggesting you get a new doctor or ignore his advice etc but you do need a physio who can actually help you and advise you on these things (then listen to him unlike me who listened then argued that we could do it differently which he slowly agreed to which was a mistake in the long run).

So I feel like I'm back to square one... so I really feel how incredibly frustrating it is! I'm still on crutches and using a wheelchair if I have to travel a long distance (eg around a supermarket).

So I'll probably never be able to run again . However I did a long intensive course of hydrotherapy and that made a phenomenal difference to my ability to actually move again! I, like you, don't find swimming terribly thrilling but if you can get your physio (I do hope your doctor has referred you to a physio? Advice like "don't do anything!" with no physio is really harmful because you will end up pushing your boundaries and injuring yourself without a physios input! Not to mention you'll need physio to strengthen whatever needs strengthening and ease you back into your normal fitness regime eventually) to show you some exercies that will help while you're in the swimming pool that'll help it feel a bit less "pointless".

You also need new hobbies! It's easy to get caught up in the "I must find some other exercise so I'm still burning calories!" but you know what that can wait. You can go back to that later if you need to. Right now keeping your mind busy so your body can heal is really important so you don't rush back out there, injure yourself further and end up having to be off for longer! So reading, knitting, making jewellery, cooking, scrap booking or just playing games on the computer/xbox etc.. but you need to replace the time you were spending exercising with things that'll keep your occupied. That's what'll really help in the long run.

therealklane

Is the problem with both feet or only one? My leg is currently in a cast with instructions to be strictly non weight bearing.

Walking on crutches with only one functioning leg is a pretty strenuous cardio workout. My resting heart rate is 64, but 10 minutes of hopping on crutches gets my heart rate to 140-150. According to my HRM I burn 177 kcal in 20 minutes.

The problem is only with my left leg. I was thought to myself earlier that crutches would be a good work out, but I promised myself after my knee surgery that if I could help it I'd never use them again. I'm sorry you're having to use them, but hey, it's good cardio for ya. Haha. I hope your leg is feeling better soon!