Cardio ideas for a broken ankle

mkbledsoe

go to collagevideo.com. It is all workout videos. Go to their specialty videos and they have a series called sit and be fit and another called chairdancing. These are workouts that are done sitting. I got my stepmother one of these because she has degenerative arthritis.

RuthieCass

I was also going to suggest shadow boxing. Can you ride a stationary bike, like a recumbent style, where you use your non-broken leg to do most of the work? Or would that just lead to a growth of totally unbalanced leg muscles? Hmm. You should probably ask your doctor what he or she suggests.

The shadow boxing is a good idea, but I would not suggest riding a bike with one leg. That would lead to unbalanced muscles (more so than what you'd already get from the broken leg). I'd suggest laying off any leg work until the muscles until the broken leg is healed. Then your physical therapist will be able to work with you on building your legs' strength back up.

Other than shadow boxing, and eventually swimming, you could just focus on upper body and core exercises. Very light weights with many reps could give you some good cardio. If you can be on your knees, maybe you could try knee push-ups (I've never had a broken ankle so that may not be advisable). You could try out Pilates' hundreds, crunches, etc., with your legs propped up, as a core exercises: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAU-Nvm9Gco Some gyms have this hand cycle sort of machine: http://www.krankcycle.com/

If you were on a deficit, I would suggest readjusting your calories, to account for you doing less cardio. You can certainly maintain your upper body strength with certain exercises. Bench presses, rows, etc. will work multiple upper body muscles.

But definitely discuss your exercises with your doctor and PT. Don't want to strain anything.

EggTamOut

Moopity, You are so right! I was in the same boat 7 years ago (blew out my knee) and ended up with severe, chronic plantar fasciitis in my "good" foot from over-use on crutches. All the pounding on my only weight-bearing foot did the damage. No lie, it took me 5 years to be rid of it! Beware of crutch use! Do try as much upper body as you can and if you can put pressure on your knees (I couldn't so I was very limited), you could do "cheater" push-ups using them instead of your feet. Good luck!

BSchoberg

I hear ya, sister... I was sidelined last summer (Aug 26, to be exact - a day I will never forget) when I broke my left collarbone. How such a small little bone could destroy my life, I would never have imagined. My first ortho didn't seem too concerned with the fact that my bone had completely separated and kept saying "we'll see in about a month..." So, I got a 2nd opinion and had my surgery scheduled before I left his office. Unfortunately, since I'd wasted so much time with the first quack, I ended up not having my clavicle repaired until January. Immediate relief of most of the pain - since my shoulder was now back where it belonged and not nearly an inch forward & down. BUT still a long recovery - with no movement for about 6 weeks, minimal movement for another 6 weeks and then fuller range of motion but NO impact for another 6 weeks and finally the last 6 weeks of restricted weight bearing and no direct impact.

Let me explain that --- no running, no jogging, no strength training. It wasn't until mid April that I was even cleared to use a stationary bike. Holy moly - I was gaining weight like a bear before winter, I was depressed, I had no outlet. You can have all the moral support in the world but it doesn't help at all when you feel like someone hit the STOP button on your life.

So - I feel your pain... all of it, not just the physical. The good news is - you've rounded the bend and your on your way to the finish line. Might be hard to see or believe some days, but it is there. I was just cleared 100% by my surgeon on Monday of this week and I almost cried from joy and relief.

Your cardio will be severly restricted - but listen to your surgeon! You'll be back in the OR if you snap those plates or break some of those screws otherwise. If that means 6 weeks of upper body-only weight training, so be it. You'll be better off in the long run when that repair heals fully and you can do anything you want!

Good luck to you - and keep the faith.

mandijo

You guys are amazing! Thank you so much for all your ideas, suggestions, and encouragement. I am going to look into as much of these as I can. Crutches are hard for me the way it is, so i will probably just use them as needed and not for any exercise, but I think you are all right...I need to focus on my core and upper body. I most definitely need to make sure I'm logging my food daily. This will be what saves me. It's really good to hear that other people are in or have been my situation. I know that others are, but to hear their stories somehow makes me feel like I'm not alone. Again, thank you! If you have any other suggestions or tips to help me get through these next few months, send them my way! I will definitely listen to my surgeon as I can not bear to be laid up any more than I have to be. You are amazing! Thanks!

Kysamijumi

I am with ya hun. Thank you for asking the question. I partially ruptured the tendons on both sides of my ankle last Thursday. I am,an avid runner and have a race every month. I was looking for answers to what now. Thank you to everyone who posted. It gives me some hope. :0)

thescrumisfun

I'm sorry to hear about your ankle!! At my YMCA at home, there's a machine that you sit on while pulling on a rope. The goal is to pull yourself up to a certain height (there are also weights to adjust the difficulty). I tried it once, and it's an upper body and cardio workout. Wishing you a speedy recovery :flowerforyou: .

toutmonpossible

I'm sorry to hear of your injury. I suffered a very bad sprain a few months ago during exercise and am still recovering. I think you should focus on monitoring your calorie intake until you can be more active. You might want to do some upper body work, but you'll find that most exercises require some lower body involvement.

I agree, except to say that even upper body exercises can involve the legs. I would focus on keeping calories low until the ankle has healed.

jennj81

Hey there, I have also broken my ankle quite badly and have been looking for some ways of keeping fit whilst none weight baring. I have found abs and biceps/Triceps pretty easy but the problem I have is the circulation in my foot when sat. I have to sit on the floor with it raised in order for it not to go blue! This then gives me back ache from being sat awkwardly. Very frustrating when you go from being so active to being very restricted. I keep reminding myself that there is always someone worse off. Though this doesnt solve the issue it does help keep me grounded and looking for new ways to solve the problem.
I have avoided any lower body as like others have said, this will cause an imbalance and in the long run potentially further injury when your back to weight baring.
You also need to remember your body is working hard to heal your injury. You don't want to hinder the process by working yourself hard gym wise and taking the nutrients away from doing there thing.

Things I have found useful:
Usual Healthy eating of smaller portions
Calcium tablets
Arm crank/bike
A weighted ball
Kettle bells for the upper body work

Be patient and give yourself a well earned rest!

hbunce07

I am so sorry to hear of your injury but so glad I saw this post. I just broke my ankle yesterday doing a mud race. Landed wrong coming over an 8ft wall. I have lost 65lbs and exercise 5-6 times per week. I'm very upset about this injury. I do not have screws or anything though thankfully. Finding this post has given me so much hope of keeping up my exercise goals and weight loss during my recovery. I wish you a speedy recovery!

sstephiee

Glad to hear I am not alone!!!! But sorry to hear anyone else is going thru the same trial! I broke my Leg last year on Feb.12, 2012. After being casted, the Dr. kept insisting that I needed to be more physical with my workouts. He didn't know me, I had been running on it, but it didn't want to. Not that I couldn't, I did, I just knew I shouldn't. The Dr. finally did a MRI and the leg had never healed. Needless to say, I went to a new Dr. Had a surgery in June 2012 to pin break together. Then I was in a boot for a 4 months. Graduated to a shoe and had balance issues. 2nd surgery was Jan. 2013 to replace ligaments in my ankle.

It too has been a terrible time. I had made a promise to myself 3 years prior to be in the best shape ever at 50, having lost 54lbs before this happened and at the gym a min. of 3 times a week. It was my life. This week with cast and all and only 3 months left till my 50th, I have decided to stop feeling bad for myself. I have never stopped going to the gym, just not regularly. I am hitting the gym routinely this week and tracking it. I hope your back walking by now, maybe even running! Let me know where your at!

However, it sounds like it has been a long recovery.