broken leg

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CheriLMT
CheriLMT Posts: 220 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I have a unique situation...I broke my leg (REALLY BAD) on Oct. 24 2012 and it is healing slowly....I have been walking on it for about 2 1/2 weeks and have not been able to finish walking a whole shopping trip yet. How in the heck am I supposed to exercise! I am stumped! Please help!

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  • pirateteacher
    pirateteacher Posts: 8 Member
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    I'm having the same type of problem recovering from foot surgery in Nov. My doc finally released me to swim. I went yesterday for the first time since surgery. Went 10 laps and it about wore me out! Can you do anything in the water, like water walking or something?
  • weightnomore33
    weightnomore33 Posts: 64 Member
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    Having foot surgery next week, I'm really interested in ideas. I picked up a pilates dvd. most of it is done on the floor. This could help you too. I DO NOT want to gain back my weight. Besides I just gave away some clothes. I gave away my favorites first.
  • cyberiarob
    cyberiarob Posts: 229 Member
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    I have nerve damage which caused major issues with movement and pain in one of my legs for the last year and a half. I used an airdyne with mostly my arms and my legs a little until my leg was good enough to resume normal exercises. Pretty good workout and strengthens the upper body, if you can find access to an airdyne or something similar.
  • PottsvilleCurse1925
    PottsvilleCurse1925 Posts: 354 Member
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    Hop on one leg (preferably your good leg)
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    When I was 14 I broke my tib/fib and was in a huge plaster cast from foot to mid-thigh for 6 weeks, and then another 6 in a fiberglass cast from just below my knee with just my toes sticking out. By the time they took it off, I had not really used any muscles below that knee for 12 weeks! It took another month on crutches before I was able to walk on it.

    What I did was stayed on my crutches. I made the "walking" motion with that foot without actually putting weight on it, and then incrementally added how much weight it supported until I could walk normally again without my crutches. (Which was almost a run Forrest run moment as far as how awesome and uplifting it felt!)

    All of that walking to give my leg the therapy it needed was tons of exercise. Zipping around on crutches burns a lot of energy, and the more you do the faster you will be back to walking again.
  • Jennaissance
    Jennaissance Posts: 212
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    Punches can really get the heart rate up. Make sure your posture is good so you don't hurt your back.
  • CheriLMT
    CheriLMT Posts: 220 Member
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    So these are great suggestions....swimming...how I love swimming but I had to quit the expensive gym with the nice heated pool...but this summer that will be good...Pilates is HARD for me but I am weighing in at 251 these days I would however like to start out doing some simple yoga moves that i don;t use a lot of weight on my leg....no access to the airdyne but I am really glad that worked for you! Hopping on one leg..ha ha...I have spent way too much time hopping my big butt around on my leg with a walker....I like the punching idea...I am def gonna look into that....here are my ideas....lifting lightweight for upper body...crunches...slow easy stretches....and just keep on doing my physical therapy exercises for my leg....Dr. says it will be warm weather months before "we see where I am at" It was compound fracture of the tibia if I didn;t mention that before
  • DakotaKeogh
    DakotaKeogh Posts: 693 Member
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    Just using crutches will get your heart pumping. You could crutch walk in a mall or somewhere dry and warm.
  • bsuew
    bsuew Posts: 628 Member
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    I tore my achilles tendon and after I got out of the boot (19 weeks) I found that riding my stationary bike put a lot less pressure on it. The doc approved of that before anything else.
  • Bocch
    Bocch Posts: 191 Member
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    back when I was young I broke my leg and was in a cast for 8 weeks and could not have any pressure on it. As you can guess the muscles had atrophied.
    OK, So first you should not be so impatient you broke your leg!
    Next do you belong to a gymn? There are machines there to exercise the quads. Sort of like leg curls. I would not work out on a leg press just yet. If you do not belong to a gymn then buy ankle weights. They should not weigh too much. Sit on edge of chair and do leg curls, then try straight leg lifts. You are already walking so keep on doing that. You could try toe raises, stand at edge of step with only toes on step, then go up and down. That should work your calf muscles. Because you use your calf a lot you will have to do high reps for that exercise. Good luck

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