help! exercising with injury?

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jessameece
jessameece Posts: 2 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi, Im very new to this whole fitness thing and just need a suggestion.
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I was in a bad car accident a few years ago and had both bones in my lower leg crushed, and have a lot of metal and things in there holding it all together. It causes me pain quite regularly and I have a hard time moving in certain ways. So just wondering if there are any good exercises like yoga or something that doesnt involve sitting with your legs crossed or rotating the lower leg much but can still be beneficial in strengthening those muscles and the rest of my body. I was looking into some yoga videos but there seems to be a lot of positions where your legs need to be under you or bent and some of those things are just not in my range of motion. Am I completely out of luck??? Thanks in advance for any ideas you may have.

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  • kazmason
    kazmason Posts: 2 Member
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    Do you have a gym nearby? You could get an instructor to write a bespoke programme for you. That is what they are there for and it would mean they can work with you in building the strength in the areas that will work for you.
  • jessameece
    jessameece Posts: 2 Member
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    thanks for you suggestion!!. But a gym isnt really for me I'm shy, easily embarrassed and feel horrible about my weight. I would like something to do at home alone if at all possible.
  • nataliescalories
    nataliescalories Posts: 292 Member
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    Do you see or could you see a physical therapist? S/he would probably give you the best advice on how to add more activity without injuring yourself.
  • notthatthis
    notthatthis Posts: 218
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    Hi, Im very new to this whole fitness thing and just need a suggestion.
    .
    I was in a bad car accident a few years ago and had both bones in my lower leg crushed, and have a lot of metal and things in there holding it all together. It causes me pain quite regularly and I have a hard time moving in certain ways. So just wondering if there are any good exercises like yoga or something that doesnt involve sitting with your legs crossed or rotating the lower leg much but can still be beneficial in strengthening those muscles and the rest of my body. I was looking into some yoga videos but there seems to be a lot of positions where your legs need to be under you or bent and some of those things are just not in my range of motion. Am I completely out of luck??? Thanks in advance for any ideas you may have.

    My advice is you should consult with your PCP and find out exactly what exercises are suitable for your lower body, from personal experience I know that a lot of dysfunction comes from muscle weakness and imbalance in muscle strength and to access that needs a physio or a highly qualified Gym PT.

    In the meantime, your upper body I am assuming is fine, so perhaps buy some resistance bands and work on an upper body strength program and also to work the upper body at a cardio level by learning about High Intensity Resistance Training with resistance bands.
  • notthatthis
    notthatthis Posts: 218
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    thanks for you suggestion!!. But a gym isnt really for me I'm shy, easily embarrassed and feel horrible about my weight. I would like something to do at home alone if at all possible.

    BTW, I used to feel exactly the same. I discovered that people in gyms are there for themselves and not to spend their time looking and judging you. In fact, I have found gyms to be incredibly friendly places and all my misconceptions were unfounded.
  • georgina1970
    georgina1970 Posts: 333 Member
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    There are online apps using your own bodyweight as resistance. I use 'fitness Buddy' which a combination of exercises with either bodyweight or hand weights. If you can afford to I would highly recommend a Personal Trainer. They can come to you, write a personalised programme and help you to develop correct technique. You can then continue with them or choose to go it alone. Good luck on your journey.
  • EternaT
    EternaT Posts: 14 Member
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    Try consulting a physical therapist first, then maybe find an all-woman gym like Shapes (in the U.S). They have personal trainers at an additional cost that may help.
  • EmAgain
    EmAgain Posts: 6
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    Hey I know that you said you are shy and cannot go to the gym but it is really worth facing that fear and you will find that they are not at all scary in practice. The reason I say this is to echo what others have said which is that it is worth booking a couple of sessions with a good PT who is fully aware of your condition (they should work out what is best for you). Weight training is really good for re-building lost strength and equalizing differences which will have developed between your legs with your injuries. If you strengthen the muscles in your legs properly with well advised weight training, the muscles grow muscle tissue and as they become stronger they will take more of the load in normal functional activity and this will reduce the impact on your bones and connective tissues so over time you will experience less pain.

    A couple of years ago I had an accident and amongst other injuries I ended up with something know as 'floating shoulder' which is where I had broken my collar bone and the shoulder blade completely so my arm was no longer skeletally attached. When I first started weight training about a year or so later there was a huge difference in the strength on my right (injured side) and it ached when I trained etc. I also am plated. However over time and consistent training over months my sides are pretty equal and my right side doesn't experience pain at all really. So long as your bones have healed (and they will have by now, I do understand nervousness about this) there is no reason why you cannot start weight training...but you do need to follow a programme written for you. I cannot overstate the difference that working with weight made to my injured body. I am stronger, equal on both sides, back to normal. Also weight training increases your bone density too which is great for healing.

    The trick is to find the right gym. Maybe a small, personal one. Maybe a girl's only one. Look through the personal trainer profiles (they will all have them) and make an appointment with the one that seems better for you. Tell them everything honestly and let them work out the right programmes for you. When you have your programme, plug yourself into music, wear what you feel comfortable in (there are no rules) and just focus entirely on what YOU are doing. Most people are focused on themselves in a gym not on you...and finally if you join a 24 hour gym, go when it is quiet (early, early morning). I swear to you it is worth facing this challenge head on, it will help you physically and mentally x

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