Doctor said weight training and core work is off limits.

veganpancake
veganpancake Posts: 12
in Fitness and Exercise
So, I've been having chronic pain issues that really limit the exercises I'm allowed to do. My doctor, who is an expert in the type of pain I have, told me that her patients have generally worsened when they've attempted weight training and core work. I decided to try it out for a week anyway, just in case, but it didn't go well. The pain was terrible. Things that I used to love to do, like yoga and weight lifting, just aren't options anymore. I've been losing weight, but I've also been losing muscle. It's really upsetting to still be so squishy after losing so much weight.

There are two type of exercises I am allowed to do: walking and swimming.
I'm not a swimmer, so my question is, will swimming help me gain muscle back? Or will it be like walking, which has hardly added any muscle tone to my legs at all?

Thanks for any input!

Note: For anyone who is curious, I have vulvodynia. Weight lifting and core work naturally result in pelvic floor clenching, so it causes pain flares. Biofeedback hasn't helped much with this.

Replies

  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    I don't know anything about your condition, but you can ask if you can try light weights in the pool, or even water walking. That's what I started with with my (very different) condition, and the water was wonderful compared to land. The pool weights try to float away and that's where the resistance comes from. I don't know why that made such a difference, but it was huge for me to begin to get my strength back (in my upper back).
  • xsmilexforxmex
    xsmilexforxmex Posts: 1,216 Member
    Yes.. not as much as you would probably like but swimming is an amazing full-body workout when done correctly. Have someone experienced discuss proper form with you and incorporate that into a cardio and strength type routine with the different types of strokes and water props!
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    If you are trying to use swimming as a way to preserve muscle, you need to add as much resistance as you can to it. For swimming, resistance = drag. Anything that makes you less hydrodynamic will help. Trunks, pantyhose, close-fitting T-shirt, etc.
  • CheedoOne
    CheedoOne Posts: 2
    Many years ago, I hurt my knee and couldn't run for months. The doctor told me to swim instead or try water running. The added resistance of water did wonders to my body. After three months, I went back to running and I didn't lose any fitness.

    Swimming or resistance exercise under water will help you maintain your muscle mass. As others have said, the more resistance, the better.
  • veganpancake
    veganpancake Posts: 12
    @cafeaulait7 : The pool weights sounds like a great idea and I definitely want to try them out. Thank you for the suggestion!

    @xsmilexforxme : If swimming can rebuild muscle mass at all, that's definitely better than nothing! Thanks for your reply!

    @Huffdogg : Because of the vulvodynia, I can't wear form-fitting bottoms at all. Glad to hear my baggy swim shorts will actually be useful. Thanks for the tip!

    @CheedoOne: That's great that the water running worked so well for you. I think that working out in the water will be a good change for me, and hopefully a less painful one.

    Thank you everyone for your replies!
  • cleback
    cleback Posts: 261 Member
    I like the ideas of swimming. Have you also considered interval training to build lean muscle? Not sure if your doctor would OK it but may be worth a try.
  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
    Can you cross country ski? No clenching pelvic floor during skiing and it's a great full body workout.
  • veganpancake
    veganpancake Posts: 12
    @cleback : By interval training, do you mean swimming short distances back and forth? I kind of just fast-googled it, so I'm not sure. I'm sure my doctor would be fine with it as long a it doesn't trigger pain.

    @meritage4: Unfortunately, I live in Texas. If I ever move near some snowy mountains, though, I'll keep it in mind!
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    I think the idea of aqua weights is good in theory but you are going to require the same amount of force in a pool or not to preserve LBM so I don't think your doc would be too happy about that.
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    Is this a temporary set back? If so then do what you can until you recover and then get back on track with the weight training. Water will give you some resistance so it's better than nothing. Walking will still help you get some exercise.

    Sorry for your setback ... good luck!
  • veganpancake
    veganpancake Posts: 12
    @ChrisDavey : You make a good point. It might be one of those things I just need to try and see if changing the medium (air to water) helps for some reason. Trying once should be okay. if it hurts, I won't continue.
  • veganpancake
    veganpancake Posts: 12
    @knra_grl The lifetime of vulvodynia varies depending on the person. It's very likely that it'll never go away. My goal is to keep it from getting worse, which is why avoiding any exercises that exacerbates the pain is important. But you're right, swimming is definitely better than nothing!
  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
    Im just posting to say good luck!
    And so my friend with CFS sees this. She might has suggestions.
  • cjmaize123
    cjmaize123 Posts: 1 Member
    Swimming is an excellent exercise and will help build muscle if you swim far enough and awesome enough. (As an extreme example, pull up a photo of Olympic swimmers, male & female, and they're all buff…and that's NOT result of the weight training they do, it's a result of swimming…moving through water is, obviously, much more difficult than moving through air, as the water itself provides resistance. Try a variety of strokes (freestyle, side stroke, back stroke, breast stroke, and/or use a "jogging belt", fins, or a kick board for variety. I used to swim a mile a day (5-7x per week) and I was always receiving compliments on muscle tone and fitness. (In fact, I got a little TOO buff, as my shoulders were really well-developed for a woman; however, I have a very muscular body to begin with, so most women won't have this problem) Start out slow and build up! Good luck!
  • hellomanen
    hellomanen Posts: 96 Member
    oh wow that sucks! I'm sorry you can't do the workouts you want anymore but hey, swimming is FENOMENAL for your muscles! my brother used to be a swimmer and darn the guy was ripped! is really a full workout that helps you lose weight and strenght your muscles from head to toe due to all the different swimming styles, so thats awesome.
    Also, did you ask him about just swimming or can you do workouts on the pool? as far as I know there are many things to do! there's arerobics, tai chi... maybe you could look up on it and find something you could be interested in and ask your doc if its ok for you to go with it!
    Good luck sweety!
  • MyFoodGod
    MyFoodGod Posts: 184 Member
    Listen to your doctor.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    I don't know anything about your condition, but I will base my advice off of your statement that clenching the pelvic floor is the problem. I apologize if that is over simplified.

    Can you try to do weight training without clenching? Free weights are probably out completely, but many of the machines help stabilize you so that your core doesn't have to do any of the work. Even on a machine, it will be instinct to hold everything tight, but you CAN beat that. I have a shoulder injury that causes the muscles to spasm under strain. I couldn't do barbell squats because of the tension. Then I tried leg press where you are seated and supported but I was instinctively flexing everything to push as hard as possible which hurt. I had to train myself to relax my upper body, which wasn't doing any work anyway, while my quads/glutes did the work.

    TL;DR: try weight machines on light weights and train yourself not to clench/flex everything. Increase weight as possible without pain. If it hurts, go with the swimming.
  • veganpancake
    veganpancake Posts: 12
    @LishieFruit89 : Thank you! CFS sounds like a nightmare. I hope your friend has found a way to manage it!

    @cjmaize123 : You are totally right about the olympic swimmers. That makes me feel much better! All of your suggestions sound great (other than breast stroke, which I was told to avoid). The only type of swimming I know is doggy paddle, so I'll probably need outside help if I really want to swim "awesome enough" : )! Thanks!

    @hellomanen : Thanks for the luck : D! It really does make me feel better that swimming will help me gain some muscle back! My doctor just mentioned swimming, but I imagine water walking is fine as well (because air walking is okay). She also said I could do anything so long as it doesn't make me feel like crap, so water aerobic type things might be just fine. I'd have to try it to know for sure!

    @MyFoodGod : That's the plan!

    @lilawolf : I actually did go through a few months of biofeedback therapy and physical therapy to try and reduce my pelvic floor clenching in general. I still felt painful when lifting things and sitting, despite being more 'relaxed' down there. My doctor believes there are a variety of factors that contribute to my symptoms, but the technology and knowledge to figure out what those factors are just doesn't exist yet. My best bet is just to listen to my body. So, your advice is actually something I've tried, supervised by specialists. It's definitely something everyone with vulvodynia should try, preferably under supervision. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to help me : (. Thanks for your reply!

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