Exercising with foot pain

Janeaustenfan2012
Janeaustenfan2012 Posts: 3 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Several years ago I developed Morton's Neuroma in my left foot. Since the treadmill causes foot pain, I use a recumbent bicycle, but I don't know if I get an adequate work out to lose the weight I've gained since having foot surgery two years ago. Does anyone who's experienced Morton's neuroma (or other foot pain) have any recommendations for alternate exercise equipment or exercise routines?

Replies

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Diet is for weight loss, done right just fat loss, done wrong includes muscle mass.

    Exercise is for heart health and body changes, done right helps fat loss only, done wrong helps muscle mass loss.

    Only thing exercise helps with diet is the fact it makes you burn more in the day, so when you take the same deficit off you get to eat more.
    That usually helps people adhere to the diet better and therefore lose right.

    So it's not about getting an adequate workout to lose the weight, it's about you eating less than you burn, and does the workout allow you to eat more to adhere to the diet?

    You can ride a recumbent and burn the exact same number of calories as you would on a treadmill.
    Which frankly does nothing to tell your body that you want the muscle elsewhere in the body - unless your deficit is very reasonable on average, you'll lose some of it then.

    With broken ankle, I did all the lifting machines except those that required pressing with feet. And got a very full body workout, except for calves.

    So I don't know if it's the impact of running that bothers you, so you could do pressing with feet, but lifting will transform your body more than scale would indicate.

    And frankly - who is going to see you standing on the scale naked in the bathroom reading the number along with you, compared to who is going to see YOU?

    You want a good number only you see, or a good body everyone sees?

    Do you have gym available, or at home only?
    What is available in either place?
  • LifeInTheBikeLane
    LifeInTheBikeLane Posts: 345 Member
    Ever so often my right foot has an intense pain that lasts a week or more and causes me to be unable to walk normally or wear high heels. It is an intense pain from the joint/ball of foot that shoots up my leg and down the underside of my foot. There is swelling around the ankle. Using treadmills, running or any type of high impact work out is out of the question during this time. Along with this my toes often times go numb when I am working out or walking (This happens with shoes, without shoes, with good fitting shoes...etc). I have found that weight training upper body is a good work out when this happens because my legs are not used so my foot is left safe. Also indoor bike equipment can be helpful because I can shift the weight depending on where the pain/numbness is. Arc trainers can be relatively low impact as well depending on the way you move when using them. Other then that, I am unsure of any other types. Def. try weight training, though. It is shown to be far better then straight cardio alone!

    Good luck!
  • PatrickMJ
    PatrickMJ Posts: 2
    Hi,

    I also had a poor foot. If you can swim, you might look at water exercises.

    A rowing machine is also low stress on your foot.

    A normal exercise bike is also very good.

    Cheers,

    P
  • Janeaustenfan2012
    Janeaustenfan2012 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks for the suggestions. In my rural community, there's limited gym availability and no pool until summer. I appreciate the responses.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    You could try matwork - that's what I've done when I couldn't do anything else. I am counting on it right now, as part of my workout :) Exercise bands can increase resistance.

    If you do find your way to the gym, I've found the cable machine to be very useful in working around injuries.
  • hotcoffee692
    hotcoffee692 Posts: 167 Member
    When I had a severely injured ankle, I did mat pilates for my exercise. You're lying down pretty much the whole time, so there is no weight at all on your foot.
  • acmanna
    acmanna Posts: 200 Member
    I've had Morton's neuroma..which led to 13+ years of pain, 4 surgeries later (I'm only 27, so this started when I was pretty young) I'm finally able to live a normal life...I even run regularly!

    So I really sympathize with you!
    Losing weight is about a calorie deficit, so weighing food and logging everything will help you.

    Walking on normal ground is way better than a treadmill, also strength training is good and doesn't require hard impact on your foot. You can also use an elliptical or rowing machine
    I highly recommend you go get fitted for shoes to exercise in. They really make a difference, and can provide some relief on your foot. Good shoes are worth the money, especially when you've had surgery on your foot.
  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
    I have not had a neuroma but I have had numerous muscle tears, sprains, strains, tweaks and dislocations. The answer to training around an injury (or disease in your case) is always the same. Train however you can! If recumbent biking is all you can do then just kick as much *kitten* on the recumbent bike as possible. You could also try swimming laps if you have access to an indoor pool.

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