Exercising with a torn ankle and shoulder

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tmaths
tmaths Posts: 58 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok, so I never really post here , but figured I'd ask the lovely people of MFP their input on this.

So long story short, I was 230lbs, then ruined my ankle ( twice ) in the span of 5 years, and now I'm 260. I was 275 in Dec, so I count that as a victory.

So far I've been doing a 1800 ( started at 2000 ) caloric intake each day, and it's definitely helping. (My prior was 2900-3000 in dec and I now shudder when I walk past the local Mcds )

Now here's the tough part.

As the title indicates, I tore my rotator cuff and when it healed it is nowhere as strong as it used to be, so I can't do a single push up anymore ( I used to crank them out playing sports so this sucks ) and as such I can't bench either.
I need rehab and physio for that as well, but we're working on ankle as it plays a bigger part in my mobility and day to day.

The bigger problem though, is my ankle. I'm undergoing physio/rehab but losing an extra 40 lbs or so would definitely help speed up the process and then let me focus on the shoulder as well. Problem is, I can only walk for 5-10 min before having to stop and rest ankle.

So because I live in an apartment, does anyone have any exercises/routines/videos they can suggest which:

1- Don't utilize bench pressing / pushups
2- You can do at home
3- Don't rely heavily on ankle


I know that's a pretty defined list, but I'm trying to work with what I have without ruining what I could have. Was thinking about joining a gym, but all the decent priced gyms around here are either black friday everyday in terms of being packed or have 1.5 star reviews. (Toronto living at its finest)

I "do" have the following though

Push up bars, about 120lbs worth of free weight ( on standard dumbells with olympic plates that are removable ) a burning desire to succeed ( seriously, I went from waking up 40 min before leaving for work at 7 and skipping breakfast, to making sure I woke up at 6 am each day to have time for breakfast )

Thanks for reading this.

Cheers

Replies

  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    That’s a tough one. How about swimming? I have a bad shoulder too but when I swim I stroke with the good arm and do the dog paddle with the other. Looks weird but I don’t care.

    At least you could exercise without putting any weight on your ankle. Not sure if this is helpful.

    Keep up those appointments with PT’s, they have helped me so many times.

    Get better soon!
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
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    What have your PTs and doctor cleared you to do? Swimming won't put any weight on your ankle but there is a lot of ankle movement involved in swimming.
  • higginbr
    higginbr Posts: 4 Member
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    I have torn my ankle as well. So I'm currently swimming to keep fit. I cant use my left leg to kick (the one with the bad ankle) when doing freestyle, but I can kick just fine doing breast stork. I can manage to do about 1 mile (1609m) in 50 minutes so not fast, but even at that pace I managed to lose 2Kgs with a few weeks. ( Along with a diet change)

    With floats, you should be able to reduce any movements that might cause you pain.

    I'm currently trying to figure out is it better to swim a mile a day, or swim as fast as I can for a short period of time.



  • Lean59man
    Lean59man Posts: 714 Member
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    Can you do overhead presses? Start extremely light.

    Lateral raises / side raises / rear raises with dumbbells?

    Similar movements with bands?

    Can you walk around the block?

    Can you do wall-sits?

    Can you do bodyweight squats?

    Can you do calf raises?

    Can you lie on a bench and do flat presses with extremely light weight?

  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
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    Stationary biking as ankle permits. Either buy a decnt stationary bike or a wind trainer for your real bicycle. Go fast with last little resistance-so little stress on ankle. Check with your Physio. Ask them what is ok to do.
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,172 Member
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    When I tore my Achilles, my physical therapist didn't clear me for regular exercise for about 8 weeks. It took a long time to heal. He had me doing some targeted moves to strengthen those muscles. I'd say don't worry about returning to workouts, and concentrate on your calorie deficit. It's boring, I know, but it does take a long time to come back from those injuries.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,991 Member
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    I have had a foot and 2 rotator cuff surgeries at different times over the past 10 years. I also had ankle surgery about 30 yrs ago.

    For each surgery, it took 6 months just to get the cast/braces off to begin PT and a full year to get strength and full mobility back.

    However, over time, I was able to increase the strength in my shoulders and legs far beyond what it was b4 I had these surguries BUT I did not rush my recover and took the time necessary to do this.

    So, I recommend that you do NOT do any exercise other than proscribed by PT for your ankle now. When that is taken care of, then you can begin working on your shoulder. Give each a year b4 doing anything "heavy" w/either or youvwill set risk delaying your recovery or worse cause another injury.

    Good luck!

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