Returning to exercise slowly advice needed

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dawnbuck3609
dawnbuck3609 Posts: 1 Member
edited April 2020 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi I had worked hard to lose 3.5st in 2018 and it was staying off, then someone crashed into the back of me on the motorway and I have been on Gabapentin to help with the nerve damage and back pain and I’m awaiting steroid injections in my knee which are delayed due to COVID-19. I have decided to start to wean myself off the medication as I have gained 4.5st since the accident which doesn’t help my pain, I decided to try and wean off the medication and use my tens machine and exercise to build everything back, my life feels like it has gone backwards since the accident and I hate seeing myself in the mirror and feel I must disgust others, I really need to get the weight back off and ease the pain so I can enjoy everyday life again and build my confidence. Since I’ve started reducing the medication my back pain has increased but I’ve lost 6lb in 5 days. I’ve done my first walk this morning of 3 miles my knee hurt after 500m but 1 mile in I seem to push through it. I just really needed some advice on the best exercises to start with and build up from. To give an idea of how bad my knee is I tried to do 5 lunges and 5 squats last week and I couldn’t walk properly for 2 days, bending is the worst as it starts to burn and it gives way so it needs quite a bit of strengthening I think. Any advice would be really appreciated, thank you for reading.

Replies

  • emmabrookes1
    emmabrookes1 Posts: 67 Member
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    I'm not a healthcare professional but I would think you are trying to do too much, too quickly, and without professional physical rehab guidance and supervision. It might be sensible to only reduce your analgesia only when you've rebuilt more muscle power, and under medical supervision.
    Weight loss can be achieved solely through managing your calorie intake.
    I think if I was in your position I'd look up some seated exercises (often described as for 'seniors' but don't let that put you off) and just do very short walks for now.
    I'm so sorry you've experienced such a horrible thing and are having to manage as best you can as a result - please, be kind to yourself not disgusted, take it slowly because to add on further injury would not be good, and trust you can get there but not overnight. Sending hugs.
  • briscogun
    briscogun Posts: 1,135 Member
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    Agree with above, if it hurts to bend your knee, then don't bend your knees!

    Weight loss can be achieved without ANY exercise, just managing your calories will make the weight drop off. Exercise is for health benefits and can burn calories which could allow you to eat more if you wanted, but it is NOT required for weight loss.

    Control what you CAN control: food intake. There are a lot of things you can do that won't damage/hurt your knees. Maybe talk to your doctor (over the phone) or see if you can talk to a physical therapist over the phone/email that might be able to prescribe a program at home for you (for a small fee I'm sure!). Use the internet to research low-impact or zero-impact workouts that won't damage your knees.

    As you lose weight your knees will probably feel better and allow you to do more as well. Double bonus!

    You can do it! Just take it one day at a time!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Please don’t change your medication without discussing with your doctor.
  • minnelizzy
    minnelizzy Posts: 45 Member
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    You need to start with health in mind. It requires patience. Lunges and squats don’t work for me as I have a bad knee- so I get that. Find what you can do and focus on that, progressing but not overdoing. That just burns you out and you won’t stick with it.
    I’ve started with calorie intake and tracking then adding in exercise. That’s something that you can control and not physically harming.

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