Physical Therapy

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lodicox7
lodicox7 Posts: 101 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all,

Just throwing this out there. I'm currently in a seemingly never ending stretch of physical therapy due to a condition called spondylolysis, which is a stress fracture of a specific part of a vertebral bone. I have a lumbar spine anomaly that causes some other problems/pain as well.

What this all boils down to is that I am a 24-year-old otherwise healthy young woman who can't exercise, because my fracture isn't healing. All I'm allowed to do are my physical therapy exercises, which are not aggresive or satisfying.

I'm just wondering if there's anybody else out there going through something similar and feeling the same frustrations that I am. I'd like to get back into the gym and into playing some rec sports with friends, but I just can't. That leaves the weight loss pretty much all down to diet and it is difficult. Anyone have any suggestions or been in the same situation?

Andrea

Replies

  • Mustangsally1000
    Mustangsally1000 Posts: 860 Member
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    I hear you! I have an artificial hip that I dislocated 2x this summer..before the 4th of July. Spent the rest of the summer in a brace and am now in physical therapy. Altho, for me, the PT is pretty intense and I'm really sweating when it's done. I put the warm up (usually a bike, or treadmill for 15 min) in as cardio and then I have 80 minutes of exercises. I log those as calesthenics (can't spell, sorry). But, other than that..walking. I've been pretty much stymied in my weight loss for the last 4 months. It sucks! :grumble: I put on 6 pounds right after the dislocation (don't know why..it wasn't the food), and I have finally lost that and 2 more. But...here I sit.

    Gonna build a camp site with a warm structure on my plateau pretty darned soon. Can't figure out how to get off the damn thing!

    Don't think I"m much help. :noway: Keep up with the PT..somehow this will all work out. Good luck!! :drinker:
  • dancingnancies
    dancingnancies Posts: 255 Member
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    i sent you a FR.

    i know exactly how you feel. my spondylolysis started acting up last summer andi was so upset that i couldn't exercise (let alone walk really).

    after a while, i slowly started walking on the treadmill and increasing my time. i also worked on strength training and core workouts.

    send me a message and i can give you more details....
  • jame_104
    jame_104 Posts: 57 Member
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    I have the same thing. It is very very frustrating. When I first started having problems I went to physical therapy. For me it didn't work and I left most of the time feeling worse that when I went in. It would take 2 - 3 days to recover from the pain then my next appt would be due and start all over again. Finally I had enough and I decided to go to a chiropractor for treatment. I was willing to try anything to get rid of that constant lower back pain. After 3 months of some pretty intense treatment and up and down days I have done pretty well for 5 years now. I don't think it ever heals completely or if it does mine hasn't. Some things will still aggrevate it (dead lifts for example or running too much in a week) , I know when I have "tweeked" it and usually a rest day is all I need to get going again. Still it frustrates the heck out of me cause my mind wants to run, the rest of the body is willing just not my back. You are in a hard place, I know looking back there is absolutely no way I could exercise during treatment. Heck I could barely sit in a chair or walk. Have you tried water aerobics? That may be something you can do and since there is no impact it may not aggrevate it? I didn't have the options during my treatment days but when I first started exercising it was one of the few things I could do and not pay for later.
  • stellcorb
    stellcorb Posts: 294 Member
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    I can definately sympthize w/ your situation. A little over a month ago I was doing a training run for my half marathon and a bit over halfway through... something popped in my hip and I could barely walk for a week. Now over a month later I've been in physical therapy for 3 weeks now and I still can't run plus I found out that I have osteoarthritis in my hip... I'm only 32. I missed my half and I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to sign up for one again... I am fortunate that I can do the elliptical or bike... but it's hideously boring compared to my running routine.
    Are you allowed to swim and/ or have access to a pool? Swimming seems to be the one thing that ppl can still do while injured...

    Overall, stick w/ it and try to stay sane.. keep your eyes on your calories so you're not in worse shape then before. My mother always says (and I never am good at taking this advise) "This too shall pass".

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