New ways to exercise with a useless right leg

theoriginaljayne
theoriginaljayne Posts: 559 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Sooo, because I'm an incredibly responsible person, I continued to run with a pulled muscle (right inner thigh) and an injured right foot for a couple of days. Then, last night, I discovered that I could no longer climb stairs... or walk... so no more running for me, for a while, at least.

However, I can't afford to abandon exercise entirely. I took a horribly long hiatus from working out in December, and I don't want to go through that again. I really need some creative ways to exercise while I allow my right leg/foot to heal.

What I can't do:
- Put too much weight on my right foot. I can now walk without it being too uncomfortable, but running, jumping, or balancing on one foot may cause involuntary yelping.
- Lift my right knee. This is what makes climbing stairs such a pain. I also can't do jackknives or full sit-ups, any sort of leg lifts, or lunges. Oddly, I can do squats without a problem.

I've been doing push-ups, chair dips, and planks, but frankly, I'm bored. I need some cardio. I need to burn calories! I need to SWEAT! Also, I need to work out something other than my arms...

Does anyone have any ideas? I'm desperate here. :) Thank you!

Replies

  • STARSHINE1975
    STARSHINE1975 Posts: 168 Member
    Get some crutches and go for a walk. That will get your heart beating fast and it's a great upper body workout as well.
  • bambiphae
    bambiphae Posts: 6
    As an "experienced" exerciser and having endured many an injury (dislocated patella, bundle of nerves in my hip--most recent and led to my crash diet thing that was really insane but a good learning experience--plus miscellaneous aches and pains) I would recommend stretching and foam rolling. I would also recommend buying a better pair of shoes!! That knee pain might be due to poor alignment (I am so pronated, my alignment is terrible, and it causes lots of injuries :( ) so at least get some orthotics before you start running again.

    If you have access to a pool, swimming would be the IDEAL!!! Best cardio after running that I've ever done!

    In terms of preventing future injury, you may have gone too hard after taking such a long hiatus. It's awesome that you were so motivated to push yourself, but even I had to start back up from half a mile in November while I was getting over my hip injury. (Now I am back to 6 miles, which I am really happy about)While I was injured, I biked, which is something I would recommend to you if it wasn't snowy outside. If you have access to a spin bike or something, that would probably be ideal. Make sure to adjust the seat really carefully so your knee doesn't hurt. Bringing me to my next point: try taping it or wearing a bandage temporarily while you exercise to hold things in place.
  • bambiphae
    bambiphae Posts: 6
    by the way, never call yourself "responsible" because you ran with an injured leg. That's actually INCREDIBLY irresponsible. Dedicated yes, but not the most reasonable mindset to get into.

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