Broken Metatarsal Bone

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mrsleftybrown
mrsleftybrown Posts: 42
in Fitness and Exercise
I have a broken Metatarsal Bone and I was wondering if you all could give me some exercises that you would recommend that I could do to continue my weight loss. I have been told I can not bear weight on my right foot for at least 4 weeks while it heals.

Thank you,
Kelly

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  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    Can you swim? Wondering if that would be a good one. You could use resistance bands whilst sat down, you can do some on the legs with no weight on them. Loads of upper body stuff can be done with them. My physio gave me them, its surprising I can feel them working. Its just a piece of stretchy rubber. Google it. Not sure where you would buy them though!

    Zara x
  • nutmeg0686
    nutmeg0686 Posts: 28 Member
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    My 5th metatarsal on my left foot is currently broken. I feel your pain. I'm currently wearing a walking boot and using two crutches (hope to be upgraded to only one crutch by the end of the week!) and it's frustrating to be limited in movement and exercises.

    I've been doing seated (on the floor, legs straight out in front of you) shoulder presses with 25lb dumbbells. It's harder than it sounds since you can't get any momentum from your legs. Ab exercises are good too -- standard situps and/or crunches, pocket pickers, bicycle crunches, V-Ups. I haven't tried it yet, but I imagine you could do push ups using only your good leg (crossing your bad leg to rest on top of your good one so you don't put any pressure on it). You can also do a side plank using your good leg. I've gotten a lot better at my right leg pistol (one-legged squat) but I'm trying to limit doing pistols as I don't want to exaggerate the muscle difference between my left and right quad.

    When I'm done with the walking boot (in about 3 weeks) my doctor said I could do moderate workouts on a rowing machine. He advised against swimming though because the water pressure and movement could still jostle and move the broken bone, upping your risk for corrective surgery and pins. Check with your doctor on what you are and aren't allowed to do as it differs based on which metatarsal your broke and the exact spot along the bone. But basically, look on the bright side and take this time out to focus on getting really defined arms :)
  • draculaspointer
    draculaspointer Posts: 106 Member
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    I had hammer toe surgery a while back (like 2.5 years) where they remove the middle joint in all 3 middle toes...needless to say, it sucked and it really limits movement! First things first, get a walking shoe or boot. I had the shoe for almost 3 months. Not the most comfy thing to wear, but it allowed more exercises because it was a very hard sole. The first week or two, I did sitting punches, then sitting punches with weights. After I was cleared to actually stand on the foot without crutches (but still with the shoe), I got a big ball and used it to do pushups, situps...all sorts of things. After a month I was cleared to do the recumbent bike (with the shoe, and at a painfully slow speed). The only thing to be careful of there is not to pull up with your toes. I have metal implants in those toes where all 3 joints were, so there wasnt the risk of rebraking anything. However, for a while there is a risk of the implants moving then setting improperly (which was did). As a result, I still have nearly daily swelling and pain if I hit those toes or bend them wrong (such as doing yoga).

    All in all, take it easy and allow yourself to heal properly. Do things that dont involve, or minimally involve your lower body, for a while. Trust me when I say you dont want your toes to be messed up forever! You never realize how important your toes are until you cant move them anymore!

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