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exercise after injury. Don't know where to start

8 replies

ellanwood · 27/02/2020 22:06

I injured my foot last November during a body combat class and have barely been able to walk on it since. Lack of exercise has meant I've put on weight and felt quite down as I usually walk a lot and go to three classes a week. I've just recently started walking for half an hour at a time three times a week and have started a yoga class. I want to increase this gradually. But I don't really know what to start back doing. For now, HIIT and cardio-based training aren't possible.

Any ideas what might be good?

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AuntieStella · 27/02/2020 22:37

Depending on the type of injury, things to consider are:

swimming, pool running, kayaking/canoeing

maybe cycling/spin rowing machine, elliptical

VeryTattyMum · 27/02/2020 22:43

Well worth paying for half an hour with a physio - I did my MCL last May and had to really cut back on cardio and HIIT. My physio explained what I could and couldn't do (as some even pilates and aqua aerobics can be damaging) and how to roll out muscles to stretch afterwards. Walking on a treadmill also is much less impactful. Yoga will definitely help it's been a life saver for me

Ponks · 27/02/2020 22:43

You could do weights / toning exercises, stretching / yoga, swimming. I took up swimming a couple of years ago after breaking my leg and being unable to do any of my previous exercise. It's boring but helped my leg a lot.
Also maybe see a physio as if you've been injured so long you may be overcompensating/ overusing other muscles.

GodwinsRulebook · 28/02/2020 07:36

The question is not really answerable unless you know what the injury was and how you did it.

Was it plantar fasciitis or was it a sprain? The advice will be different depending on what you injured.

Did you see a doctor or a physiotherapist? I find it odd that you’ve had an injury for 3 months which has stopped you walking, yet you didn’t seek medical advice. Don’t take the advice of ransoms on the internet, see a physiotherapist. If you pay, you can self-refer. Find one that specialises in sports injuries and rehabilitation.

ellanwood · 28/02/2020 16:42

Thanks for replies. It's plantar fasciitis. I was kayaking with it as it didn't seem to aggravate it but the season doesn't start again until late March. I'm doing yoga once a week and will try to increase that to twice a week.
Thanks for suggestion of physio - sounds daft but I hadn't considered that.
Swimming/pool running sound great but the nearest pool is a good 45 mins away which means a three hour round trip so it's not top of my list of options.
@GodwinsRulebook - I did seek medical advice. I saw GP who said take paracetamol, it'll take between two months and two years to stop hurting. Hmm It's mainly ordinary walking that is so painful. I can walk for about 10-20 minutes then start limping and hobbling as the pain gets so strong, even on cocodamol.

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EmmaStone · 28/02/2020 17:34

At the height of my plantar fasciitis (utmost sympathies), I saw a podiatrist who gave me advice - in soles for my shoes, sensible shoe advice (but I wear trainers all the time anyway, so that was ok), and stretches for my calves (tight calves was my cause). She also suggested I massage my calves and the plantar fascia every day - it's this that I think cured me. I had a proper leg massage first to observe technique (that was SUPER painful - evidence of just how tight my calves were), and within a couple of months, I realised my feet weren't hurting anymore. I had to be religious about the massage though.

GodwinsRulebook · 28/02/2020 23:02

I’ve had plantar fasciitis twice - both times from energetic exercise. Neither time did it take more than a week before I was walking with relative ease again, but I saw a phyla day took advice about a series of simple exercises and strategies.

You need to see a physiotherapist as it’s not really what doctors are good at. You need to have a physio look at what’s causing the PF. it’s often to do with tightness in the calf and the way the muscles and tendons insert into the heel - so see if a series of careful but targeted calf stretches helps.

Also, freeze an almost full water bottle and then use it as a foot roller for about 10-15 minutes. The foot rolling is good anyway, and the icing of the soft tissue seems to help.

Lots and lots of stretches is what I did and still do: calf stretches, heel drops, and hip flexor stretches seem to keep my legs in balance.

I also find that walking barefoot as much as possible, and walking mindfully - really rolling through my feet and using all the foot
muscles consciously really helps. But I’m dance/ballet trained so probably more conscious of my feet and my posture and alignment than normal people.

What you start to work out is that the body is a whole system and so if one thing goes wrong, it’s usually connected in some way to the whole body - it may be that you gave some issues of alignment or posture which have found their expression in your feet.

Also, when I wear shoes - well-made and supportive shoes: NOT ugg boots or flimsy ballerina style flats. And I don’t think trainers are particularly good for your feet all the time, either.

When it’s acute PF is very painful. But that shouldn’t last for more than a week, particularly if you’ve been a very active person. With the right physical therapy you should be able to learn how to deal with it. It shouldn’t stop you running and moving for so long!

ellanwood · 29/02/2020 14:14

Thank you. These are really helpful answers. Unfortunately my plantar fasciitis just won't; go away. It started - mildly after any strenuous exercise, in November and would last a couple of days. But since Christmas it's been nagging on and off. As a result my normal exercise routine has really been curtailed. I love walking but am down to about 1-4k (absolute max) steps a day from 10-20k. I'm doing vinyasa flow yoga which really seems to help. But part from that I don't really know where to restart fitness.

I will go to a physio and definitely try the iced water bottle.

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