Half crippled here... what would you do?

SRP

SRP

Cathlete
Okay, it's not that serious - I'm not nearly crippled. But I expect I need to take some time off and I DON'T WANT TO!!!

Here's the deal. Bruised ball of the right foot, most likely due to too much high impact, though I suppose I could have stepped on a rock outside.

Chronically strained achilles tendons in both legs, though the right is worse. How long does it take for THAT to go away? I've tried taking breaks before (1 week or so), and it always comes right back.

Both of these things I can endure. The bruise isn't major. The tendons I have dealt with forever. Just one of my weak points, I guess.

But what would you do? Would you take a break? I think that's really my only option, because, for instance, I don't have a bike to ride. Blah. x( I think I'll just grin and bear it.
 
Oh Shannon that really stinks, sorry to hear it. I was gonna suggest machines until I saw you said you don't have a bike. :-(

Is there anyplace nearby where you can throw in some low impact cardio? Like a Curves or something? I think Curves/Living Well Lady/etc. are pretty cheap, maybe $30-40 a month, & you could probably do a 3 month membership so you could pop in for 30-40 minutes a couple times a week for bike, elliptical, etc. until everything healed.
 
Oh, fitness centers are just so inconvenient for me. I live way out in the boondocks, so I'd have to stop at the center first, then come home. Then I'd have to feed the horses and walk the dog in the dark. Ewwww. I know, gripe, gripe, gripe.

I suppose I could just do Low Max for a couple of weeks and see what happens. The other few low impact tapes I have are very low intensity, too.
 
Shannon,

When you have chronic injuries, it's very important to allow time for the injury to heal. The achilles tendon in particular takes a considerable amount of time to heal. If you don't allow for proper healing you will only make matters worse.

I know it is hard and you don't want to feel like you are moving backwards, but injuries are nothing to play with. It's your bodies way of telling you that something is not right.

I think you would benefit from time off and then you'll need to find some activites with very little or no impact until you are completely healed. Like you said, that really is your only option...

Take care,


~Marietta
FITXME
http://www.picturetrail.com/fitxme
 
Aaack. How depressing. I had to do this once before, for something like two months, for a knee injury. I nearly went kookoo-bananas. So how long do you think I'm in for with the Achilles thing?
 
OK Shannon, sounds like it's time for a dr. appt. Probably even Low Max would be too much b/c your still putting pressure on the injured areas.

Hey, how about a Rent-a-Center for a recumbent bike?
 
No, no Dr's appt. He'll just tell me to rest and then charge me for it. Maybe I'll just ignore it some more. A recumbent bike? No way. I sit all day as it is.
 
Shannon:
I know how you feel. I had a back injury and didn't do anything except some walking from mid november till about early January!
Then I started with cathe and things were going great. I get up and run on the treamill one morning (last Friday to be exact) and wham! my back starts up again! I went to the chiropractor this afternoon and it seems to be somewhat relived, but what do I do know? Am I just going to keep reinjuring myself anytime I live what I consider to be a "normal" life?
I had worked up to some nice interval runs and those are out of the question for now. Oh well, I guess it's back to walking and light weights or nothing till my body let's me in on what it has planned.
good luck to you on your healing process.


Paula
 
How about yoga for a couple of weeks? Power yoga is a great workout and definitley gets the heart rate up and you feel great at the end and worked out. Just a thought. I hate taking time off too. But, sometimes it is necessary. I had a bad cold last year and worked out anyway and it turned into a serious pneumonia and if I would have just taken time off it would not have. Anyway, I did yoga for a month while I was recovering and I had great results from it, even lost a few pounds. Good luck!

Susan
 
Shannon...I think you are looking at something like 6-8 weeks (maybe more depending on how much damage has been done). There is another person on the forum (I can't recall who) that has been out with the same injury for a very long time. Part of the reason for her was that she let it go for too long before treating it.

I also agree with a previous poster that said that Low-Max would be too much...that's the truth Shannon.

Seriously, the bike might not be such a bad idea...I think you're going to have to be little more open because step workouts are really out of the question at this point.

Again...I know it's not what you want to hear, but it's what you NEED to hear.

Just think...once you get this all squared away, you'll be good to go. I had to be sidelined for a while due to an injury (years ago). First, I'm glad that I took the time that I needed because that is the only way I was going to heal. Secondly, when I came back I was stronger than ever and got back in condition in no time. Trust me on this...


~Marietta
FITXME
http://www.picturetrail.com/fitxme
 
Thanks, everyone, for the advice. Of course I knew it already, but I was hoping there were some alternatives....

I'm going to take a week off of high impact stuff to get rid of the bruised foot. Focus on upper body and ab workouts, plus stretching, and then work in some low or non-weight freestyle-type lower body exercises.

So officially, today is my third day off - Wed. was my regular day off, and I just stretched yesterday.

As for the tendons.... they just tick me off. Actually, they've been giving me trouble ever since I was running years ago (I just do that once a week at most, now due to knee problems - yes, I'm falling apart). The thing is, the tendon soreness kind of stays fairly steady. If I do something really strenuous, they'll act up, but then they'll settle down again. Right now they are misbehaving more than usual, so I will give them a break.

I honestly don't know that a 6-8 week recovery will actually cure them though. I did that a few years back, and it didn't work. So I guess I'll see what this week does for them, and if it seems to be helping, maybe take a bit more time off.

I can pinpoint when this "bad" phase started - a couple of weeks ago when I decided to do IMax3 blasts + LM blasts + BC cardio premix. Imax and BC combined just gave my wimpy body too much high impact at once. Sigh. It sure was fun though.
 
Shannon,

I know you need to stay away from step/high impact for a while, but I wanted to ask, how high is your step? I have achilles tendonitis as well (only on the left) and it flares up immediately if I raise my step any higher than 6 inches. You can still get a great workout at the lower height, without the injury. I have also learned the hard way that I have to limit the amount of high impact I do in any week.


Anyway, good luck and I hope you heal soon.

Marie
 
Marie - my step is at 8 inches, and that's as low as I go. I used to be at 10 and came down to 8 for this very reason. It helped a lot.
 
Hi,

Be smart and take some time off and let your injuries heal. Otherwise you risk getting chronic problems that might always bother you at some level. Try focusing on your upper body, core, and doing yoga. Sometimes it's a psychological transition to move from cardio to more weights, but it does wonders for your body. As we get older we have to cross train and train smart.

Tracy
 
Great advice Tracy, I couldn't agree more. Here's my .02, it can be very tedious and boring but my suggetsion is contrasting ice and heat on the area especially on the achilles. Tendons and ligaments aren't vascular and rely on surrounding blood flow for healing, if you shunt fresh blood in and out of the area it gives the tendons and ligaments more of what they are thirsting for and they will heal faster. Granted....not FAST but faster:)

Injuries are so d@amn frustratingx( and they sure do keep us humble. I'm sending you tons of healing (((vibes))) Shannon:) How's about you give your poor feet a break and work on your guns for the summer:)

Take Care
Laurie
 
Shannon-
I am sorry to read about your set back. You have gotten good advice, but i just wanted to let you know many of us fee lthis way about taking time off. I had the haardesttime healing my Plantar Fasciitis because I did not rest my foot when I should have.

This might be a very good opprutunity for you to improve your flexability with yoga and or pilates, And perhaps really sculpt you upper body.

PS I do have a semi recumbent bike and even though you are seated, you can do an amazing interval or high intensity workout with it. I often put in an Imax DVD and adjust my sspeed and effort to match the intervals. My heart rate sores (!) and just barley recovers during the recovey phases.

Keep us posted on your pregress. :)

Judy "Likes2bfit"


If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.
Success is acheived by early preparation


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Yikes! Achilles tendonitis is nothing to mess with. If your tendons are weak you risk rupturing them with more exercise. I've heard that a ruptured achilles tendon is one of the most painful injuries one can experience - not to mention it requires surgery for repair, you'd be looking at a year or more for a complete recovery. I would recommend going to a sport medicine practice, they have the most knowledge with these types of injuries. In the meantime, rest those legs!
 
Hey everyone - thanks again for all the advice and support. I started icing the tendons yesterday and they already feel better. I know they're not really better, but at least they feel that way! ;-)

I've got lots of stuff to keep me busy today, so maybe I won't miss the cardio too much. I'd love to check into "power yoga," but my budget won't allow any new tapes just yet!! Had to buy some new contacts (gas permeables, $150 a pair!), and the electric bill went off the charts this month. Sigh. I will improvise.

Somebody do Step Blast for me today, will ya? That's my all time favorite!
 
Hi, Shannon, make an appointment with your doctor and find out what is wrong. In the meantime, go carefully. I have a strained achilles also and swelling at the heel where the achilles inserts into the heel. My biomechanics have always plauged me. I am seeing my podiatrist next week and I have been laying off at times and being very careful when I do workout to minimize impact and to pay attention to that heel. I am hoping that getting my custom sports orthotics adjusted on the heel is going to do the trick. My calves are very tight and that seems to play into my foot woes so I stretch them carefull and frequently. That could be helpful to you also. Good luck. I hope you resolve your problem and get back to your workouts pain free with all the intensity you desire!
Bobbi "Chicks rule!"http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/tiere/animal-smiley-032.gif
Tell me what you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? -Mary Oliver
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