Injury & frustration - how did you do it, Cathe?

[Jul]

Hi Cathe,
I know you recently had a major injury and were able to bounce back and heal. I have a painful back injury and have been out of commission for a month now with no end in sight.:-(

Did you feel depressed? How did you stay positive despite frustration (which I'm guessing you also experienced, given your active lifestyle)?

I guess I'm just looking for some extra support from someone else who's "survived" an injury.

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Jul! I'm sorry to hear of your back injury. Were you given an estimated amount of "down time"?

I definitely had moments where I was frustrated, but in the end I realized the situation was out of my control. So I would either be miserable or make the best of the situation. I knew that my cardio workouts were pretty much over for a few months (other than mild basic biking which wasn't really enough to keep me cardiovascularly challenged)so I desided to lift heavy weights for my upper body to help burn calories and overall body fat. I also tried to eat as clean as I could so that I would not put on extra weight that I would not be able to adequately burn off (can't say I was 100 percent successful there ;-) ).

After about 4 months I was able to go back to most cardio and gradually eased my way back into my fitness programs.

The main thing you need to do is totally listen to your doctors and your body too. Don't do anything that is not permitted or hurts because all this will do is set your recovery time back.

Keep your spirits up and continue to do all things that you are able to do with enthusiasm and energy.....a smile will go a long way too. It really makes people react to your differently when you are happier.

((((((((Recovery hugs coming your way ))))))))))))

 

[Peleliu]

Hello!

I am not Cathe, but I certainly can relate to your dilema. I have a herniated disc (l-4, l-5), which caused some horrible back/sciatic pain for me for over a month. I went to physical therapy for 1 month and started Pilates. All I can say is Pilates, Pilates , Pilates. Being a man/former professional athlete, and a heavy weigh lifter, I was very skeptical. Not any more. (Knock on wood- My head) my back was back to near normal in a few weeks. I am doing sprints, squats, running, etc, and have no signs of sciatica. You have to be faithful with the Pilates work though (I do it at least 4-5 times a week). Good luck, please let me know how things progress. John in Colorado

 

[Sheilaraecote]

I had a bout of sciatica for about 3 months (probably would have been less time if I had not tried to get back into exercise too quickly). I found that pilates helped me out in my time of need. I also did some weight lifting with support so that my back would get better (i.e., chest press lying on the floor, using resistance bands instead of weights). It is very important to eat clean as Cathe has stated, listen to your body, let it heal and do not rush back into exercise. Like John in Colorado, I am now back to doing everything and then some with no signs of sciatica!

Sheila

 

[Jul]

Thanks Cathe, John, and Sheila for your very positive and hopeful posts. I felt more cheerful just reading them. It's so hard not to try jumping right back in and doing too much. That's my biggest fear and danger.

I think I am healing, but of course it is never as quickly as what we would like. I am curious to try some Pilates. I did think about it, but I was afraid it would worsen my back pain. I may have to try digging out some old Pilates workouts to see if they might help me. Since John had such great success, maybe I will too!

Thanks so much! It really did help!

 

[Peleliu]

Hello Jul!

I am glad that I might have been some help. I don't know what kind of injury you are suffering from, but if it is disc related, I suggest you see your physician/orthopedic/physical therapist prior to starting Pilates. I automatically assumed you had an injury similar to mine, and that probably is not the case! I am telling you though, I am addicted to my Pilates. I do not have a tape, class or video I follow, I have a series (appx 10 different excercises) of exercises I perform either at the beginning of my workout, or the end. My sciatica, which went down to my right foot (do you have sciatica in glute/leg/feet?), and it has comletely gone away. Hope all is well, please keep me updated! John in CO

 

[Lee Jones]

Hi...I can relate to all here on injuries. Last year after doing Cathe's workouts, I started to notice a sharp pain in my right hip, after a few months of visiting the doctor I found out I had a torn labrum. On January 2nd I finally had a hip scope and I'm now just getting back to working out after two months recovery. Thing is, I stopped working out around July/August last year because of the intense pain, so for over 6 months I was in a depressed state. Unlike Cathe, I didn't work out my upper body and I pretty much nursed my hip. I also didn't eat clean (barely do anyway...I love food...lol) so the muscle definition went away.

I really didn't gain alot of weight because I'm pretty petite as it is, but I could tell that nice "toned" look was gone. That's what depressed me.

Now I'm slowly getting back into the workout routine. As a matter of fact, I should be downstairs doing the Back, Shoulders and Triceps DVD instead of on the computer...lol.

Good luck in your recovery!

 

[carrie123]

I am right there with you. It's been about two months of grrrrrring around the house when I'm not working, hoping my back will get better soon. What sort of injury do you have?

I recently found out I tore lower back muscles/tendons, herniated my lower lumber disc and with an MRI found out that my spinal column is narrowing in on the spinal nerves, and to top it off have arthritis surrounding the same area. Geez, Louiz, when it rains, it pours...I thought I was too young for that kind of stuff. Anyways, I'm so glad you asked your question. I think I would like to try pilates too, whenever I get the green light from the doctor.

Please feel free to email me if you are feeling down or just want to talk. Recuperating with a buddy would be nice, until we are able to go strong again

Carrie

 

[niecie2k]

Wow. I'm so glad i found this topic. It was EXACTLY what I was looking for. Last week I fell doing DrillMax and seriously sprained my ankle. It was such a bad sprain, my leg and foot blew up to almost double the size and my toes and foot are still very black and blue. Thank God, it doesn't hurt anymore, and I can even run if I wanted to, but it is still very "sore" and looks terrible.

Anyway, I tried doing the bike twice since this happened and forget about it. After about 20 minutes, my foot and leg got so swollen that my loose sock made a dent in my leg!!!

I am soooo depressed. I am a person that works out everyday and is in great shape. Now I can't do anything which makes me depressed emotionally, physically AND physiologically and what does one do when they're depressed and stuck off their feet?????? THEY EAT!!!!!!!!!!. I feel like I gained a million pounds already.


I know there's nothing I can do and I just have to watch my diet, try to do light weights, blah, blah, blah, but no matter how you slice it, I still feel so sad. x(

 

[tneah]

I have severe arthritis in my right hip( and I am only 40) and need to get it replaced...I am not looking forward to the down time at all! It takes about 6-9 weeks before you can even ride a bike, you can walk before that, but have to be careful about dislocation. Plus you have to wear these horrible compression tights for 6 weeks--to discourage bloot clots from forming....So I totally understand your feelings, I am struggling with the whole "inactivity" thing as well! I think being mentally and emotionally well is very important in the healing process, so that is what I am doing now, preparing myself mentally for this surgery--this coming July.
Also, when I had my knee operated on, I actually lost a little weight, your body uses up alot of energy healing itself, so I found I actually go smaller during the three months I was recovering.

Look at this as a chance to catch up on your movies, reading, writing, all that other "stuff", keep yourself mentally active, which is what I will try and do. That and I can look forward to doing Cathe's workouts without the constant nagging pain in my hip!! Yippee!!
All my best to you and your recovery. You are NOT alone with this!!:7

 

[Gayle]

Hi Jul,

I can relate. I'm currently about 4 months post-op from ACL reconstruction surgery. For me, the really depressing part was the year before the surgery where I knew something was wacky with my knee, but didn't know what.

Once I had a solid diagnosis and a plan of attack, it was much easier to be positive and focus on getting better. Have you seen a doctor about your back yet?