Week 6 and 3 days post op - Officially FWB!
Visit to my PT has always been my highlight of the week as it only helps me to see how much closer i am to 2 shoes!
my PT’s aim is by week 8 when i see my surgeon and PT (i managed to plan both for the same day) i can be on 2 shoes! so 2 more tuesdays to go before i go into 2 shoes and suddenly the end is near!
PT suggested i continue to elevate my feet (ok i have been naughty i stopped at week 4plus) as he still observed i have a little bit of swelling. (ARGH!)
After some tissue massage , he then showed me how i should be cycling (speed, and technique). In fact, he said I was way ahead of where I should be but he wanted to slow me down (just because I am always so eager to move to the next stage). He said that as much as I am doing extremely well and ahead of the recommended protocol, he still want my body to take time to recover. Fair enough. I have been overzealous and keep wanting to go above my expected protocol
So anyway, homework for the week is 1) cycling at my own pace 2) continue with the resistant band dorsi and plantar 3) dragging my feet back and stretch 4) if i can tip toe on both legs (my left leg has totally no strength!)
anyway - a couple of questions:
1) is it bad if i don’t wear my boots at home? (its more comfortable and less limping from the height difference between bare feet and boot
2) what other exercises in the gym is suitable of me apart from swimming and cycling?
3) i just wanna lose some of the weight i’ve put on from being inactive! any ideas/suggestions?
thanks!
Filed under: Week 6 - FWB! and
I was told:
eliptical was good because it is a smooth motion
wear the boot for fatigue and limping
Sounds like your making exciting progress!
For (1), it’s way better to fix the height difference, for all your walking, at home and about. Even-Up, cast shoe, thick-soled hiking boot with an extra insole, whatever. Otherwise, you’re risking a number of bad outcomes, both physical (like back, hips, or knee damage) and mental (learning a “silly walk” that can take hours of work with a PT or a gait specialist to fix).
3) Most of the new evidence on exercise and weight suggests only a very weak connection, mostly because exercise stimulates the appetite(s) for most of us. I’m guessing that a lot of people who put on weight during ATR rehab do so at least as much because they’re stuck at home near the food, bored, rather than because they’ve been deprived of exercise. Either way, as your life becomes more normal again, you’ll be getting back to the routine that maintained a lower weight.
SOJ,
I found from my experience that you can do anything in the gym that your boot will allow you to do. I also found that I could do a little bit more in the boot every time I lowered the heel another increment because it became more stable. I recommend trying things other than just steady state cardio like the bike or elliptical. Those things will actually end up burning muscle along with calories, which will in turn reduce your overall metabolic calorie burn. Try to get your cardio by combining it with muscle building movements like basic body weight squats, pushups and pull ups. Dumbbells or kettlebells offer great resistance training as well. All stuff you can do in the boot.
Roark, are you saying that doing lots of cardio exercise without resistance exercise causes a net LOSS of muscle mass? Strength, too?
Yeah, long periods of steady state cardio will end up burning muscle along with fat and carbs. That usually results in a net loss of muscle mass and strength. In order to stimulate muscle growth to cancel out that effect you have to do much more intense exercises through intervals or adding weight that puts your system into an anaerobic state. I’m not saying avoid all cardio or all cardio is bad, especially just getting back into things because it does burn calories and provide a base, just keep that in mind when designing a fitness routine.
Wow! Course, when you’re weak, EVERYTHING is resistance training…
Thanks guys - it was just 1 week of pure cycling and swimming but now i am officially two shoes i have been back doing resistance too like weights and intervals using my body weight! this is just way too exciting! i have also started intervals on the bike i.e. get my heart rate as fast as possible to the highest then back and repeat. i can also do squats now! progress!!!
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