OT: Ideas on How To Stay Fit When Injured?

[DRK]

Hey guys. I just got news today from the doctor that I've torn my quad tendon off my bone. I will be not be able to do much for around 6 weeks, so yeah I'm pretty annoyed.

Does anyone have any ideas for me on how to keep fit during this time? Thanks.

[Kerrsed]

Thats what i would do.

[DRK]

Thats what i would do.

[sunfire0112]

Ouch. Best thing to do is to probably rest up for a couple of weeks. If you're feeling up to it, maybe try exercise bike for cardio. But you should probably consult w/ your doc or a PT beforehand.

On a side note:
Make sure to exercise both arms
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otPL8KwKQmw&feature=related[/youtube]

[lilfishi22]

Dude that sucks man. Good news is that you're still young so you can recover quicker than if you were older. How did the injury happen?

There's not much you can do about the leg with the injured tendon, so I'd just work on upper body and core. It's always good to have a strong core. Also if you're healthy enough, I'd strongly recommend swimming.

[thamadkant]

do arm and chest work out.... they dont affect your legs..

chest + back weight training is as good as an intense leg training... in terms of muscle work out and fat burn...


the bigger the muscles you work out the better for fat burning... but you have to do 45 mins of training them.

[DRK]

Dude that sucks man. Good news is that you're still young so you can recover quicker than if you were older. How did the injury happen?

There's not much you can do about the leg with the injured tendon, so I'd just work on upper body and core. It's always good to have a strong core. Also if you're healthy enough, I'd strongly recommend swimming.

I was playing soccer Sunday night and I had the ball. I was sprinting down the wing, and I suddenly felt a pop in my hip/groin area. Like, when you crack your knuckles, but 100 times louder and bigger. I thought it was jsut a strain or something, turns out I was wrong.

I finally realised how bad it was when I was trying to get in the car. Couldn't bend my leg, and was almost in tears trying to get myself in the front seat. I settled for the back seat by using the roof to prop myself up and slot my legs in the leg area.

Ouch. Best thing to do is to probably rest up for a couple of weeks. If you're feeling up to it, maybe try exercise bike for cardio. But you should probably consult w/ your doc or a PT beforehand.

On a side note:
Make sure to exercise both arms
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otPL8KwKQmw&feature=related[/youtube]

You call THAT exercising?

Thanks for the advice. I'll try riding an exercise bike and see how I go.

[lilfishi22]

Ouch. Sounds painful man. Hope recovery goes well for ya mate.

[DRK]

Ouch. Sounds painful man. Hope recovery goes well for ya mate.

Thanks for the support Fishii. Means alot. I'm pretty depressed at the moment lol. No sport for 6-8 weeks. . My jumpshot is going to look worse than Robin Lopez's. Ahh well.

do arm and chest work out.... they dont affect your legs..

chest + back weight training is as good as an intense leg training... in terms of muscle work out and fat burn...


the bigger the muscles you work out the better for fat burning... but you have to do 45 mins of training them.

I dont have a weight set at home or anything, but there is a school around the corner with chin up bars. I might go and use them. Thanks for the advice.

[gino_giode]

Wait...If you've torn your quad tendon off the bone then you need surgery. Unless you mean a tear in the tendon itself (which you can rehab a bit from) but either way, you need surgery or your can forget sports or even walking the same the rest of your life.

If you don't have room for weights/equipment in your house I recommend getting resistance bands. I personally find regular elastic rubber bands don't give me enough tension so I have a spring coil band which gives me a pretty good workout.

I use something like this, except the bands are metal springs. With all the cables attached, I feel like I'm curling 45lbs. You can do a bunch of different exercises using them.

[NiGhtWiSh]

Do nothing without physio or your injury will aggrave. Contact physio staff ASAP. I think surgery can be necessairy, physio will tell you what to do

[gino_giode]

^ Don't go to physio first. Waste of money there--they charge $50-60/session.
Get a referral to an orthopedist first because they're the only ones that can put you on the waiting list for an MRI and operation. A physiotherapist will give you exercises/stretches for recovery, but unless you definitively know what's up inside your leg (via the specialist) physio will just be a waste of time/money when you inevitably have an operation and have to work your way back and go to physio all over again. Just treat inflammation, use ice and heating packs until the pain is mostly gone. Get a knee brace. Do water training so there's no weight bearing strain. If your injury is as bad as it sounds, you might be put as a high priority candidate and bumped up the list.

This is just my personal experience from having 2 hamstring grafts to replace both my ACLs

[NiGhtWiSh]

^ Don't go to physio first. Waste of money there--they charge $50-60/session.
Get a referral to an orthopedist first because they're the only ones that can put you on the waiting list for an MRI and operation. A physiotherapist will give you exercises/stretches for recovery, but unless you definitively know what's up inside your leg (via the specialist) physio will just be a waste of time/money when you inevitably have an operation and have to work your way back and go to physio all over again. Just treat inflammation, use ice and heating packs until the pain is mostly gone. Get a knee brace. Do water training so there's no weight bearing strain. If your injury is as bad as it sounds, you might be put as a high priority candidate and bumped up the list.

This is just my personal experience from having 2 hamstring grafts to replace both my ACLs

I suggested physio 'cause he asked about exercices. I was sure he already consulted doctors and have diagnosis...

100% don't do ANY exercices without physio consultation. 60 bucks is nothing when it's about YOUR LEG!

[DRK]

Wait...If you've torn your quad tendon off the bone then you need surgery. Unless you mean a tear in the tendon itself (which you can rehab a bit from) but either way, you need surgery or your can forget sports or even walking the same the rest of your life.

If you don't have room for weights/equipment in your house I recommend getting resistance bands. I personally find regular elastic rubber bands don't give me enough tension so I have a spring coil band which gives me a pretty good workout.

I use something like this, except the bands are metal springs. With all the cables attached, I feel like I'm curling 45lbs. You can do a bunch of different exercises using them.

Its not that big of a tear. I went to see a Sports Doctor aobut it and he said I won't need surgery. It will heal itself, but it will take around 6-8 weeks.

I was thinking of buying a set of weights. Always wanted to buy one, but they have been quite pricey. Now, a weight set it probably more of a neccessity than a want though. Might buy a set this week.

[Miklo]

Well don't do ANYTHING involving your legs without specific approval from physical therapy or your doctor.

But yeah the ideas above for what you can work out, arms etc, are good.

Luckily, it could be a lot worse than 6-8 weeks. When I tore a ligament in my wrist I needed surgery and couldn't play ball for about 5 or 6 months. Talk about out of shape. If you can just do whatever is possible for the 6-8 weeks, it'll get you set to hit the gym when it's all healed up. Then at that point you just put in lots of time at the gym (again following the instructions of physical therapy/doc of course)

[lilfishi22]

This could turn into an injury advice thread. I haven't really suffered any major injuries in my basketball "career" thus far. I've had the odd sprained ankle and strained lower back which kept me off the court for a week or so but no tears or anything. I guess I've been lucky so far.

[grumpysaddle]

Bulimia is always an option....

[DRK]

Well don't do ANYTHING involving your legs without specific approval from physical therapy or your doctor.

But yeah the ideas above for what you can work out, arms etc, are good.

Luckily, it could be a lot worse than 6-8 weeks. When I tore a ligament in my wrist I needed surgery and couldn't play ball for about 5 or 6 months. Talk about out of shape. If you can just do whatever is possible for the 6-8 weeks, it'll get you set to hit the gym when it's all healed up. Then at that point you just put in lots of time at the gym (again following the instructions of physical therapy/doc of course)

Wow 5-6 months. That must've bene torture not being able to ball for that amount of time.

Yeah, I'm just trying to do whatever I can. I can kinda walk a bit, so I'm just hobbling around the park when I let my dog loose. I'm also cutting down on what I eat. I dont need the same amount of food intake because Im not doing any exercises or anything.

This could turn into an injury advice thread. I haven't really suffered any major injuries in my basketball "career" thus far. I've had the odd sprained ankle and strained lower back which kept me off the court for a week or so but no tears or anything. I guess I've been lucky so far.

I considered myself to be pretty lucky before this incident aswell, but I had a pretty damn rough time with "minor injuries." I can recall about 2 hyper-extended knees, about 6 ankle roll/twists, 1 sprained wrist, jaw injury, and a bit of back pain. (Yeah. I usually give every sport I play 110%, even if it gets me hurt. )

I think the worst part of this injury is the fact that I miss basketball high school tryouts. I've been training up all year for it too.

[Biff]

You could try something like seated kettlebell cleans. Do a lighter weight for as many reps as you can do in 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds. Repeat for a total of 8 times (4 minutes total). If you push yourself you'll feel like puking after you've finished.

[flanpaw42]

Water aerobics is your best bet. you will be doing resistance training with no weight bearing. bench isnt the best idea, but resistance bands tied to a fixed object are good. ice it for 10-15 minutes of every hour if you can. reduces swelling and inflamation and helps heal faster. that is why you see pros with ice on so much. heat is bad... i know it sounds backwards, but heat restricts the flow of blood to the damaged tissue because. icing reduces blood flow while its on, but as soon as its taken away there is a rush of blood to help. you can verify it by looking on any website that isnt trying to sell you something.


as for diet, stay away from soda, beer, and chips and anything sold in a fast food chain. eat foods rich in protein. not protein shakes, just food, like chicken, eggs, fish etc... and fruits & veggies.

yer body will heal itself just fine and rather quickly if you allow it to. put crap in it and over exert, and it'll tell you to jump off a cliff and will only take its time healing...