What is a good workout for someone that can't use one of their legs?
Last December I broke my foot which led to nerve damage. I still have to wear an air cast and I can’t do a lot of walking. I go to physical therapy which helps me move and work the muscles in my leg. Because my activity has been significantly lessened, I’ve gained about 30 pounds. I’ve not changed my diet, and I consider myself to be a healthy eater. Before I injured myself I was a fairly active person. I never really worked out, but I walked about 10 miles every week at the park with my dog. I was in relatively good shape, but now not so much. I was wondering if there are any exercises that could help me lose weight without having to use my injured foot.
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7 Answers
You would want to discuss this with your doctor to be sure it’s safe for your specific condition, but have you looked into swimming? It would give you a chance to get some exercise without really needed to put much strain or pressure on your injured foot.
Agree with swimming. Also, I’ve seen workout equipment in gyms that do cardio with with arms—sort of a bicycle movement but with the arms instead of legs.
Most recumbent exercise bikes have strap foot holders so you could easily peddle with the one leg and let the injured foot rest or go along for the ride. You could also do light dumbell hand weights while on the bike to add to the workout while on the bike. Otherwise find a pool to swim at….that would be ideal to keep you active and very low impact! Good luck!!
I agree with the swimming idea. A family member of mine that can’t walk without a cane/walker swims for exercise.
Swimming for sure. Water aerobics. Also, if your local gym or rec center has classes targeted towards the elderly, many exercises are done sitting in a chair with resistance bands and weights. Floor exercises, maybe even pilates, and skip or modify what you can’t do. I skip amd modify things all of the time in classes if I can’t do it.
Yeh I agree about the swimming I have had friends go through similar situations and although it may seem a bit of a faff and hassel it really is a great form of excersize both muscle building and relaxing.
I have some pretty major foot problems, have spent most of a year on crutches on time. Swimming, while it isn’t a weight-bearing exercise, can hurt. If your ankle joint is involved, the motion of kicking can really, really be painful (its the “snap” at the end of the kick, the sudden stop of motion that hurts me). Not to say that you shouldn’t try, but that you need to be aware of the fact that it can hurt and that if it does, you probably need to stop because you can aggravate injuries by working them the wrong way. Talk to the physical therapist, they’ll know what you need to do and what you can do. That’s their job.
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