What cardio exercise to do ?

hot to trot

Looking for suggestions for meaningful cross training to keep some fitness up while trying to recover from 12 day old partial tear of Achilles.
Still walking with a limp as i am unable to lift heel during walking cycle.
Tried exercise bike but am quite sore today after doing it yesterday. You still work your calves on a bike and that obviously pulled on the old achilles.
Is it swimming or nothing? Just wondered what else I can try before I have to go and join a hotel leisure centre? Aqua running wont be an option as hotel pool isnt deep enough.
I reckon I will be off for a good while with it. Dotn want to be 2 stone overweight with zero fitness in 2-3 months time or how ever long it will take.

Pherekydes

Have you seen a physio? If not, then see one asap.

menoscemo

Pherekydes wrote: »

Have you seen a physio? If not, then see one asap.

She is a physio

thirtyfoot

menoscemo wrote: »

She is a physio

There should be a mention in the charter regarding physios looking for exercise advice. Are they not supposed to know that sh&t.

Tell me she isn't a physio? A hospital physio who fixes fat people maybe but not a diagnose and implement a rehab program type sport physio.

Pherekydes

menoscemo wrote: »

She is a physio

RacoonQueen

thirtyfoot wrote: »

There should be a mention in the charter regarding physios looking for exercise advice. Are they not supposed to know that sh&t.

Tell me she isn't a physio? A hospital physio who fixes fat people maybe but not a diagnose and implement a rehab program type sport physio.

'Hospital' physio's do a lot more than fix fat people. :pac:

HTT best thing IMO would be the cross trainer. Once you don't lift your heel off the footplate you shouldn't be putting any stress on the achilles, probably as close as you can get to mimicking running without actually running. Keep your arms by your sides, same as you would when you're running so that your legs do all the work.

*not intended as 'medical' advice*

Oisin11178

thirtyfoot wrote: »

There should be a mention in the charter regarding physios looking for exercise advice. Are they not supposed to know that sh&t.

Tell me she isn't a physio? A hospital physio who fixes fat people maybe but not a diagnose and implement a rehab program type sport physio.

The girl is just looking for advise. Maybe someone has tried something she has not thought of. Your post is ott.

hot to trot

Yes I am a physio. I do a lot of rehab and sports therapy too. But I am also a human that can get frustrated when injured like any other runner/sportsperson. I have tried bike and cross trainer but its just a bit too much for what I can tolerate at the moment.

Its not up to much and I am doing what I can in other ways including working on other areas that need attention.

I simply wondered was there an activity that I wasnt familiar with or might not have considered , other than swimming that I could try.

Thank RQ and Oisin.

McTigs

hot to trot wrote: »

I reckon I will be off for a good while with it. Dotn want to be 2 stone overweight with zero fitness in 2-3 months time or how ever long it will take.

You won't put on two stone and drop to zero fitness in 2 months, you panic you will but you won't.

I had an arm fracture there recently and i did no exersize whatsoever for the two months i was in a cast and i thought i would be starting from scratch..... i actually lost weight during the time and i was back to my normal fitness levels (not particularly high mind) in about 2 weeks from the cast being off.

Enjoy some time off, look after your diet, get plenty of vitamin C and if you are near the sea paddle regularly and maybe try some yoga.

ocnoc

Something that worked for a few people I know is that they put a small bit of material/gel pad under there heel so it relieved the pressure on the achilles.
Probably more suited to tendonitis than a tear...

AntiVirus

Why not try rowing. if you find pushing with your legs is to sore, switch you style more to pulling with your arms rather than pushing with your legs. Try to find a nice balance you feel comfortable with and then increase your strokes per minute.

See how far you can go in 10 mins :-D

Oisin11178

Last 2 posts were excellent. People trying to help people in need. Just what id expect from this forum not like one of the earlier posts. Best of luck finn and hope to see you out there soon.

hot to trot

I tried the bike again last night and managed it for a while and its not worse today so I think I can manage more of that again , thank God.

I will try the rower if I can stick the stretch on it , with my feet on the foot plates. Thanks for that. I even have one myself.

Am getting more hopeful , every day its a bit better. I can walk downhill without a limp today. And I am making supreme effort to do hip strengthening and all the other stuff I dont get time to do , so perhaps it is a blessing in disguise:rolleyes:

Oisin the ultramachine you are going fab with the 5/5, will be there with you next year, mate. I am going up to the 24 hour to do massage and general go - for . Its going to kill me to miss it though. Next year, I will be back in force, stronger and fitter than ever.

thirtyfoot

Not being negative just surprised that a medical pro would ask such a question. Rehab is the cornerstone to being a good Physio and I like them to be almost S&C people as well as Physio. Giving bad rehab advice is dangerous. Nobody here is proberly equipped to do it bar maybe a Physio but seeing as the one Physio here is asking the question then it's a bit messed up.

bucketybuck

Oisin11178 wrote: »

Last 2 posts were excellent. People trying to help people in need. Just what id expect from this forum not like one of the earlier posts. Best of luck finn and hope to see you out there soon.

With all due respect, what sort of physio needs to come to a general message board looking for basic achilles rehab exercises? It doesnt speak well of her, or her training that she does not know this stuff. Did she get her qualifications in a lucky bag or something?

Its the same as a mechanical engineer coming here and asking how to use a calculator, it does not speak well of their ability to do their job.

InTheTrees

hot to trot wrote: »

Tried exercise bike but am quite sore today after doing it yesterday.

When you say "sore" do you mean the ache from initial use? Or pain? It took me at least three or four days to get into using a bike. Just sitting on the seat is sore from time to time...

Any new exercise is going to produce some aching when you first start out. Its when there's pain that you should back off.

Who diagnosed the "partial tear"?

RacoonQueen

bucketybuck wrote: »

With all due respect, what sort of physio needs to come to a general message board looking for basic achilles rehab exercises? It doesnt speak well of her, or her training that she does not know this stuff. Did she get her qualifications in a lucky bag or something?

Its the same as a mechanical engineer coming here and asking how to use a calculator, it does not speak well of their ability to do their job.

So if a physio who specialised in stroke rehab came on here and asked for the same advice, it wouldn't speak well of their ability to do their job?

Physio's deal with a wide range of conditions and will get advice from each other on how to deal with patients all the time. Don't see how this is any different to be honest.

bucketybuck

RacoonQueen wrote: »

So if a physio who specialised in stroke rehab came on here and asked for the same advice, it wouldn't speak well of their ability to do their job?

Physio's deal with a wide range of conditions and will get advice from each other on how to deal with patients all the time. Don't see how this is any different to be honest.

She is not asking for specialized opinions, she is asking for the type of basic foundation training that any physio would have covered in "Physio year one module one". Yes physios will specialize, but each will know the bloody basics, just as each chemist will know what is the best cough medicine, even though they may specialize in some sort of respiratory medicine.

More than that, I would expect even the most quack of physios to have access to the most relevant of medical journals available. After her years of study do you mean to tell me that her best source of advice on achilles rehab is the ****ing boards.ie? If so then I am sorry wee girl, but you are doing it wrong.

I would hate to be her patient.
Patient - My back is doing well, but I also have a bit of trouble with my achilles...
Hot to Trot - Let me take a quick look at one of these medical journals (Frantically asks boards.ie what they think she should do...)

All a load of bollocks frankly. Anyway, have to go, my boss is on the phone wanting some information, so I have to go google it and see what the story is.

TFBubendorfer

bucketybuck wrote: »

... that any physio would have covered in "Physio year one module one" ... even the most quack of physios ... after her years of study do you mean to tell me that her best source of advice on achilles rehab is the ****ing boards.ie? ... sorry wee girl ...

... All a load of bollocks frankly ...

12 posts so far here on boards, including 2 downright insulting ones in this thread alone and the above just takes the biscuit.

All she did was ask for a second opinion, ferchrissakes! :mad:

RacoonQueen

I don't want to drag this on, but, just to be pedantic, she didn't come onto boards looking for achilles rehab exercises/advice. She asked for cross training advice. Physio's don't do sport specific training...

thirtyfoot

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Physio's don't do sport specific training...

Now we are getting somewhere. The ones in hospitals or the one who treat old golfers keep going for a few years more maybe don't, but the physios who treat sportspeople really should know all the various rehab exercises and options. The physios I have known that I regard good have been able to say exactly what type of activity can be done, duration, intensity etc, its key to a good rehab program.

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I don't want to drag this on, but, just to be pedantic, she didn't come onto boards looking for achilles rehab exercises/advice.

This is what she asked for below. She is recovering from an achilles issue. A key part of that recovery or rehab will be maintaining fitness. Rehab is not just fixing the injury and removing weaknesses, its also maintaining fitness. What she is asking for is rehab advice. She is entitled to ask it here. I'm just surprised as a physio that she doesn't already know it. The bolded parts are the key bits and the first two bolded parts are also known as rehab.

"Looking for suggestions for meaningful cross training to keep some fitness up while trying to recover from 12 day old partial tear of Achilles.
Still walking with a limp as i am unable to lift heel during walking cycle.
Tried exercise bike but am quite sore today after doing it yesterday. You still work your calves on a bike and that obviously pulled on the old achilles.
Is it swimming or nothing? Just wondered what else I can try before I have to go and join a hotel leisure centre? Aqua running wont be an option as hotel pool isnt deep enough."

Maybe the charter regarding medical advice should be changed to seek advice of a medical professional with an understanding of sports. I'm half joking but half serious.

Finally, my non-professional advice is pool workouts and treat your rehab as training.

InTheTrees

RacoonQueen wrote: »

I don't want to drag this on, but, just to be pedantic, she didn't come onto boards looking for achilles rehab exercises/advice.

But this is important.

Dont expect us to be educated in the intricacies of the PT profession. I dont know/care how many branches/disiplines there are.

The psychological effect it has on us punters is for us to lose a little trust in the profession in question.

Surely you can see that?

Just as Lawyers coming on here to ask legal advice, plumbers asking plumbing advice, doctors seeking medical advice, etc etc etc.

village runner

As we all know running is alot in the head. Maybe its a case of i am so frustrated with been out injured and i want to get it of my chest. When someone runs so much and cant run what do you do. Its like a child falling. His mammy tells him he is ok he believes her. If i was jumped on for every inappropraite or bad comment i made would be feiced. Maybe she is like me and uses this forum for advise/help.....

nerraw1111

Seems that some people have no idea what a hospital physio does. Pretty sure countless numbers of ppl with brain injuries will have a different view.

As a reasonable person, I don't see anything wrong with a physio asking other athletes how to recover from an injury. Unless of course you're a know it all and thus not interested in case studies.

hot to trot

bucketybuck wrote: »

With all due respect, what sort of physio needs to come to a general message board looking for basic achilles rehab exercises?

Wow this has been busy since I was last on !.

I didn't seek Achilles advice actually , in frustrated desperation I was asking about any forms of cross training out of the normal course of events that I might not be familiar with that I could try,. If someone found that cycling backwards on a unicycle across a bog helped then I was prepared to consider that ! Even non missionary athletic sexual endeavours ,Funnily enough , they dont consider that on post graduate education either.

Of course I am familiar with all the usual and advanced rehab methodologies and am well up to date, I am also a runner and keen to get back to fitness quickly with anxiety and frustrations like many of my patients who are unable to hold back while injured and like them I too wanted the magic bullet.

I am managing to get some exercise biking done now and thanks for the support folks. Its great to know people are rooting for you , especially when they know one of your major goals for the year has gone down the tubes and its nice to give some moral support while you get your head around it.

I think its perhaps time to retire this thread ! There seems to be waaaaay too much misunderstanding on it .