Monday, June 3, 2013

How to Exercise with a Broken Foot

As you know, I have this problem called a broken foot. Quick explanation: I was skateboarding and fell off just right and landed on the side of my foot, consequently breaking it and causing a minor sprain at the same time! In fact, this has been a problem for about a month now, and it looks like I'll be in a boot for another month (I even walked across the stage for graduation in a boot!). So, how do I exercise? The thing is that now I can't run, causing a bigger problem of how I keep active. Well, allow me to present you with a few things that it turns out you can still do with a broken foot.

First, I should explain a bit about having an avulsion fracture. An avulsion fracture is quite common and (according to dictionary.com) is "a fracture occurring when a joint capsule, ligament, tendon, or muscle is pulled from a bone, taking with it a fragment of the bone to which it was attached". They are apparently quite common on the 5th metatarsal (pinky toe), which is what I broke. These specific breaks are often called a dancer's fracture because it happens so often to dancers. The picture to the left, is of an avulsion fracture, not my own, that I found online.

For the first week and an half I was on crutches and in a boot (I later learned that it probably should have been a cast for the first 2-3 weeks), and remain in a boot, but off of crutches since then. I am allowed (after a month) to do some basic exercises with it, but no dynamic exercises. Which means no running or jumping, which is fine since that stuff hurts. Yet, I am allowed to go on the elliptical and the bike for short periods of time (like 15-20 min at a time short), and I can go swimming! :D I went swimming for the first time yesterday and it was super nice! I did have limitations even in the water due to the injury, but overall, I could swim laps and even do some fancy tricks with my younger sister :)
I'm attempting to find an abs challenge that I can do even with my current limitation. If you have any, please send them on! Otherwise I'm taking from some sources and I will try and make my own workout (wish me luck with that).
Have any of you had to work through major injuries or surgeries due to a workout? What happened? Storytime? :D

No comments:

Post a Comment