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Whether you spend your days chasing kids around the house, weekends hitting the trails on your mountain bike or evenings taking after-dinner strolls with your family, you are probably not going to take kindly to the idea of staying stationary after enduring an injury or undergoing surgery. The good news is you don’t have to.
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, low-impact, rehabilitative exercise is key to regaining your strength. The key is to find exercises that complement your rehabilitation program by strengthening the proper muscles near the injury, protecting the joints and improving range of motion for the fastest, most effective recovery possible.
If you are preparing to undergo surgery or are currently recovering from an orthopedic injury, talk with your doctor about beneficial exercise options. There are many therapeutic options for major joints, such as hips, knees, rotator cuffs and shoulders. And remember to keep the following in mind no matter what area you are working to improve:
- Warming up is your first order of business. Prepare your bones, joints and muscles for motion with low impact movements, such as riding a stationary bike or walking.
- Don’t forget to stretch. Gently stretching muscles before exercise may help lubricate joints and improve range of motion.
- Pain does not always mean gain. If you notice a sharp shooting pain during your workout, stop! Your body is telling you that something is not right.
- Stay in contact with your doctor or physical therapist. Keep a daily journal to track progress as your workout plan progresses, and contact your doctor or physical therapist with any questions that may arise.
The benefits of exercise as you recover from injury or surgery aren’t just physical. Patients who make exercise part of their rehabilitation program also notice positive emotional and mental effects. So, don’t let injury get you down. Start moving gradually, and stick with the plan. You’ll be back to your life sooner than you may expect. If you’re worried about overexerting yourself, start with these:
- Build your endurance with aerobic exercises that are easy on the joints, such as cycling, swimming and water aerobics.
- Increase flexibility and ease stiffness with slow, simple repetitions of different exercises, such as rolling your shoulders back and forth and lifting the legs one at a time while lying down.
- Isometric and isotonic strengthening exercises can be done from almost anywhere and engage different muscles. Specifically, isometric exercises may require you to squeeze muscles in your abdomen or buttocks to strengthen and tone. With isotonic exercise, you build strength by moving your joints with lunges, push-ups and wall sits.
As with any exercise regime, talk with your doctor or physical therapist before launching into something new.
