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Monday, April 15, 2013

Cross training with femoral stress fracture

I'm probably jumping the gun, but I've been looking for decent cross training while this pesky stress fracture heals. Right now I'm on rest from any impact exercise, and I won't see my doctor again until later this week, so I can't make any decisions on my own (thanks to my work schedule I can only make one appointment a week, on Wednesdays: healthcare workers always have the worst health care).

But still, I kind of want to know what my options are. There are only so many 30-minute core routines I can tolerate before dying of boredom.

Of course, there is deep water running. I've done it before (once), but my gym pool is crowded. And I would probably need a buoyancy belt, which is added cost and hassle. However, conventional wisdom recommends it as the best replacement for running, and Pete Pfitzinger even has a 9-week pool running program I could follow.
She looks silly.

I considered rollerskating: your legs can stay on the ground if you're careful, right? But when I Googled the idea, this came up:

So I'm going to go with NO on that one.

I could use the elliptical or exercise bike, but not yet. The elliptical hurts: when I bend my knee and apply pressure, like going down stairs, that is when I feel the most pain. I assume the bike would be similar, although I could consider a reclining bike. I'd have to try it to see.

Lastly, I've thought about the rowing machine. Has anyone had experience with this? Is there too much pressure on the legs? The push-off is what I'd be worried about.


7 comments:

  1. Hey--sorry to hear about the sfx...didn't know! The Pfitzinger plan is really solid if you can stand the time water running. My pool has the belts so that makes it nice for the injured, but you can buy relatively cheap belts, too. I also have a friend who does it w/o a belt, so it's possible.

    Not sure on the rowing...it would seem like it might be too much force at first.

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  2. I've only used a rower a couple of times, but I'd kind of think that the push off might be too much.

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  3. I think I would go with the water movements. It seems like you don't need any additional pressure at all on that leg right now. My gym has a kiddie wave pool thing that a lot of athletes use for resistance training, ya know - walking or running against the current. Maybe something like that would be good.

    Question 1: From your last comment, why am I crazy (I mean, running related at least) You, miss, are crazy if you think I can pull off a 5K at that speed.

    Question 2: From your next to last comment, can we please have more inebriated musings please ... please.

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  4. I've never had a femoral stress fracture, but I think swimming is a fantastic recovery from running ...but I also know how annoying a crowded pool can be! I hate sharing the pool. =)

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  5. I followed that plan...

    And survived.
    Good luck. I don't know how beneficial it was, running-wise, but it definitely kept me sane.

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  6. I would think the rower would not be doc-approved right now. Though your feet are always in contact, it is still a "load" on the hips/glute/hams/legs in general with the drive. You could arms-only row... but trust me that sucks.

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  7. Going to check this plan.....I am going to be looking way sillier......

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