Well like the title says i am out of the academy.

I screwed up my leg pretty good and couldn't run any more so I D.O.R.'d after talking with the SGT. and class supervisor.

I am able to recycle by Dec or Jan IF i can get my leg in shape and me in shape so it doesn't happen again. This has got to be one of the lowest parts of my life I am so disappointed in Myself right now.


so my question is does anybody have any ideas for something low impact high cardio that can keep and get my wind up while i take a week or two off and fix my leg and get back to jogging.

I am waiting to talk to a sports therapy doc BUT it could take anywhere from three weeks to 6 months to see this guy(insurance, I trust him etc..etc..)

so any ideas would be great thanks

mike

Try, try and try again

Good luck

Taffy

Thanks. i'm working my ass off trying to heal up and keep on keeping on at the same time running till it hurts then walking it off getting a little better but not by much thinking just take a week or two off running and go from there.

maybe working light on a bike would help

good luck

Swim, actual honest to goodness swimming


it worked for me after I wrecked my ankle, and about as low impact as one could possibly hope for

Hang in there, stay positive...good things will happen.   Sometimes in life there are hurdles you have to clear.   You'll get pass this one.  +1 on swimming and physical therapy.

Honestly, you'd have to be more specific with the leg injury before I could recomend a machine/routine.  Pulled/torn muscle, tendon, ligament?  Is it in the joint?  Which one? ect.

Vinnie is right, without more info it is tough to give you some ideas for exercise that won't do more harm.  Having said that, the exercise bike and swimming laps in a competition pool (like the YMCA pool) are the two lowest impact, high cardio workouts.  You don't need a coach if you have the drive in you.  Oh yeah, power walking on a treadmill will do it also.  Set it to where you aren't jogging on it but fast enough to where you just barely keep up walking.  All of those are just a laugh riot.

Guess I should have given a little more info.

My doctor seems to think it's just something in the muscle however M.R.I. showed no rips or tears,

What happens after I start my jogging my calf muscle tightens up and starts to burn and by burn I mean almost to the verge of tears, it seems the impact of landing while jogging is what does it.This was after a few P.T. sessions and doing it at home as well since I know i wasn't in the best of shape.

This all started as we were doing the warm ups and stretches I was stretching and something just didn't "feel" right, well I got up to hit the track got to the third stair and a charlie horse started in my leg tried to walk it off but it wasn't going anywhere and tried calf raises and stretching it well started running and after that it was all over this went on for a couple weeks saw the doctor not a specialist yet but he seemed to think just keep walking and it should work itself out however it just seemed to get worse.

I'm going nuts I finally worked up the balls to do this ( I'm 35 and had a damn good job in telecommunications ) and this happens I have  the drive to do it but the body is saying no at every turn.

a little background here is also in order.

I was hit by a car when I was 8yo and got pretty jacked up broken leg,ear drum,pin thru right knee(leg that is bothering me) also had surgery on left knee and was released(after begging) by the doctor the friday before I started the academy.

Torn calf to achilles tendon?  I did it to both my legs in high school playing basketball.  Did the left leg, was out for six weeks doing stretches/PT.  1st day back I did the right leg.  Hurt so bad I couldn't push the clutch pedal on a '76 Toyota Corolla station wagon w/o tears - I was 17 y/o.  Ever since, I've been extremely careful to warm-up/stretch my calves BEFORE any activity -especially when I was in the academy.

I was 33 when I went thru the academy and I've had ACL reconstruction - if I can do it you can do it.  I got laid off from Agilent in March '03 - I was a manufacturing engineer.

Brian

rest up........at lest your able to go back through!

Firstly, you may want to see a Sports Doctor, Physical Therapist and/or a Podiatrist..  Tell him/her about your injuries (past and present) and see if they could recomend a goods sneaker for you.  As silly as this sounds, this may have been the reason why you needed to drop out.

If their are no tears showing, start with the elliptical. First a normal pace to see how you feel.  Stay on it for as long as you can.  Week 2 set your goal to 30 minutes.  Week 3 you'll want to shock the bod, so after the first 10 minute warm up, do minute intervals going as fast as you can for one miniute, then slow it down (NOT stop) for the next minute.  Interval training is great for building cardio.

If your gym has a Step Mill (not stair master), that would be a great machine too.  The Step Mill is like walking up an escalator backwards.  After a few minutes, it really kicks your ass.  Definitely start with the elliptical.  It mimmics running with low/no impact.

After a month, try the tread mill again.  Start slowly so you don't reinjure the area.  If the tread mill works out after a week or so, go to the track.  If the track works out of then move to the street.


I also joined late at 35 and 3/4 through, my achilles started bugging me.  It's still not right today, but they'd have to strap me down and carry me out with just 2 months left.  My achilles still isn't right today (3 years later)

Quoted: maybe working light on a bike would help good luck

+1  Don't know what you injured but if it's your hammies then jog backwards too.  Bikes are great for knee's but don't push your self to hard at first, you can turn a short term injury to the bad knee you have 40 years from now if your not careful.

ETA Ok I read the rest of it,  DUH, anyway.  The post above mine is a good one.  Listen.

Thanks guys.


this is great info, I'm gonna try to get into a sports medicine doc or atleast physical therapy.

Wife is pissed I wanna go back (the whole not home on holidays) but she will have to get over it.

This helps out ALOT starting monday I will be at the gym easing back into it and getting ready for Jan 1.


Thanks again.
Mike.

If you are short of some vitamins and minerals and not as hydrated as you should be you can have severe cramps instead of just cramps.  As you work out and get PT, make sure and ask about this too.  I bike when I cannot run, I had plantar facitis(sorry about the spelling) in my heel after I pulled an Achillies trendon.  It hurt for months but it went away.  It seems to take about 3 or 4 times the distance to get the same level of exhausted I get from running.  Good Luck.

First, find out from a Sports MD whether there is an actual injury or its just chin splints/muscle strain/pain from your legs not being used to running........Second, assuming its not an actual injury (tear, muscle, ligament, etc), you need to go out and get a pair of proper running shoes as the single biggest reason people get pain in the legs is from improper shoes........

You need to go to a sports store that specializes in running shoes...Do not go to a Sports Authority, Foot Locker, Modells, Walmart or other chain type store to get fitted. Find a runner's club in your area and ask them to recommend a good running store to buy sneakers from.........Take your old worn sneakers to the store  when you go and talk to the salesman. He'll examine your old sneakers, as well as probably make you walk/run a bit so he can determine your running style/gait......He will then determine whether you're a pronator, supinator, or neutral runner.......He will then fit you with the proper shoes for your style of running..............I used to date a sports therapist and she states emphatically that the overwhelming majority of people who start running and experience pain in the knee/chin/ankle region do so because of improperly fitting shoes..The second biggest reason comes from those who go from a sedentary lifestyle (not running on a regular basis) to running daily and not easing into it slowly......Best of luck!!

You stated that when you were younger you had a pin in your knee. Correct?  When the MRI was done, did they look at the knee or just where it was hurting?

Sounds to me like possibly nerve damge? Is the pin still in your leg? The act of strectching and running could be causing the pin to make contact with the nerve and sending all sorts of weird signals to your brain and leg. I am no doctor, but when there is burning like that it is usualyy torn muscle/ligament/nerve damage. Does your leg ever feel like it is asleep?

Good luck and keep your chin up!

Jfor

jfor, no my leg never felt asleep but my foot did but only for a second as soon as i stopped and walked a lap maybe two it stopped tingling.the pin was just in my knee for about 8 weeks i was in traction.

i'm gonna keep stretching that just feels good and doesn't seem to bother anything. in couple days i'm gonna start a few things i have a seriously busy week and want to give it a rest.I walked forever today mowing my mother in laws lawn(one acre with a push mower) uphill down hill everything was fine till i sat down for about 20-30 minutes then everything just started to tighten up no pain just annoying as hell.

Good luck and hang in there.