Ways To Stay Active After Tearing Your AchillesIt can be very painful and stressful to tear an achilles tendon. This can happen to people who are very active, who do sports or dance, and so it can be a challenge to stay active after this kind of injury occurs. For people who are struggling through the recovery process and still want to be able to exercise, we have gathered some activities with a torn achilles or achilles tendonitis that you can turn to.
Use Dumbbells
There is no reason you should not keep your upper body in shape as you recover from a tendon tear. You can do this sitting up in bed or in a chair, with dumbbells of any weight you are comfortable lifting. It is important to listen to your body, however, especially if you are taking pain medication, which can impact the way you exercise even your upper body. Dumbbell presses are a great way to work tough muscles in the arms so that you can even improve the way you look while still in the recovery process.
Swimming
If you are about six weeks into the recovery process, anther of the best activities to consider is swimming. This is not an option until six weeks have passed, but since being able to strenuously exercise will still be a few months away, you want to consider swimming.
Physical Therapy
After an injury of this kind, you will need to go do physical therapy to get your tendon working the way it should. This can be a great way to stay active without risking the recovery process. Ask the physical therapist to show you safe exercises to do yourself in order to maintain flexibility and strength as you recover. Of all the activities with a torn achilles that you can do, this is the safest and most effective.
Core Training
Core training can be done in a seated position and will not only keep you active as you recover, but it will strengthen your entire body so that when you heal you will be stronger than before. Things like simple waist rotations can be very beneficial to you and your core. You can also try bending to the sides to try and touch the floor, or Russian twists, which can be very effective in building abs and strengthening your core. Be sure to sit in a chair that is stable and will not move about while you exercise, and that you are not putting weight on your injured foot.
These are some of the best ways you can stay active even as you recover from a tendon injury. It can be a stressful and long process, but by doing these exercises you will be keeping yourself busy and ensuring that can get back to exercising once you recover. Be sure to listen carefully to your doctor and physical therapist to stay safe at all times and to take the medications that they provide. You will be able to get back to your regular exercises soon.
