LEGS GETTING WEAKER! At what point does "rest" become the problem?
 

Good Morning Nuerofam!

Hopefully, this thread will prevent me from going to google as that never ends well (anxiety)

As most of you know, i was very active prior to my recent concussion when surfing on Thanksgiving day.

Well, the brainfog and vertigo shut me down about three weeks after my concussion. Since then( for about 1 month), i have been resting more than i ever have in my entire life.

My brain fog and vertigo seem to be gone! But...............

It seems like the more i am resting the weaker my legs are getting which makes me feel as if i am moving farther and farther away from being healthy again.

I know that logically it makes sense that my legs are weak from resting but its a weakness that makes me get scared.

For example, i can do nothing but stretch the day before and then the next morning i wake up with the feeling that i ran 5 miles the day before.

Is this normal?

My suppliments are:

Max muscle Vitacel liquid Multi vitamin
vitamin D
b-12
Today i just started magnesium
Omega 3

I feel like i am on rubber legs 24/7 right now!

Are you exercising at all? Maybe you should try going for slow and short walks around your neighborhood to keep your legs in shape. I wouldn't go overboard if your brain is sensitive to exercise.

I don't think your rubber legs have anything to do with the concussion. Your body is probably used to being active and now it's not, so your legs are like "*** is going on here"?? Lol, sorry that's the only way I could explain it.

Remember, rest from a concussion doesn't necessarily mean to lay in bed all day. You can do low stimulation activities (as long as it doesn't cause problems) and go for short walks. If you browse the forum, you'll find posts from people on what type of activities worked for them.

Godspeed!

Nick

P.S. I remember Mark suggested you get a stationary pedal set awhile back. Were you able to pick one up?

Thats the problem.

Just going for a walk seems to be extrememly taxing on my legs.

I am used to "pushing through" but lately my legs have been punishing me for doing this.

Are you able to eat a balanced diet every few hours? For me, I have the "weak" feeling early in the day when my vertigo & nausea are bad. By mid-afternoon, when I've been able to tolerate a decent meal, my weakness is much less.

Sorry you're experiencing this. I have definitely been there!

In regards to the meals, yes. I used to be a Personal trainer so i am very nutrition consious.

Its really wierd. Almost like its percieved weakness rather than actual weakness.

CW I know exactly what you are talking about. For two months after my injury I just sat in a recliner and looked out the window. I did a few walks but they were well lets just say hard. Pre injury I was a gym rat. 4 to 5 times a week. I had a punishing routine and could put quite a few 20 year olds to shame. BTW I am 50.

The effects of long sedation are not good. What my physical therapist told me was. Studies show that if you are very sedate you will lose 1/3 of your strength in 3 weeks. Stamina follows not long after that. If you continue very sedate activity then joints weaken and fluid that once helped cushion those joints is reduced. Do this long enough and physical therapy becomes a requirement to return to health.

Walking or very low impact exercising is highly advisable. Exercise till you are close to symptomatic. If you had a work out routine then it is similar. Track your progress develop a baseline. Build on your baseline. I know all this from personal experience. The good thing is since you were active and fit your body has a physical memory to it. So regaining strength and stamina will be easier once your pcs symptoms abate. The goal here is to not let your body deteriorate. The body does poorly when not exercised.

I hope you feel better.

I reviewed your previous post. Try to be alittle easier on your self. This is not a sprint to recovery it is a marathon. So slow and steady wins this race. Remember to patient and kind to yourself as you would your children.

CW,

I think you weak legs is just a perception. Your anxiety is causing you to sense things that you never paid any attention to previously. Get the pedal system so you can do some basic blood circulation work.

I have been stuck indoors for months due to freezing weather and ice. It does not take much time or effort to regain the small losses in conditioning. I have done it many times.

Get some movement, not exercise. No need to push. This is a part of your anxiety at work. You may be dopamine dependent. Maybe a script of amantadine can enhance your dopamine receptors.

Don't worry! You will regain your strength. I was very weak as well, it just takes time. Any type of illness with a long recovery results in this.

You need to give your body credit for all that it is doing.

I can't speak to whether this relates to what you're experiencing or not, but this is my own experience with wobbly legs.

I'm coming up to my one year anniversary next month (Feb 19). I've found a direct relation to how strong my body feels, but especially my legs to how well rested my brain is. When my brain is well rested, my body feels stronger.

For me, this is particularly important because after my injury, I developed some gait issues that have made getting around more difficult. I've been working with a physio to correct the gait issues, but progress has been slow.

For my brain to be well rested, its meant actual sleep, not just quiet rest and quiet activities, though they are important as well. I've not been entirely sedate though, not as much as my doctor and physio would like, as I'm still hobby farming, livestock need to be fed, watered and cared for no matter how crappy you feel and I refuse to sell them on, as all my care providers insist is necessary.

So I'm still doing chores 4 times a day, hauling water buckets 6 times a day because its been unreasonably cold here, I move all the hay and feed myself, though I do have a front end loader tractor to deal with the manure end of things, which makes the work possible, though I still have to hand fork it into the loader, but then I don't have to haul it 400 ft to the pile, thank goodness!

In between chores, I do rest and I ensure I get a 3-4 hour block of time once during the day to sleep, plus 8 hours at time. I don't suffer from some of the insomnia issues that other people seem to, in fact, I suffered from insomnia most of my 40 years before my injury and now its the opposite, I've finally learned to sleep.

To help with the weak legs when I'm out in public or if I'm walking around the property here with my hands empty (rare!) I do use a cane (with a rubber tip or ice grip for safety!) The cane has been very helpful for adding confidence in places where people move very quickly... also keeps children from running into you in public places.

I'm not sure if any of this will help you, but maybe see if your legs feel any stronger right when you wake up or see if you feel stronger and more confident in general if you move around with the assistance of a cane.

Also, I know you mention stretching causes you to feel poorly the next day, what about extremely gentle stretching, barely coming to the end of the range of motion and just holding it. Maybe you are expecting too much of yourself?

Best of luck.
Starr