Working out with mild symptoms
 

I still have mild residual symptoms, including mild headaches and tinnitus (not sure if the tinnitus is even PCS related), and I have to go back to work in 2.5 months so I decided I should improve my body.

Prior to my injury I was a highly athletic, highly fit individual. Since my injury many of my muscles of weakened, to the point where I doubt I could even run. This has caused my foot plants to become heavy and unbalanced.


I am trying to find very low impact exercises to help me regain strength in my legs and the rest of my body.


For example: I have resistance bands that I have tied up to the bed post and do ankle exercises with, very low impact and non intensive.



I really am not sure what to do for arms, I can't really find much that is low impact.


Also some stretching may help, I am open to any suggestions.


Thank you in advance.

What about water aerobics?

H2O Aerobics are a good idea.

Also, there is tai chi (chi gong).

And I learned about chair aerobics for those of us recovering from something major like this… also called geriatric exercise.

Water aerobics is a great idea but not exactly plausible because I have no way to get to a large pool of water, except my bath tub which wouldn't really work :cool: .



I have no idea about tai chi, might be a good idea, I shall research it.


Also exercise is my primary coping strategy for anxiety, so it is not just a matter of my body, I find it is quite beneficial to my mental state.







Also, I am a very cognitively active person and I have been trying to find calming activities to do during the day and I have no idea what to do. I end up playing like 6 or 7 hours of chess.

Thanks for the replies guys

Bathtub.. LOL

Exercise is/was my outlet as well... and as of yet, I have not found one i can do... I have tried swimming, yoga, walking, elliptical... I am at my wits end... hopefully we will both find something soon!

I can relate - I've gained ~15 pounds since I got hurt a year ago. What is holding you back - headaches, dizziness, other injuries? Can you do a session or two with a PT or QUALIFIED personal trainer for some ideas? Triathlon has been my passion for about 10 years, and this year off and not knowing if I'll ever return has been an emotional and physical challenge. I'm lucky to have a great support system, including a Physical Therapist who rehabbed my shoulder, who also does personal training on the side just because he loves it. I still have issues with dizziness, but I've learned how much I can push outside my comfort zone and still be ok.

I swim dizzy all the time, but I'm a strong swimmer and am in a pool that's 3-4 feet deep. Sometimes I use a snorkel - I don't get as dizzy if I don't have to turn my head to breathe, but I try to avoid getting fixated on the lane line on the bottom of the pool. I also have used a kickboard - I can keep my head up and spot a poster or sign - if I focus on something that isn't moving and that has an obvious right-side-up, I do ok. Put on some fins to change up the workout a bit. The only bad thing is a kickboard can tweak your neck - try pushing it just under the surface so you're not extending your neck so much. Other exercises I can do with shorter sets and breaks when I get dizzy: dead lifts, squats, lunge or split squats, assisted dips and pull-ups, leg press, calf press. With dumbbells - I keep it light due to a shoulder injury, but I do bicep curls, shoulder press, arm raises to the front and side, and shoulder shrugs. Floor exercises - push-ups, planks, bridge - first with feet flat and then w/ feet on a stability ball, stretching....

hi there, i am also suffering from pcs and have just recently started hitting a stationary bike. Its not to bad and you can control how hard you want to go and when you want to progress into more difficult stages.

I hope you found some good ways to exercise? I was very active before my TBI. Ran about 60 miles a week, gym, swimming etc. I gained a lot of weight over the past four years and struggled terribly with exercise as it exacerbated my symptoms. I had always relied on sport and exercise to help me out in life and not being able to do it was very difficult.

I found some chair exercises on YouTube and worked my way up from there. I eventually , realized that I wasn't in the same place prior to my accident and that I needed to get on board with doing what helped me and not what hindered me.

Physical therapy on my neck and arms really helped me a lot and I still do the exercises I learned before I work out. I ran just under 4 miles last week and I can workout at the gym like a warrior again. Now I just have muscle atrophy to deal with and rebuilding my strength.

I think being okay with where you are and taking small steps is key.

Find exercises that don't set you back or fatigue you beyond normal physical exertion. I used to get a migraine after every work out. Now I get one a month, on average, instead of 48 hrs or more as often as you like.

Chair exercises, small weights, resistance, stretching, and waking. Eventually you will make it.

Good luck!

i go to the gym on "good" days, but tend not to go on "bad" days. sometimes i force myself to go on "bad" days, and sometimes it seems to help.