Is it high time for physical therapy?

[smo]

In 2004 I had a discectomy on my lower back to literally get me back on my feet after the event of a bursted herniated disk that had given me 8 months of living in hell ie. constant pain. My right leg is the main collateral damage from the whole incident.  When I came out of the operation I was spared from pain, but the leg had been dumbed down, the result of the sciatic nerve only half surviving the catastrophe. As a result, it has gotten bigger in muscle than the other leg, reason being having to rally more muscle to do the work of the half-gone bundle of nerves. Coming out of the surgery doc warned me that the operation did have an expiration date, saying that about a dozen years from then - which means at the present - my weak leg would again suffer/have problems, etc.

 

Here we are, I have always considered it the larger and lamer of the two siblings but we've all tried to carry on... Lately I notice that after my swim (a couple of times a week if well in body and spirit) the weak leg has gotten tired more quickly and quite often the following day after a swim it does ache and pain noticeably more. So my question is, is it time now to consider physical therapy? Or if it's a matter of swimming no longer being beneficial but becoming rather harmful (to the sick/weak leg) then what other sports can I take up? Bicycling? Rowing? NB - I walk quite a bit and quite fast, like a New Yorker in my getting around in daily life

 

Would appreciate input/advice from board members who have any experience or expertise in this regard.
Thank you much in advance and wish you a nice day. 

[Justfine]

Just walk.

[StreetCowboy]

I would recommend physiotherapy as they will give you specific exercises targeted at specific muscles.  

 

You can cycle with one leg stronger or weaker than the other, or missing altogether, though that makes mounting and dismounting particularly challenging, and you'll wear out bearings and pedals assymetrically.  In my experience the weaker leg won't catch up with the stronger leg in terms of strength by cycling.  

 

SC

[tropo]

On 2/13/2018 at 10:58 AM, StreetCowboy said:

I would recommend physiotherapy as they will give you specific exercises targeted at specific muscles.  

 

You can cycle with one leg stronger or weaker than the other, or missing altogether, though that makes mounting and dismounting particularly challenging, and you'll wear out bearings and pedals assymetrically.  In my experience the weaker leg won't catch up with the stronger leg in terms of strength by cycling.  

 

SC

The only way to increase the strength in one leg to catch it up to a weak leg is to perform unilateral exercises (one leg at a time). That excludes cycling and rowing.

 

Depending on the condition of the knees, which the OP hasn't indicated, step-ups would be one of the best ways to even up leg strength. You can increase the height of the step-up bench and add weights (holding weight plates or dumbbells in each hand) for progress. The negative (stepping down) might be harder than the step-up, so don't just plonk yourself back down. Resist on the way down. Lunges is another good unilateral exercise, but they could be tough on the knees. For the calves - one leg at a time calf raises, on a block, holding weight plates or dumbbells for added resistance.

 

If you have access to good quality gym equipment, one leg at a time leg presses, leg extensions and leg curls are good. As a result of leg injuries from motorcycle accidents, I have a weak leg that I've spent decades trying to keep up to speed. It is always a bit smaller, but not by much.

Edited September 19, 2018 by tropo

[smo]

????

On 9/20/2018 at 2:22 AM, tropo said:

The only way to increase the strength in one leg to catch it up to a weak leg is to perform unilateral exercises (one leg at a time). That excludes cycling and rowing.

 

Depending on the condition of the knees, which the OP hasn't indicated, step-ups would be one of the best ways to even up leg strength. You can increase the height of the step-up bench and add weights (holding weight plates or dumbbells in each hand) for progress. The negative (stepping down) might be harder than the step-up, so don't just plonk yourself back down. Resist on the way down. Lunges is another good unilateral exercise, but they could be tough on the knees. For the calves - one leg at a time calf raises, on a block, holding weight plates or dumbbells for added resistance.

 

If you have access to good quality gym equipment, one leg at a time leg presses, leg extensions and leg curls are good. As a result of leg injuries from motorcycle accidents, I have a weak leg that I've spent decades trying to keep up to speed. It is always a bit smaller, but not by much.

 

Thanks tropo, for the advice on specific modes of physical therapy. It has always been in the back of my mind that the weak leg would benefit on works concentrating on it alone, ie unilateral. Even during my lap swimming, my only excercise to keep in shape, the weak leg could not keep up with the other one, and half of the time I have to give it a break to float as a dead log! (If I insisted on working it too hard, there would be price to pay afterwards).

 

I don't go to the gym so whatever I am energetic enough to do would have to be at home. One thing that could be easily practiced - though not unilateral - is taking the stairs whenever possible (I live on the 6th floor, and in Bangkok, there are a lot of pedestrian crossovers to climb) which is also good for the hip and the knee (thank god these parts are still in good working order;-)

Again thanks for the time to give out very appropriate and helpful advice, much appreciated.

[tropo]

2 hours ago, smo said:

????

 

Thanks tropo, for the advice on specific modes of physical therapy. It has always been in the back of my mind that the weak leg would benefit on works concentrating on it alone, ie unilateral. Even during my lap swimming, my only excercise to keep in shape, the weak leg could not keep up with the other one, and half of the time I have to give it a break to float as a dead log! (If I insisted on working it too hard, there would be price to pay afterwards).

 

I don't go to the gym so whatever I am energetic enough to do would have to be at home. One thing that could be easily practiced - though not unilateral - is taking the stairs whenever possible (I live on the 6th floor, and in Bangkok, there are a lot of pedestrian crossovers to climb) which is also good for the hip and the knee (thank god these parts are still in good working order;-)

Again thanks for the time to give out very appropriate and helpful advice, much appreciated.

Hi Smo... stair climbing IS unilateral and a very good way to even up leg strength... I should have mentioned it before. When you climb stairs you are taking your full bodyweight, one leg at a time. When you go down, be sure to lower yourself with resistance rather than plonk your leg down quickly. That negative movement (lowering yourself down) actually does more to increase leg strength than going up, and for people with weak legs, it's more difficult than going up. I do it myself regularly, as part of my leg program. I walk up 4 floors and then down again, and repeat 5 - 10 times.

 

The step-up option can easily be done at home. It will give you more height than stairs, for the next stage if stair climbing becomes easy. I use a 12-inch bench, but I can easily raise that higher by putting plates under the legs.