yoo hoo? anybody here?

[coffeetime]

Hey, lifters, is anyone still around? I'm still having issues and still trying to lift and not giving up, darn it! And I could use some company.

Since I had the metal taken out of my leg (if you were here a while ago, you'll remember I broke it badly in 2015) I have had full range of motion and I still do a lot of physical therapy exercises to maintain balance, improve small muscle coordination etc. That leg is still not the same size and shape as the other one. I am also doing a lot of yoga to improve balance and stability, and I know from doing one-legged standing poses that the formerly broken leg is also not as strong as before I broke it. I wish I could hit on the exercise(s) that would best help me build that leg back up and get its strength back. Calf raises just don't target more than a small area and also there's a weird hollow on the outside of my shin a few inches below the knee, like I just lost mass there and it will never return. What brilliant plan am I not thinking of?

Comments

[xenacryst]

Definitely not a PT here, but what I would do is work on a lot of small motor strength in that leg - balance, ankle weights, etc. You might find tai chi-like poses and slow movement helpful. Looking at my anatomy program, it looks like that muscle area might do a lot with balance-y sorts of things and foot flexion, much more so than calf raises.

I'll also note that about 5 years ago I had a bit of the outer quad on my left leg (prolly the vastus lateralis) carved out in a car accident. I still have a noticeable hollow there, but the remainder of the muscle is fine, and it as well as the others in the area have taken up the slack. I don't know if the muscle groups below the knee will behave similarly, but they might. Which is to say that in the long run, having a divot taken out of a muscle might not impact your strength or range of motion.

[coffeetime]

I suppose it might not be affecting my strength that much...it's just a visual reminder that Things Aren't Right. :D

I do a lot of small motor strength. That's what all my PT is about. It's bands, balance, stability. I guess I'll just keep doing it.