Have you had an injury or surgery to your back or legs and have used the erg for rehabilitation? I'm looking at the type of injuries people have had and how they have included erg rowing in their rehabilitation programmes. If you would like to contribute please post a reply with:
*Details of the injury/surgery you had (as much technical detail as possible).
* When and how you used the erg in your rehabilitation.
* If you were advised to use the erg by your PT/coach/doctor and if so what they advised.
* Any feedback, comments or advice for people with injuries who are looking to use the erg for their rehabilitation.
Once I have sufficient replies I will write a summary of responses and post on this topic.
Any queries send me an IM.
Cheers, Bionic
Using erg for rehabilitation
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RowtheRockies
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- Joined: March 22nd, 2006, 3:21 pm
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bionic,
I purchased my model D in December after suffering a back injury during a fitness competition at work. Due to the injury I was unable to run because the pounding of running would not allow it to heal and left me with sciatic pain in my left leg.
I eventually had an MRI that confirmed a tear in the lining of the L5 disc which was allowing it to buldge and put pressure on the nerve exiting the facet joint. I was also told that I had fairly significant degeneration in that disk. The back Dr. was a runner as well and my age (37) and commented that "I would not want to be a runner with that back, you might want to think about cross training or switching to tri's." While he said that I would be able to run again, it would be unlikely that I could do the volume of miles that I had done previously. I asked him about rowing since I had used a C2 model C at the gym a few times and liked it. He said that would be a very good choice because there would be no pounding and would have the added benefit of strenghtening my abs and lower back.
That was all I needed to hear and so I decided to make the model D a Christmas present to myself. Although I still had sciatic pain when I started rowing, I could not feel it at all while rowing and the pain lessend over a 4 month period to the point that I am now running two days a week and rowing 4 other days. I don't really miss running 6 days a week because I love rowing so I have no future plans to run more than 2 days a week. I still have a little nag of an ache sometimes but no where near where it was previously.
I do feel that the rowing has gone a long way towards strenghtening my abs and lower back. I am very bad about doing the ab and core excercises the PT said I should be doing but not overly concerned since I think the rowing is taking care of that for me.
Rich
I purchased my model D in December after suffering a back injury during a fitness competition at work. Due to the injury I was unable to run because the pounding of running would not allow it to heal and left me with sciatic pain in my left leg.
I eventually had an MRI that confirmed a tear in the lining of the L5 disc which was allowing it to buldge and put pressure on the nerve exiting the facet joint. I was also told that I had fairly significant degeneration in that disk. The back Dr. was a runner as well and my age (37) and commented that "I would not want to be a runner with that back, you might want to think about cross training or switching to tri's." While he said that I would be able to run again, it would be unlikely that I could do the volume of miles that I had done previously. I asked him about rowing since I had used a C2 model C at the gym a few times and liked it. He said that would be a very good choice because there would be no pounding and would have the added benefit of strenghtening my abs and lower back.
That was all I needed to hear and so I decided to make the model D a Christmas present to myself. Although I still had sciatic pain when I started rowing, I could not feel it at all while rowing and the pain lessend over a 4 month period to the point that I am now running two days a week and rowing 4 other days. I don't really miss running 6 days a week because I love rowing so I have no future plans to run more than 2 days a week. I still have a little nag of an ache sometimes but no where near where it was previously.
I do feel that the rowing has gone a long way towards strenghtening my abs and lower back. I am very bad about doing the ab and core excercises the PT said I should be doing but not overly concerned since I think the rowing is taking care of that for me.
Rich
40 YO 6'1" 180 lbs. Rowing at 7,000 Ft.
SB's
[img]http://www.c2ctc.com/sigs/img1213378765.png[/img]
SB's
[img]http://www.c2ctc.com/sigs/img1213378765.png[/img]
bionic~
I tore my ACL ligament in March (snow skiing) and had replacement surgery at the beginning of April. My OS actually wrote a prescription for an erg after I spoke to him about my desire to get back to rowing ASAP. When I started PT I spoke to the PT about using the erg to aid in the rehab, but she really didn't have much to offer as she is not familiar with erging. I've just sort of made up a program for myself with the erg.
Overall, I think the erg has helped me get back some flexibility, but for me the most important thing the erg has done is it has allowed me to safely do some cardio workouts while still recovering from my injury.
I hope this helps in your research. Let me know if you have any other questions that I might be able to help you with.
Cheers!
Teresa
I tore my ACL ligament in March (snow skiing) and had replacement surgery at the beginning of April. My OS actually wrote a prescription for an erg after I spoke to him about my desire to get back to rowing ASAP. When I started PT I spoke to the PT about using the erg to aid in the rehab, but she really didn't have much to offer as she is not familiar with erging. I've just sort of made up a program for myself with the erg.
Overall, I think the erg has helped me get back some flexibility, but for me the most important thing the erg has done is it has allowed me to safely do some cardio workouts while still recovering from my injury.
I hope this helps in your research. Let me know if you have any other questions that I might be able to help you with.
Cheers!
Teresa
You can't kill the Rooster~ David Sedaris
KNEE SURGERY REHABILITATION
I HAD KNEE SURGERY DEC '05 FOR SYNOVIAL FOLD AND MEDIAL MENISCUS REDUNDANCY. THE THERAPISTS WEREN'T ANXIOUS FOR ME TO ROW RIGHT AWAY AND SUGGESTED THAT I WAIT A MONTH OR TWO. SINCE THEN I HAVE BEEN PRETTY FAITHFUL IN ERGING IN ADDITION TO CIRCUIT WEIGHT TRAINING. I AM SURPRISED THAT I AM NOT FURTHER ALONG IN MY RECOVERY - AFTER 6 MONTHS! ANY SUGGESTIONS ON A CONTINUED REHAB PLAN WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED! MY KNEE DOESN'T HURT WHEN I ERG, BUT I MY KNEE IS UNCOMFORTABLE THAT NIGHT MOSTLY BELOW MY KNEECAP AND ALONG BOTH SIDES. I'VE BEEN THINKING OF TRYING TO KEEP A TENNIS BALL BETWEEN MY KNEES WHILE ROWING TO INCREASE THE STABILITY. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF TRYING THAT? 
HELP!!
HELP!!
I'm debating wheter to get my old ACL rupture (25 years) fixed. I have had other tendon surgery done and it took me 6-9 months before the affected area was better than before the surgery. After that it is much better.
Consider that if you didn't get it fixed the old injury would likely have affected your ankle and hip, which would have had to compensate. It has happened to me because of the original acl problem. Too bad the mri hadn't been invented 25 years ago and my md said everything was fine...
My question: How do you use the erg during rehab? Do you strap a skateboard on your gimpy leg and keep it straight? Or what?
grams
Consider that if you didn't get it fixed the old injury would likely have affected your ankle and hip, which would have had to compensate. It has happened to me because of the original acl problem. Too bad the mri hadn't been invented 25 years ago and my md said everything was fine...
My question: How do you use the erg during rehab? Do you strap a skateboard on your gimpy leg and keep it straight? Or what?
grams
(great) grams 71 yo 5'3"
5 kids, 6 grandkids, 1 great-granddaughter
Marathon mugs available at http://www.zazzle.com/grammms Profits go to charity
5 kids, 6 grandkids, 1 great-granddaughter
Marathon mugs available at http://www.zazzle.com/grammms Profits go to charity
SURGERY RECOVERY
I MAY NOT BE THE BEST PERSON TO LISTEN TO SINCE I AM STILL STRUGGLING WITH MY RECOVERY, BUT I FOUND THAT ABOUT A MONTH AFTER MY SURGERY, I COULD PUT BOTH FEET IN THE FOOT STRETCHERS. I WASN'T ABLE TO BEND MY KNEE 90 DEGREES, BUT I COULD PUSH MOSTLY WITH MY GOOD LEG. IT WAS GREAT TO INCREASE MY FLEXIBILITY AND IT DIDN'T SEEM TO INCREASE MY PAIN. IN MY CASE, ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS THAT I HAD WAS LETTING A MED STUDENT EXAMINE ME. HE BENT MY KNEE WAY FARTHER THAN HE SHOULD HAVE. I AM STILL PAYING FOR THAT MISTAKE-MONTHS LATER!
I have rehabilitated many athletes back to winning medals using the erg, and in my book, rehab is successful only when down time for the athlete has been cut down as much as possible, and return to competition results in winning medals or breaking records.
Among the successes have been:
A 76 yr old lady with a displaced fracture of the left ankle, recovering in 2 months to win gold medals at 5Km racewalk, 200m sprint, & breaking the record to sprint 100m in 24 seconds. No surgery was done.
A 51 yr old male heart bypass patient who competed at Indoor Rowing 6 months after surgery, & won 3rd placing- next year he did 2K in 7:50 to improve on his time by 10sec, but still came out 3rd among Dragon boat rowers.
A 62 year old with back pain who recovered in 3 weeks to defend her >50s title at indoor rowing for the 3rd time, & continues to row 10K on alternate days with no pain at all.
An 84 yr old with osteoarthritis of both knees who cannot walk on the treadmill anymore. She still competes at indoor rowing races against 50yr olds, & does 2K in under 12min.
A 71 yr old retired Dr who had his kidney taken out from cancer, his prostate treated for cancer, & recovering from knee replacement & 3 attacks of pulmonary embolism. He still rows 3/4hr daily besides walking 5K.
A 55 yr old sailboard champion with meniscus tear who recovered thru indoor rowing to still compete internationally at sailboard races.
The list goes on, and the basic premise is that Indoor Rowing can be done at all stages of rehab, no matter how debilitated the patient is (I even had a heart transplant patient rowing). The secret is to work at it slowly & not to expect rapid miraculous results. Adapt the rowing style to the type of patient, such as a straight knee initially for those with knee injuries. The Closed Kinetic Chain exercise found in rowing is perfect for ACL repairs, as it doesn't pull apart your upper & lower halves of the leg to strain your repaired ACL, and the mobility is superior to the CPM machine. Then you have the straight elbow drills for the leg.
You also push your legs against air resistance, & build up those core abdominal muscles that are so difficult to train up for back injuries.
Yes, I find the indoor rower the perfect rehab tool, and in fact, just about the only piece of exercise equipment I need to work on these injured athletes. You spare the joints, & build the muscles, bones & cardiovascular system.
drkcgoh MD
Among the successes have been:
A 76 yr old lady with a displaced fracture of the left ankle, recovering in 2 months to win gold medals at 5Km racewalk, 200m sprint, & breaking the record to sprint 100m in 24 seconds. No surgery was done.
A 51 yr old male heart bypass patient who competed at Indoor Rowing 6 months after surgery, & won 3rd placing- next year he did 2K in 7:50 to improve on his time by 10sec, but still came out 3rd among Dragon boat rowers.
A 62 year old with back pain who recovered in 3 weeks to defend her >50s title at indoor rowing for the 3rd time, & continues to row 10K on alternate days with no pain at all.
An 84 yr old with osteoarthritis of both knees who cannot walk on the treadmill anymore. She still competes at indoor rowing races against 50yr olds, & does 2K in under 12min.
A 71 yr old retired Dr who had his kidney taken out from cancer, his prostate treated for cancer, & recovering from knee replacement & 3 attacks of pulmonary embolism. He still rows 3/4hr daily besides walking 5K.
A 55 yr old sailboard champion with meniscus tear who recovered thru indoor rowing to still compete internationally at sailboard races.
The list goes on, and the basic premise is that Indoor Rowing can be done at all stages of rehab, no matter how debilitated the patient is (I even had a heart transplant patient rowing). The secret is to work at it slowly & not to expect rapid miraculous results. Adapt the rowing style to the type of patient, such as a straight knee initially for those with knee injuries. The Closed Kinetic Chain exercise found in rowing is perfect for ACL repairs, as it doesn't pull apart your upper & lower halves of the leg to strain your repaired ACL, and the mobility is superior to the CPM machine. Then you have the straight elbow drills for the leg.
You also push your legs against air resistance, & build up those core abdominal muscles that are so difficult to train up for back injuries.
Yes, I find the indoor rower the perfect rehab tool, and in fact, just about the only piece of exercise equipment I need to work on these injured athletes. You spare the joints, & build the muscles, bones & cardiovascular system.
drkcgoh MD
Physical Therapy
Thank you for your comments. It turns out that I have Patellofemural Syndrome. Do you still see rowing as therapy for this type of injury? So far, the therapists have been steering me away from rowing. I have been doing a series of other exercises, including a a variety in a warm pool. Thank you for any advice!
Physical Therapy
Patellofemoral syndrome is one of the diagnoses for pain around the knee joint, and often patients hide behind a diagnosis. But what do you do about it? Can you rehabilitate from it? I remember a marathon runner who used to win 3 consecutive marathons before she skipped a marathon when diagnosed with this condition. But she had good treatment & rehab, & came back the next marathon to emerge a winner again. I don't see why anyone should shy away from erging to rehabilitate. There are so many ways to row & rehabilitate, and you do not have to perform the perfect athletic stroke each time. There is the straight knee drill where you use body swing & a full arm pull full for those with knee pain. This makes it possible to row with the worst type of knee injury because you are sitting down, & the knee is not bending at all. You then gradually introduce small degrees of bending as you progress, all the time watching the output in watts. You can even row with the feet on the ground instead of on the flexifoot. Improvise to ease the strain on the knee. The important thing is to exercise, and the erg is a good start. Your body weight will come down, and as you gradually walk again there is less weight to bear, and your leg actually becomes stronger.
I find the indoor rower a most adaptable tool for rehab, and can't see why anyone should be steered away from it during rehab. I can think of many reasons why cycling or the stepper are bad for rehab, and even swimming is not all that good, as you have to balance & pull & kick hard to stay afloat. I used to practise deep water running with a flotation vest, and have really experienced what it is like to run in the water for half an hour or so.
So keep on erging, but keep the pace, damper setting & spm down, & take it easy during rehab.
drkcgoh MD
I find the indoor rower a most adaptable tool for rehab, and can't see why anyone should be steered away from it during rehab. I can think of many reasons why cycling or the stepper are bad for rehab, and even swimming is not all that good, as you have to balance & pull & kick hard to stay afloat. I used to practise deep water running with a flotation vest, and have really experienced what it is like to run in the water for half an hour or so.
So keep on erging, but keep the pace, damper setting & spm down, & take it easy during rehab.
drkcgoh MD
I don't get knee pain under my kneecap (arthritis) until I pass 90 degrees flex, and the 'no-twisitng) action of the erg doesn't aggravate either knee. I did one-legged stuff starting at one week and gradually worked back into using 2 legs; still at low resistance.
Thanks to my erging, my quads ( and other leg muuscles) were in great shape going into the surgery. I just reached 6 weeks post-op, and my range of mothion is 95% and I don't walk with a limp. My biggest problem is reprogramming my head not to favor my left leg any more.
I am erging gently, riding the exercise bike gently, and I added a sit-up session to give my core body muscles a little more of a workout. My biggest hurdle now is the 15 pounds I put on before the surgery.
I agree with Dr Goh, moderation works better as we get older. Avoidance may not be the answer in every case. Listen carefully to your body, and try some variations on your routine before eliminating a whole ksection of it.
grams
Thanks to my erging, my quads ( and other leg muuscles) were in great shape going into the surgery. I just reached 6 weeks post-op, and my range of mothion is 95% and I don't walk with a limp. My biggest problem is reprogramming my head not to favor my left leg any more.
I am erging gently, riding the exercise bike gently, and I added a sit-up session to give my core body muscles a little more of a workout. My biggest hurdle now is the 15 pounds I put on before the surgery.
I agree with Dr Goh, moderation works better as we get older. Avoidance may not be the answer in every case. Listen carefully to your body, and try some variations on your routine before eliminating a whole ksection of it.
grams
(great) grams 71 yo 5'3"
5 kids, 6 grandkids, 1 great-granddaughter
Marathon mugs available at http://www.zazzle.com/grammms Profits go to charity
5 kids, 6 grandkids, 1 great-granddaughter
Marathon mugs available at http://www.zazzle.com/grammms Profits go to charity
Re-hab - knees
Thank you so much for your suggestions and encouragement! I truly appreciate your assistance so much!!!
No day worse than the day before....every day a little bit better...
Those are my goals!
No day worse than the day before....every day a little bit better...
Those are my goals!
Re: Using erg for rehabilitation
Fractured Patella, 6 pieces. I don't know the name of the procedure but they pinned and wired the pieces all back together with 3 pins and a figure 8 wire wrap. Surgery was early October 1999.bionic wrote:Have you had an injury or surgery to your back or legs and have used the erg for rehabilitation? I'm looking at the type of injuries people have had and how they have included erg rowing in their rehabilitation programmes. If you would like to contribute please post a reply with:
*Details of the injury/surgery you had (as much technical detail as possible).
I was in peak physical condition, 27 year old competitive cyclist at the time of the accident.
* When and how you used the erg in your rehabilitation.
Started erging about 6 weeks after surgery, very gently with injured leg on the floor. Rowed gently through the winter until I had enough mobility to get back on the bike, sometime the following march or april. I had the hardware in for one year, when it was removed.
* If you were advised to use the erg by your PT/coach/doctor and if so what they advised.
No advice, self rehab, never even went to physical therapy. My doc was worried about me doing too much rather than too little.
* Any feedback, comments or advice for people with injuries who are looking to use the erg for their rehabilitation.
It worked great for me. The pool is my preferred place for rehab, but swimming is a lot more complicated than having an erg in the garage and may not be "compatible" with some injuries/people. The activity will speed recovery.
The beauty is in its adaptability for people with limited mobility. At first my leg would not bend past 90 degrees and had no strength. Over time I increased strength and mobility. Even now my knees are easily irritated if I apply full force past 90 degrees.
Using the erg during rehab got me hooked. I upgraded the old Model B and use it a lot now to keep the upper body in shape for cycling and paddling.