For two-and-a-half years, I had been exercising every day: doing the gym, swimming pool, cycling and running on my own. Rest days were basically 40-minute walks or yoga. I was at the peak of training and geared up for upcoming races.
And then I broke my foot. Two fractures of the fifth metatarsal, the bone on the outer part of the foot that leads to the little toe. The doctor warned me that it could be a niggling condition, with the risk of a non-union (the bones never really marrying again!) — even after 6 weeks of cast.
I was gutted. Ironically, it happened while I was doing a triathlon. My bike chain came off; I lost my balance, and landed on my left foot awkwardly; the bone snapped. The pain was excruciating, but having never suffered a fracture before (also thinking myself invincible), and pumped with adrenaline, I carried on and finished the race. In hindsight, I probably did myself more harm.
So, I decided to be wiser, to trust my body, and do all it takes to ensure a full recovery. I combined medical advice with common sense and resolve. Result: My fracture healed well, my fitness wasn’t compromised, I managed to keep the weight off, and after the cast was removed, I was able to resume normal activity without much trouble or aches and pains.
Here’s what I did on my doctor’s advice. Caveat: Every fracture is unique, so please follow your doctor’s advice.
I used every opportunity to elevate my broken foot. Pillows and cushions helped prop it up comfortably, making sure it’s above the heart level. This prevented blood from pooling in the injured area, minimising swelling, pain and inflammation, and promoting healing. When I took sitting breaks during my ‘walks’, I often sat/lay on the grass, while propping my feet up on the bench.
And I used 2-3 pillows to keep my feet raised at bedtime. The body tells you if are doing it right or often enough. When I noticed swelling in the toes, or my cast felt more snug than usual, or I felt pain, I knew I needed to put my feet up.
I still exercised. Of course, there are restrictions, but there are also ways around it. My doctor told me the absolute no-no — non-weight-bearing exercises on the fractured foot for 4 to 5 weeks, then as tolerated. So I tweaked exercises to suit my current status — doing upper-body exercises sitting on a chair or on a yoga mat, practising non-weight-bearing asanas, using an exercise band to stretch my good leg. There are a number of good seated exercise videos on YouTube. I found these especially helpful: Upper body cardio workout in bed with Laurel House, 40-minute seated chair cardio and strength workout with Jessica Smith, 10-minute seated chair stretch routine with Jessica Smith. If a particular exercise didn’t feel right for the fractured foot, I skipped it.
I practised walking on crutches. To get fresh air, keep up my cardio fitness and to prepare myself physically and mentally for our holiday in Italy that was due in four weeks after the fracture, I got up on the good foot. When I look back, I think getting used to crutches was the hardest part. I remember feeling exhausted after barely 10 steps and how much my hands hurt.
But I kept at it: I made sure to walk a little further than the previous day — and in a couple of weeks, I was a pro. (I was able to do a guide book-recommended 5-K walk in Venice on my crutches!). I simply chose a park or traffic-free, level ground to walk. Investing in a pair of gel/foam hand grips and nicely padded fingerless gloves, both of which helped reduce the discomfort, turned out to be a good idea.
And yes, sensible, comfortable footwear on the good foot was always needed. Deep-breathing and meditation not only improves blood circulation, it helped me cope with the frustration of not being able to get around as I normally would.
I watched what I ate. I generally eat healthy and have never been worried about the occasional sweet treat, because I could run off the calories. But with a broken foot, I couldn’t, which made me mindful of what and how much I ate, conscious that nutritious foods help the body heal and prevent weight-gain, which would then put more pressure on the good leg, and later on both legs. Because it wasn’t convenient to go and fill my glass every time, I filled bottles and kept one in every room. If you are on prescription painkillers, ditch the alcohol.
I didn’t rush. I was lucky that my fracture healed well. But I was still given exercises to improve range of motion and flexibility, which really helped. And I was advised to listen to my body at all times. It took me a few days to wean myself off the crutches. I continued to use them for longer walks, until I felt steady and sure. In terms of exercise, I began with walking in the pool and swimming, and moved on to cycling on the stationary bike.
When I found strength back in the foot in about 2 weeks’ time, I started weight training. I missed running, but I didn’t think my foot was ready for the impact. I recently got back to it (about 8 weeks after the cast was removed), but I am still taking it slow. After all, the tortoise did win the race.