I am back to walking my old distance daily. Hooray! I aspire to walking 2 1/2 to 3 miles each morning but it's been since before I broke my shoulder that I could manage it very well.
First, walking and wearing a sling are incompatible, at least for me. Having one arm restrained in a sling seriously affects my balance. Normally you swing your arms as you walk but the sling restricts that movement and has the trickle down affect of throwing you off balance. The last thing you want when you have a history of falling and breaking a bone is to feel like you might fall again! So for six weeks post injury and six weeks post surgery I didn't feel safe walking for exercise.
Second, post injury and post surgery I had physical therapy most mornings for several weeks. Not only does the daily commitment interfere with attempts at other forms of exercise, it just does not leave energy for them. I was tired after PT and by the time I got home the mood for other exercise was gone.
Third, post injury, walking made my arm hurt with every jarring step. By the time I finished a walk my arm was hurting so much I couldn't muster the enthusiasm for any other physical activity that day. This pain never let up or improved in the year between injury and surgery. Post surgery, my biggest problem has been the lingering effect of the collapsed lung I experienced. It seriously affected my breathing and walking just made too much demand on my lung capacity at first. I started out walking 1/2 mile, increased to 1 mile by three months post op.
The best incentive to returning to full exercise is a walking buddy. It really helps to have someone to partner with, who expects you to be out there with them rain or shine. My friend and I solve the world's problems as we walk and talk, and 2 1/2 or 3 miles melt away, along with a few pounds! I am still just a little breathless as we walk but even that is getting better. My arm and shoulder tolerate the
swinging without complaint. I do walk with hiking poles, usually two but since surgery just one, so I can switch back and forth between hands. The poles add upper body exercise plus some stability and have the added bonus of providing a weapon of modest use against wayward dogs and suspicious strangers.
So I am feeling pretty smug. Life is getting back to normal and it is about time! I've been an invalid long enough. Walking does not put any strain on the post rTSA shoulder and so long as you can stay upright it is a safe, low impact form of exercise.
http://youtu.be/L0wCuwUneSM
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