Strengthening Weak Legs (Pics Inside)

[phs hockey 21 0]

Last year in Feb I got in a car accident fracturing my tibia and fibula in my left leg and tearing my acl, pcl, and meniscus in my right knee. Part of my calf muscle died and they took 20% of the muscle on my left calf.

I was in the hospital for 1 1/2 months and in a wheelchair for another 2 months. But I unfortunately missed the season and our team placed 1st at state and placed 2nd in Tier 2 in the first AAU National High School Roller Hockey tournament. This year we moved up into a faster division and I am trying to get some speed back.

I started skating again back in November/December and everything is back to normal but my legs are very weak. I cannot squat, or run because it is harsh on my ligaments. Do any of you guys have any exercises or tips for strengthening legs for skating???

[sdcopp 1]

ouch ouch ouch. You're in for a ton of pain rehabing and rebuilding. Pool therapies might be a good start. Good luck

[gman 0]

ouch ouch ouch. You're in for a ton of pain rehabing and rebuilding. Pool therapies might be a good start. Good luck

DITTO!!!

You might try cycling (upright or recmubent) and then perhaps move to an eliptical. Good Luck...

[jjtt99 0]

Hit the pool. I have chronic shoulder problems and whenever I dislocate, after the initial healing period the pool is the first place I go to get the strength back.

We're not talking about swimming length either. For my shoulder, I go about neck deep and move my arm side to side, up and down. Speed determines the amount of resistance and it's consistent throughout the range of motion. Look into it. It will help for sure. Good luck.

(Nasty pics by the way....ouch!)

[iceburg19 1]

wow, first off how old are you?how much do you weigh? i would think about nutrition,maybe loose weight if you are alittle over weight. also just skateing is putting direct strain on the joints.alittle massage therapy on those legs with plenty of rest in between games, try some plyometrics to get some quickness going.plenty of research for other ways of building leg muscle without the heavy lifting.nutrition is real important. and like the guys said before- the pool is great for therapy and bike work also.good luck.

[phs hockey 21 0]

I am 17, weighing 170 at 5'10" but ive been through therapy already and it helped out a lot. The one thing that bothers me the most is my recovery time after i stop and try to turn around and skate... any ideas on how to improve it??? i might start doing shuttle runs on grass or something soft...

[RadioGaGa 162]

My leg kinda got a little numb tingle through it when I saw that pic....Actually my whole body.

Good for you to even attempt to play again after an injury like that. I don't think I'd have the set for the kind of rehab it would take.

Good luck.

(Sorry I don't have any training advice)

[number21 3]

My friend stretched his pcl in the early fall and he was told to not play for 6 weeks and he now wears a brace to play.

I respect your drive to get back on the ice! but seriously talk to your doctor and physical therapist about returning to hockey and follow what they say! They might tell you to take it really slow, but it's better that doing any permanent damage IMO.

Best of luck man!

[biff44 0]

There is some recent research suggesting that mechanical vibration helps in recovering from massive injuries. Like stand on top of a vibrating foot massager for 10 minutes at a time--it somehow helps the muscles and bones repair themselves.

[hockechamp14 0]

There is some recent research suggesting that mechanical vibration helps in recovering from massive injuries. Like stand on top of a vibrating foot massager for 10 minutes at a time--it somehow helps the muscles and bones repair themselves.

Yes, it forces muscle fibers to fire and creates higher bone density. I don't know if it has any positive effects on ligaments or tendons though.

[indaslot 0]

I would seek professional guidance from an athletic therapist and only deal with qualified individuals.We can give you "bast guess" advice here, but truly,you need to be very careful.These were extensive injuries and you may have training limitations (IMO).I'm no expert,this is just what I would say to my own teenage son

[D-Wo 0]

Yeah, this is probably an issue best discussed with your physical therapist, doctor, or nurse. They know the true extent of your injuries, what was affected and how (aside from what you told us).

Is it no squats at all, even sissy (bodyweight only) squats? You could also do wall sits if that is suitable for your injuries. As mentioned earlier, I would also say the stationary bike. Have you thought about a slide board? Low impact and simulates the skating motion.

Keep on keepin' on!

[SB39 2]

You could try walking up stairs, 1 or 2 at a time, for however many flights you can find/handle. It will help you get back into normal movement and it will help hockey specific muscles with fighting gravity.

[kredmore 2]

Yeah, this is probably an issue best discussed with your physical therapist, doctor, or nurse. They know the true extent of your injuries, what was affected and how (aside from what you told us).

Is it no squats at all, even sissy (bodyweight only) squats? You could also do wall sits if that is suitable for your injuries. As mentioned earlier, I would also say the stationary bike. Have you thought about a slide board? Low impact and simulates the skating motion.

Keep on keepin' on!

I agree....work with a good PT. And be careful of advice you receive...in my research, almost all injuries and recoveries are different in one way or another. I smashed my Tibia 3 months ago and even though I was cleared to skate about a month ago, I am just now feeling comfortable again. There are still things that hurt though, such as quick starts and quick turns like you mention. It's slow, but it gets better.

I really think all you can do is hang in there and work with a PT on specific exercises. Even my PT says you can do all the exercises with him, but controlled skating is the best exercise for my goal of getting back to playing again.