Topic: How is DusterDude, or was it DustHawk ?? getting on?

[Dusthawk]

Cafe', a rowing machine is way out of my league right now. My back can barely handle 10 minute sessions on the recumbent, and that's with the back brace on. My shoulders would also never stand up to the strain of a rowing machine. I can walk okay but need to carry my cane because after a quarter mile my back starts having pains. I can walk the entire distance to downtown Bethel Island which is a bit over a mile and a half, but I have to stop several times to sit during the walk. It usually takes me about an hour to an hour and ten minutes to get there.

As far as the smoking goes, I have been smoking for almost 30 years and am really feeling it lately. In addition, as of last July, due to California Workman's Comp laws, I have been classified as permanently disabled. What this means is a major reduction of benefits which has severely curtailed my quest to finish off Rita. I still need a new front end and the jugs still need to be bored out to fit the 836 pistons Terry in Australia blessed me with last Christmas. I'll eventually be able to get what I need but for at least the next 6 months she will have to remain parked on my deck under the tarp. All of my parts are still in the cabinet and tub waiting to be mounted and installed. I was able to purchase a ton of wiring so when I am ready to finish her I can rewire everything to brand new.

This Friday I'll be going in for shoulder surgery and I already have an exercise band to start therapy once my Dr. say I can go ahead and do it.

Anyway, time to crash. Be back soon.

Bill440, look for a PM tomorrow, well later today at least.

[dusterdude]

this is the first time ive seen this thread,thanks for the concern on my part.jeff,i do hope everything goes well for you and you get back on the road soon.take care

[Frankenkit]

Hey DustHawk, keep up the good work.  You're gonna find that weight loss and core muscle work will help your back a LOT.  take a look at isometrics as a way to help strengthen muscles without overloading your joints.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isometric_exercise
http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/common/standard/transform.jsp?requestURI=/healthatoz/Atoz/ency/exercise.jsp

post shoulder arthroscopy:
http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/strengtheningexercises/ss/shoulderarthros_3.htm



walking is a great thing, keep working on that as well.  Tendons and ligaments don't have direct blood flow, so they heal a lot slower than muscle, but if you keep gently working them and letting them rest after, you will see a big difference.
About your recumbent- Are you working with a physical therapist?  Is this a real bike or kind of a cycle machine at home?  something about ankle/joint healing to consider, too, is constant passive motion (google that, too)  it's been shown very useful in healing joint injuries because the same fluids that help heal cartilage and ligaments are pumped through with joint motion.  Constant passive motion is very, very gentle, slow movement that goes on for a long time, so it doesn't tire you out or wear out the joint, per se, but keeps stuff moving to heal things faster (and helps the joint resurface the rough healing cartilage optimally)
here's a link that has more to do with research on knee replacement, but it's still the same concept, relative to pain meds not working:
http://www.fahc.org/Rehab_Therapies/Evidence/quality01_dtl_1_12400_19345.html

One step at a time, one day at a time.
(I'm not a doctor, I just kinda work around some of this stuff a bit and want to offer some encouragement if I may)

Edit: I changed a couple of the links, because one of them was just commercial crap that I mistook for a really great iso site I can't find anymore...  also added one that is for post-arthroscopy patients, but you might want to ask your doctor if strengthening those muscles might help you now, too.

Isometrics for your core can be as easy as just holding your abs and back firm to support your back while you do stuff (your recumbent, walking, etc)  and that firms up the muscles that way.

hth

[mlinder]

Hey Dusthawk,

I recently tore up my shoulder pretty good. A section of my clavicle broke off, turned 90 degrees, and reattached itself that way, and my scapula broke in 3 places, one of the fractures going through the shoulder joint. That section moved down half an inch and healed up. SO I don't really have a joint anymore. All tendons and ligaments were torn or disconnected. Not as serious as yours, but bad enough.

Anyway, my point is, that the rehab guys have been working the hell out of the muscles in my rotater cuff, and already it's way better. My arm was just falling out of it's joint 3 and 4 weeks ago. With all the work im doing on strengthening the muscles, I havent been wearing the brace or taping it up, and it hasnt been falling out, even when doing curls.

Check out those isometric excercises that kitsune linked to you. I do some of those, plus another set of excercises that actually dont allow movement of the joint, but build up the muscles that are needed to hold my arm in.

Just keep working at it, stuff will improve if you stick to it. My own improvement makes me believe anyone can improve this stuff with hard work.

Good luck man, and I'll be checking the threads to see how you are doing.