[nbblood]

I had surgery to repair a broken heel in May (11 screws and a plate.....I know, I know....how do they get that much metal in that little bone!) I've been on the long road to recovery since. I just started being able to walk without the assistance of a cane or crutches, but I still have a pretty good limp and I can't run yet. Also, uneven terrain requires more careful movement.

That said, I'm wondering if I could begin to start shooting again and what an RO would think if I were at the range. I would like to shoot matches to gain experience. If that meant that I have to limp station to station and blow my time off the chart, I'm ok with that. I don't need to win. I just want to practice and improve my shooting skills regardless of what the clock says.

So, what do you think? Dive in or wait it out?

If it helps clarify where I'm at, this was a skydiving injury and I think I'll be back in the air in a month or so. So, it's getting better. I'm almost at the point where I feel I could run (with somewhat of a pronounced limp).

[Jake Di Vita]

If you can do it without re-injuring yourself, go for it.

[Neomet]

Welcome to the forum! Let me guess... Calcaneous fx? If so I am glad you are recovering. Those can be be real ugly injuries. As long as you are safe with your gun handling I doubt you would have problems from a RO standpoint. We had a local buy shooting with a blown calf muscle. Not as bad an injury as yours but still he just took his time moving from position to position.

Of course make sure your doc is okay with this level of activity.

[Chris Christian]

I can't imagine an RO/SO giving a limited mobility shooter grief... no matter how long it took them to get through the COF... if the shooter was a safe gun handler. If that happened... and the RO/SO was critical... then I would say the RO/SO ought to find another line of work. If you can shoot safely... do it.
Chris Christian

[whatmeworry]

Are there any steel matches where you live? Almost no movement with an emphasis on transition speed and of course accuracy. Just a thought.
Adios,
Pat

[bikerburgess]

I say shoot hobble shoot dont worry about a limp or your time. I have seen several older or injured shooters limp from position to tosition and have a great time doing it. as long as you can move safely go for it. time is not inportant just safety. I can run fast but I still get beat by some older guys that move slowly but shoot quickly and acuratly.

Mike

[TruStreet]

Do it, I'm recovering from being in the hospital for a month under life support (Kidney failure). Being in bed for a month I lost all muscle memory & I just started walking without my cane about 3 weeks ago. Everyone at our local clubs were very helpful & asured me that it didn't matter that I was S L O W! Man it felt G O O D to be able to pull the trigger again.

Manny

[Duane Thomas]

At this point the absolute priority is to avoid reinjuring yourself. I say that as someone who has, time after time, begun working out again before I fully healed an injury and have reaped the whirlwind. It simply isn't worth it to get back into anything that stresses the injured area before you're totally healed, or at least healed up enough that you can begin the activity at a greatly reduced rate, so lightly that you can do it while still healing up.

My advice: ask your doctor, don't ask us. If he says don't do it for another six months or whatever, don't do it for another six months or whatever. I mean, really, six months from now do you want to be totally healed up, or still battling what you may have turned into a chronic injury you will be dealing with for years, and quite possibly the rest of your life?

[G-ManBart]

Hey, if it doesn't hurt too much and your doc doesn't say not to, I'd go for it. I've seen a GM walk a stage that everybody else ran and he was top-10 on it at a big match...shot 100% of the points and was smooth. R,

[chirpy]

Dive in!!!!! I shot the Limited Nationals in PA with a lady who used a cane due to a work accident. The RO's were aware of her situation because she and her husband travel around the US shooting a lot of big matches. She didn't finish last and is very safe. I also had a problem getting up from kneeling at another Nationals and the RO made sure everything worked out and safe. Let the RO know ahead of time your situation and most if not all will help you out any way they can.

Be safe and enjoy!

Richard

[calishootr]

I spent the better part of a yr rehabbing a severed achilles tendon(3 months in a cast, the rest re-learning how to walk) I purposely stayed away, 1. the Dr. threatened to put me in a cast up to my hip for 6 months not 3 if i managed to re-tear anywork he did...and i wasnt comphy with the whole hobbling around w/ a gun...just my personal preference, that being said, we have had all kinds of people come thru with various injuries, up to and including wheelchairs, and we are nothing if not accomodating, i can fondly remember a trio of people pushing tom in his wheelchair from shooting positiion to the next shooting position, and at the golden gate champs, they even measured the cooper tunnel to his height in his motorized chair, which was pretty danged cool to watch him motor around the course of fire

[Sam]

Definitely, what Duane said! ASK YOUR DOCTOR.


Why in hell do we trust a Doctor to put us under with drugs, cut on us with a knife, put us back together, but then, we don't do the easiest thing of all and follow his\her orders on recovery? Please, do yourself a long term favor, ask your Doc!

[Jake Di Vita]

Quote

Why in hell do we trust a Doctor to put us under with drugs, cut on us with a knife, put us back together, but then, we don't do the easiest thing of all and follow his\her orders on recovery? Please, do yourself a long term favor, ask your Doc!

That's true Sam, but really only in limited circumstances.

As a trainer, I hear this usually at least a few times a day. Unfortunately finding a Doctor that knows anything past conventional wisdom about fitness and even rehabilitation is a chore. I've seen the "exercises" a lot of these "professionals" teach (like standing with a weight on top of your head in order to rehabilitate your back.....).

I'm in the process of rehabbing two serious injuries with clients. One rolled his ankle horribly playing basketball. Not breaks, but it literally took him 2 months to be able to walk semi-normally again. The other tore his meniscus about 2 months ago and just had it surgically repaired a few weeks ago. Both of their Doctors are astounded with their progress.

As a matter of fact when my client who had knee surgery told the Doctor what he'd been doing for rehab (since the injury and now since surgery), all the Doctor did was tell him how dangerous it was...yet he is far beyond the average patient in this same situation who would follow the Doctor's orders to the letter.

The bottom line is there are a lot of Doctors out there. Some are great at what they do. Most have no clue how to practically apply exercise science. I'm sure I'm going to get flamed for that one, but it's the truth.

[Flyin40]

+1 on what Jake said. I suggest seeing a doctor that deals in sports injuries. Here in Columbus there is a couple places that advertise for High school athlete injury and the weekend warrior athlete that also work with the professional athletes here too. A doctor that deals with rehab with sports injuries will have you do alot more and you'll heall much quicker. A guy on the team with me in college had an extreme hamstring pull. I mean it was black and blue from his a$$ to almost his knee. The guy seen the doc that is in charge of all the athletes at the college. The doctor had him doing squats 2 days after and stiff legged deadlifts plus plenty of stretching. This guy could barely walk and was in a ton of pain.
The doctor told us that there were 2 ways to deal with an injury, sit and let it heal with very little activity and then there is to get right into working it out and promote healing. He said having the guy do squats and everything else will allow the guy to heal about 50% quicker.

Now the squats and deadlifts was with no weights on the bar to start, just an Olympic bar. I was amazed at the results.


I would suggest seeing a sports doctor because you can do more damage and you injury deals with bone and not muscle. Even if your not ready the doctor will give some info on what you need to be doing.

Flyin

[nbblood]

Thanks for all the replies. Of course I'll consult my doctor. That's why it's been 4 1/2 months since surgery to date and I'm just now starting to consider such activities. My heel has healed very well. Now I'm dealing with the residual effects of tendonitis in the achilles and other tendons in the foot from being immobilized for so long. I'm just now walking without assistance of crutches and a cane.

So, of course, I'll consult the doc. But at the same time, I'm the one who feels what's going on. The doc just sees pictures. There's nothing in the pics that is of concern and I feel I'm ready to get going again.

Again, thanks for the responses. Just thought I'd clarify a little where I'm at.

Nathan

[Jake Di Vita]

I definitely would recommend learning how to squat and deadlift. The squat is quite literally foundational to all human locomotion. When performed correctly it take your hips, knees, and ankles through their full range of motion and is unparalleled at strengthening both. In regards to the deadlift - it is hardly possible to imagine a more functional exercise than picking heavy shit up off the ground.

Those two exercises should be the building blocks of many rehabilitation programs.

Once again I need to emphasize it is critical to perform these exercises correctly. Most people think they know how to squat...most don't.

[Paul Burtchell]

Approximately 18 years ago (at age 30) I fell and crushed both heel bones. Bilateral fractures of the calcaneous, I believe is what its called. The left more severely than the right. 2 surgeries on the left and one on the right. I like you will carry lots of metal around with me for the rest of my life. 6 months in a wheel chair. 18 years later if I didn't tell you that I had had the accident I doubt you could tell. It does take me about 5 minutes or so every morning to 'get everything working' and after I drive home after a pistol match I'm pretty immobile until I do some stretching.

You will probably always have some mobility issues and tendonitis etc. My advice. Do as much as you can without injuring yourself, stay active & keep your bodyfat % low. Get to shooting some matches and have fun

[Paul Burtchell]

Jake Di Vita, on Sep 29 2009, 12:11 PM, said:

I definitely would recommend learning how to squat and deadlift. The squat is quite literally foundational to all human locomotion. When performed correctly it take your hips, knees, and ankles through their full range of motion and is unparalleled at strengthening both. In regards to the deadlift - it is hardly possible to imagine a more functional exercise than picking heavy shit up off the ground.

Those two exercises should be the building blocks of many rehabilitation programs.

Once again I need to emphasize it is critical to perform these exercises correctly. Most people think they know how to squat...most don't.

+1 regarding squats and deadlifts. After approx. one year after my accident I started working out and eventually got very involved in bodybuilding and powerlifting. Even with staples in my heels I worked up to a #495 deadlift and #455 squat. Those two lifts will take you far.

[Houngan]

The only thing the RO will do is mock the shooters you beat mercilessly. Get out there and get shooting!

H.