If you fall victim to an unexpected accident and get injured in the lower body area involving heaps and legs or go under surgery, you must have to use the crutches to move during the recovery period from the injury.
Moreover, stroke sufferers have to use crutches as well.
As you are confined to the crutches during the injury time, you might be thinking that it is impossible to continue your daily exercise routine or the weight loss program anymore and your body’s shape will not be okay during this recovery period.
7 Strengthening Exercises While on Crutches
However, you don’t have to worry about your daily workout routine or weight loss program at all because you can still perform some crutches exercise for muscle strengthening and keep your body fit even if your legs are immobile.
All you need to do is to consult with your health care provider and discuss the restrictions on movement and weight-bearing before starting an exercise program.
Now, here are introduce you to some crutches workouts to keep your body fit and help you with your rehabilitation.
See also: Best Crutches of 2022.
1. Walking on Crutches
Is using crutches a good workout? Yes, walking on crutches is the best cardio exercise to keep your body fit.
As we all know, when you go walking it increases your heart rate, and using crutches burns calories.
What muscles are used when using crutches? The whole upper body muscles are used.
Can you gain muscle from crutches? Yes, using crutches builds arm muscle, shoulder muscle, chest muscle, and abs muscle, and it will make you stronger.
However, it would help if you were very careful when you walk that you might not get hurt in the injured leg again.
2. Arm Exercises on Crutches
Arm exercises are essential for improving cardio strength.
As your hands are okay, you can sit upright on a chair or bench keeping your injured legs comfortably in a place and perform the arm strengthening exercise.
You can try various kinds of movements such as shoulder shrugs, shoulder circles, arm circles, front and side arm raises, and so on.
Moreover, you can punch in all directions to strengthen your arms and shoulder.
You can also start with some lightweight resistance bands or dumbbells for weightlifting exercises in the primary stage.
Gradually, you can increase the weight later. However, you have to be very careful with your moves.
It should be slow and in control so that you don’t get hurt again.
3. Ab Exercises on Crutches
Besides, the arms and shoulder workouts you can also improve your abdominal muscles by doing some necessary abs workouts during your recovery period.
You can perform several sit-ups by simply outing your legs at a comfortable height and keeping your hands behind your head and pulling the body up with your abs.
4. Cardio Exercises on Crutches
Cardio exercises are also crucial for burning some calories and staying fit while you are stuck with crutches.
However, while you are doing the cardio exercises, your injured legs should not be hurt at all.
It will do nothing but increase your recovery period.
You can learn some easy workout techniques from a professional trainer and perform them regularly to keep yourself fit.
Moreover, you can also use an upper body ergometer to get some cardiovascular benefits.
This machine is designed to be paddled with your arms rather than your legs. It will also help you burn calories as well.
5. Core Exercises on Crutches
You can also develop your core strength by performing several workouts sitting on a chair.
You can perform some side bends to engage your oblique muscles at work.
Besides, you can twist your upper body part from side to side keeping the hips and legs still to keep the back, and abdominal muscles keep working.
Moreover, you can perform stomach curls which is a useful core exercise.
You can hold your legs and hips in place and go from the leaning to the backward position and return to the sitting up position.
Also, you can perform the knee raise crunches exercises as well.
Just lift your knee upright at a time and lean forward and return to the upright seated position.
Additionally, you can twist the knee while you raise it to work your oblique muscles as well.
6. Leg Exercises on Crutches
To straighten your leg muscles, you can perform several leg exercises.
Here I am suggesting a technique to work out with your leg muscles while you are on a crutch.
Just lie on your back and place a pillow under the heel of the injured leg.
After that place the uninjured foot flat on the bed by bending it.
Then, lift your injured leg keeping it straight and hold it for at least 5 seconds and return to the normal position. Do this exercise 5 times at one sit.
7. Aquatic Exercises on Crutches
Aquatic exercises can be performed depending on the specific nature of the injury and under the supervision and consultation of the expert health care provider.
You can involve only the upper body or lower body to perform the exercise in the water.
You can perform the cardiovascular and resistance band exercises in the water as well as that I have mentioned earlier.
Conclusion:
In fine, I may say that if you have to use a crutch ever in your life, don’t put your step back to perform the workout which you used to do to keep your body fit — the strengthening as mentioned above exercises while on crutches can help you a lot to keep all your muscles of the body working even if you lost the mobility of your legs.
Also, by performing these crutches exercises, you can keep your cardiovascular muscles keep playing well, and it will also resist you from getting fat due to less movement during the injury time.
