Injury recovery

[2ndGen]

Hey guys, still very new to this site, so don't blast me on searches please, cause I did look, and didn't find what I was looking for. My PLC application is in for the Januray boards, wanting to go to juniors this summer.

For a long while I was having mild pain in my shins about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through my training runs and after. Not bad pain, just ice and it was not a problem. Recently it became pain that was all the time, and just about crippling, so after my 1st class PFT I went to the docs.......well I turns out that I already have stress fractures. The docs put me in a walking cast/boot, and gave me a 6-8 week timeline, by my calculations, that would leave me with about ten weeks before my report date ( if I get selected ) to get into the shape that I want to be in. Doc said I can swim, just no stationary bike or eliptical. I'm going to begin looking for a gym in my area (or not if need be) where I can swim regularly for as cheap as possible.

I'm still working like mad on pullups and crunches but I know that the run is much more important when it comes to ocs. Anybody know of what works best for short time period, maximum gains, while also trying not to aggrivate an old injury?? How long should I swim, long duration or multiple sprints??? I can swim, but never have had any formal training or lessons.

Thanks a ton for your time and advice.

2ndgen

 

[statesman]

While I cant give you the medical advice you need, and therefore you might want to talk to your doc, (or hopefully one of the docs here can chime in), I can give you some advice as a swimmer.

If you are looking to prepare for your PRT (which for USMC is the 3 mile run as I understand it) you should consider swimming longer distances to help maintain or even improve stamina.

When I swam in high school we would run a couple miles during practice here and there to help us swim longer distances, my guess is that the inverse is also true.

Long distances are and obvious choice, but sprints are going to help your lung capacity and help improve your speed, so youll need to mix it up. Just like in running. You can apply the same principles. Short rest periods when sprinting to push your body to get used to being out of breath and supplying more O2 to your muscles. But you also need to work on your long term stamina by swimming long periods. What a long period entails depends on your ability.

As a lifeguard in high school and again when I showed up at my NROTC unit I was exposed to people who weren't strong swimmers, this was a departure from my experience as a varsity swimmer where everyone could swim quite well. Ive seen several people come close to drowning simply because they didn't have the experience in the water. The point being that you have to know your limits. Knowing your limits in running is less important because you can always stop and take a breath, sometimes in a deep pool if you find yourself suddenly fatigued that might not be the case.

If you are a strong swimmer and are comfortable in the water then you'll naturally know your limits, if not pace yourself at first.

Just off hand I would recommend something similar to the following, modify as needed depending on your ability.

500m warm up. (breast or freestyle) swim at a good pace, but dont burn yourself out in the warm up.

short rest. a couple of minutes, maybe up to 5 - 7 if needed.

10 x 25 m sprints (freestyle preferably, breast if you can do it fast and have good form) rest as little as possible to push your lungs, but remember your limits.

200m fast pace swim (Freestyle or breast stroke)

300m cool down. (freestyle, or breast stroke. Side stroke if needed) take it easy, work on your form and efficiency don't worry about speed.

Increase these distances as you progress. Add 100m to the warm up, do 50m sprints, do 15 sprints. do two fast paced 200m or do a fast paced 300m. Cool down for 300 should stay about the same.

If you can get a hold of a kickboard, which is often the case at a gym or natatorium, do a 500m kick. somewhere in there, doesn't really matter where. If you can get a hold of a leg buoy do a 300m arms only swim. again doesn't really matter where.

Swimming will help nearly every aspect of your physical fitness. Your arms will benefit, legs, stamina, even abs to a certain extent.

 

[feddoc]

Good gouge above from statesman. What were your PRT run times before the down time?

 

[Slammer2]

...Anybody know of what works best for short time period, maximum gains, while also trying not to aggrivate an old injury?? How long should I swim, long duration or multiple sprints??? I can swim, but never have had any formal training or lessons...

Since you still have some time left, I would reccommend putting emphasis on getting healed up fully. With that being said, since you're not going to be able to be running, do as much as possible without causing more injuries. If you're focusing on swimming, spend some time working on a different variety of techniques. Do some short sprints and do some long distance. Just be careful not to work to muscle fatigue while in the middle of a pool

The thing about OCS is that any single physical event isnt really THAT hard. Yeah it would kick a fat person in the nuts, but if you're in shape, while challenging, they're not that bad. The thing that beats people up, and sometimes leaves them hurt, is that fact that its going to be many different types of physical sessions. One day you're going to be in shorts and running in shoes. Next day, doing the O-course in pants and boots. You'll do the endurance course in boots and utes while wearing gear. Some days you'll do a long ass hump. Add to all this, mental stress and fatigue from not sleeping, being hungry, feeling "depressed" from all the stuff they make you do.

Best thing you can do is just to prepare your body to be shocked. But most important, get that injury healed as fast as possible. If you show up with it being weak, it will snap again.

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

Hey guys, still very new to this site, so don't blast me on searches please, cause I did look, and didn't find what I was looking for. My PLC application is in for the Januray boards, wanting to go to juniors this summer.

For a long while I was having mild pain in my shins about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through my training runs and after. Not bad pain, just ice and it was not a problem. Recently it became pain that was all the time, and just about crippling, so after my 1st class PFT I went to the docs.......well I turns out that I already have stress fractures. The docs put me in a walking cast/boot, and gave me a 6-8 week timeline, by my calculations, that would leave me with about ten weeks before my report date ( if I get selected ) to get into the shape that I want to be in. Doc said I can swim, just no stationary bike or eliptical. I'm going to begin looking for a gym in my area (or not if need be) where I can swim regularly for as cheap as possible.

I'm still working like mad on pullups and crunches but I know that the run is much more important when it comes to ocs. Anybody know of what works best for short time period, maximum gains, while also trying not to aggrivate an old injury?? How long should I swim, long duration or multiple sprints??? I can swim, but never have had any formal training or lessons.

Thanks a ton for your time and advice.

2ndgen

So, what did your doc conclude? Is it shin splints in the late stages?

 

[2ndGen]

Good gouge above from statesman. What were your PRT run times before the down time?

23:40 Is whats in my application I believe.

Ken,

All the doc said was stress fracture, I'm not sure if it mild, severe or somewhere in the middle, after being in the boot for a week, dang thing still hurts.

Thanks for all the quick replies gentlmen!!

 

[feddoc]

23:40 Is whats in my application I believe.

Ken,

All the doc said was stress fracture, I'm not sure if it mild, severe or somewhere in the middle, after being in the boot for a week, dang thing still hurts.

Thanks for all the quick replies gentlmen!!

The run time is ok...looks like you are putting max effort in to crunches and pull ups. So, given all that and the ten week time between getting the boot off.....I would recommend you not push the running thing too soon after the thing is removed. If you keep up with the swimming, you may actually gain some aerobic ground, while not putting any more strain on the stress fracture. Ask your doc to be sure, but, if I were in your position, I wouldn't worry about running until 3-4 weeks prior to report date, which would give you an additional 5-6 weeks of time for the muscles surrounding the stress fracture (fibula??) to recover. Keeping up your aerobic base is huge; your running skills will return quickly.

Good luck to you.

 

[2ndGen]

Feddoc,

Actually it is in the tibia (sp?). Is that a lot worse?

Swam for the first time this morning and it kicked my butt


Thanks for everyones help and advice

2ndgen

 

[feddoc]

Worse....more painful because the tibia is weight bearing. Probably more painful initially, but, that pain might be just enough to keep you from over working.

 

[2ndGen]

Thank you feddoc and everyone, I'll keep you posted

2ndgen

 

[Stinger7212]

The PT at Juniors isn't bad at all. I over-trained before I went a couple years back and found out I had a stress fracture in my tibia 2 wks before departure. Stopped running for 2 weeks, got some REALLY good shock-absorbing insoles, iced my leg every night at OCS, stretched every night at OCS, told medical I had tentanitis and got a script for motrin. Stress fractures are overrated, just suck it up. Its only 6 weeks, minus check-in and the last week, you're looking at 4 1/2.

Trust me, its not bad. I went there running a 23:00, just remember, when it comes to OCS..don't always give 100%. Save some, you'll need it if you want to guarantee getting through without an NPQ.

Nurse that leg, you'll be fine. Good luck.

 

[DocT]

Stress fractures are overrated, just suck it up. Its only 6 weeks, minus check-in and the last week, you're looking at 4 1/2.

Trust me, its not bad. I went there running a 23:00, just remember, when it comes to OCS..don't always give 100%. Save some, you'll need it if you want to guarantee getting through without an NPQ.

Your mileage may vary regarding the above.

Some stress fractures are not at all overrated.

Also revealing aches and pains during medical in-processing is to be done at your own risk. When I was there poking and prodding the complaintant until something disqualifying was found was SOP. If you need motrin, ask your corpsmen.

 

[2ndGen]

Thanks again, figured me sucking it up would be the most important. Thanks for the advice gents.

2ndgen