Exercise/Physical Therapy for Bone mets

Did your doctor give you any specific advise on exercising? Weight bearing such as walking is simple, kind on the knees, and if done frequently and with monitoring one's calories, can even help with readjusting or loosing weight. I have bad shin bone pain (just had a negative scan), and calf muscle pain, so I'm walking some. My old tread mill is not one that "gives" when you take a step, like the newer ones, so I may look for a used newer one. Don't know how the transportation will work though.



Weight resistence with 3 pound weights, moving up to 5 pounds, seem reasonable.



It would be ideal if our medical insurances said here, here is our PT or recommended gym for bone involvement; we'd like to keep you healthy (which lowers their costs). But this idea has not made it to prime time.



I'm in somewhat of the same boat as you, so if I find anything new, I'll try to post back.



Great question, very practical and shows you're motivated.



All the best,

Tender

I was diagnosed with bone mets in April 2007. I didn't do much in the way of exercise for many months; my hip hurt from the mets (radiation helped with that though), and I was fatigued from the radiation and had a rough time when my port was put in and had a small punture in my lung from the surgery.

 In March, I decided to get serious about my fitness, and started with my Leslie Sansone Power Mile Workout using 3 pound weights. It takes 15 minutes, and is the equivelent to walking 1 mile. I also started walking outside when the weather permitted, starting out with 20 minute walks. Once I got used to that, I started using a couple of other Leslie Sansone in home walking workouts that were 30 minutes and 2 miles each, or walking outside for 30-40 minutes. After a few weeks, I noticed it really helped with my arthritis pain.

I try to do some type of exercise for at least 30 minutes on my two days off work, and on the days I work, I do at least a 15 minute in home walking workout. I recently got a Denise Austin in home walking DVD that also has 15 minute workouts. They are a little harder than Leslie's, but they are fun! I have been buying fitness DVDs on Ebay, and I have recently gotten a Dance Workout for Dummies DVD and an Island Girl Tahitian Cardio DVD that I haven't had a chance to try yet. I also have a Leslie Sansone Walk and Kick DVD on the way from Ebay.

I don't have bones mets, but I do have osteopenia and spots of osteoporosis in my lower back.

After I finished physical therapy for a damaged knee, I asked the PT people if they could show me safe exercises for my back. They did show me some small-movement exercises that primarily involve tightening of the lower abdominal muscles and then performing small, controlled leg movements. If nothing else, they suggested that I tighten my lower abdominal muscles while working on the computer, or when stopped at a traffic light. Tighten, hold, breathe in and out, release.

I have taken this set of exercises to my new (yippee) personal trainer who is also a dietician in a senior care facility, and she wil continue the process. I was also told many of the things Marin cited- don't twist, don't exercise the obliques. I am already experiencing less pain, and my tummy is actually thinking about being flat, well, under the belly fat, that is.

Hoping to refresh this topic.  I also want to do safe exercise - and cannot convince my MO to give me a scrip for PT so I am going to have to do it on my own.  I have had hip/leg pain for the past 6 weeks - started the day after I got my first Xgeva injection but it is subsiding and is much less than it was.  I am worried about deconditioning.....

Any advice how to find a personal trainer who is educated in dealing with special populations as discussed here??