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Rehabilitation

Broken ulna

04/02/2009

Question:

What exercises and diet can I do while my arm is in a cast to strengthen it?

Answer:

Generally, it is still safe to do low impact aerobics, walking, elliptical trainer and stationary bike.  If you weight lift, you can continue to work your legs and the other arm.

For your injured arm, avoid lifting weight even if you can grasp the weight with your fingers. You can do shoulder motions: forward, sideways, back and rotate.

For diet, remember that you are probably not as active as you were before so you may need to intake less calories.  Try to make sure the calories you are cutting are the "empty" ones (sugary things and chips) because you still need all your nutrients.

For more information:

Go to the Rehabilitation health topic, where you can:

Response by:

The Ohio State University Tammy S. Wadsworth, PT MS OCS
Sports Medicine Team Member
OSU Outpatient Rehabilitation Center at Hilliard
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University
Tammy S. Wadsworth, PT MS OCS