Static exercise set mark 1

Here are some details of my initial 'floor' work outs. All of these can be done without any equipment. I started doing these workouts as soon as the pain allowed me to get onto the floor. I aim to do at least 15 minutes of these a day. I'm now adding in additional workouts that I will include in each subsequent blog.

Issue one: getting down onto the floor.
This can be surprisingly tricky if you're non-weight bearing on one leg. Here's a video of how I managed it. It took me a while and I could only manage this once the pain had eased sufficiently (if I'd tried this in the first 10 days the jolting would have been too much to bear). Once you're on your front, you can then flip over onto your back. I'm limited by the fact that I can't kneel on my good knee either due to the soft tissue injury on that side.

floor sets for core:
Abdominal crunches - you can do these with legs in full extension. you may need some help to stabilise your legs for comfort, but this can be done with no supervision as you become more confident. If like me you're in a Donjoy brace, you may find it helpful to lock it at 0.


Full sit ups - these required a slight flexion in my leg before I could manage. It helps to have someone with you at first to stabilise your legs for you whilst you work to engage your core.

Leg raises - lying on your back, and using your good leg to support your bad leg, raise both legs simultaneously off the floor and lower again. Again, with a Donjoy, it helped me initially to lock it at 0 until I got used to


Abductor set - Lie on one side and raise your upper leg (It was incredibly liberating when I realised just how much mobility I still had in my bad leg. My quads were limited, but everything else could still function very well. Abductors have been the most helpful, particularly in getting into and out of cars.


Static quad - sit upright with legs out in front of you. With your good leg, press the back of your knee joint into the floor. Now try to repeat that with your bad leg. You should see your kneecap moving upwards as the quad muscle comes into play. You can play around with this exercise. Try engaging the muscle and holding, or doing a set of reps where you engage then release.