Sports Apps: Recovering from Major Injuries

The beautiful Achilles Scar

Sports Apps: Recovering from Major Injuries

Sports and fitness apps are all the rage! Ever since Nike Fit came on the market, we have analyzed and tried out different devices and Apps. However, our athletic career came to a standstill when we almost severed our Achilles. Thank goodness our friends, family and physical therapist (pt) introduced us to some helpful Sports Apps that can spur recovery from major athletic injuries.

Recovering from Achilles surgery or any type of foot, leg or knee surgery requires patience and self-discipline. Of course, these injuries frequently occur during the life stage when we are parents and have super busy lives juggling career and family. We were just too busy to take care of ourselves. If we had only gone to the doctor when we first felt the pop a few years ago playing tennis with friends or when we were chasing our daughter down the alpine race course last spring. We don’t have time to rest and recover but major injuries change life as we know it. However, the risk of not being able to walk or run again scared our pants off so we even asked for an extra two weeks in a hard cast for good measure. By the way, hard casts now come in such fun fashionable colors but we digress….

THE FAMOUS KNEE SCOOTER PERFECT FOR ACHILLES INJURIES

So after three months of tooling around by knee scooter and then walking very slowly, we have switched getting into shape in high gear. However, with this type of injury, patience is a virtue or so says our orthopedist and pt. Can’t believe it takes over a year for recovery! The good news is that we discovered some great Sports Apps along the way. Of course, you must be sure to listen to your physician or pt before you try anything. All Apps are free and for both iOS and Android:

RunKeeper: turns your phone into a personal trainer. This voice directed App tracks your walking and as your healing progresses–your running. Our PT Jason at West Woodlands Physical Therapy prescribed that we alternate walking for one minute and running for two minutes for a total of six minutes. As your strength comes back, you can even track bike rides, hikes, and more using the GPS in your iPhone.
My Fitness pal: offers the largest food database of any calorie-counting Fitness App. The Tracker measures your daily calorie intake and exercise routine to make sure you manage your goals. This App is perfect with the transition from bed rest to everyday activity since it can optimize calorie and activity balance
Fitocracy uses game-like stats to create friendly competition and seed your dedication to working out. Since you get points for different activities, social interaction is key. The App also features resources for all kinds of fitness enthusiasts, from swimmers to weightlifters
Gym Pact: helps you by tracking your gym visits against your weekly goal. You actually get paid for gym visits but you have to honor your pact or you get charged! The payment option can be a bit controversial so make sure you are ready. Also synchs with RunKeeper and gets good reviews from physicians.
JawboneUP: is a device vs just an App. Our medical team recommended the wristband for our next step up in the fitness routine. The band tracks mood, fitness, and rest, all while synching with your smart phone. Have you tried it? Could it be a good Father’s Day gift and we share with the hubbies? We will keep you posted on our experience, but so far friends give it rave reviews.