Restoring muscle equality after injury?

[pd150]

I tore some ankle ligaments on my right leg about a month and a half ago. Was in a boot and crutches for 2+ weeks. I was not able to do lower body lifts for awhile. I have begun working again at lower weights but have noticed a not too surprising difference in the level of strength between my left and right legs. It even extends to my lower back and possibly farther up.

My question is : what can I do to bring my right leg back up to the level of my left leg. More reps? Isolation? Heavier? If anyone has any past experiences or just knowledgeable ideas I would appreciate it much.

I currently do Squats, Lunges, Straight Leg Dead-lifts, Toe/Calve Raises for my legs. Dead-lift, Good Mornings for my lower back.

Thanks in advance.

[pd150]

Nobody??

There has to be some ideas or experiences, I can't be the only one who has gotten injured, or maybe.



Please, Some help

I'm listening. Time heals all wounds..even ligaments. Go light, but do it. Work with a physcial therapist. None of us here is immune to injury. Ligaments take months to heal, but healing is purely a function of persistence and patience.

[pd150]

I appreciate the motivation Tarzana, however my ankle is very healed at this point. My question is regarding the inequality between my two sides. If I continue to do the lifts I outlined before, I am afraid I will always be "left dominant". I just want to be equal on all fronts, and need some help doing it.

Thanks again Tarzana, any more out there.

[Spook]

One alternative is to do isolation exercises but use the weakest leg as the standard. Do no more with the stronger leg than the weaker leg can do. If you are at a point in healing where you can handle a hard leg workout again then keep with compound/basic movements like squats and deadlifts, but if you can isolate to one leg presses (be careful) and use that as your guide with your weaker leg as the lead leg for sets and reps. Same goes for leg extensions and curls as well. You can do single leg extensions and single leg curls but use the weaker leg as the set point. It will take considerable time for all healing and for getting both legs back on course together.

Good luck.

[hanuri]

but first consult a good phys therapist. They heve the knowledge so listen to them.
So u say your legs are all right other than that strength difference . Well I`ve got news for u; no one has egual strength in both legs. my right is clearly stronger but I use it as a guide in single leg moves(lunges , leg extensions..). I`ll use only the same weight for both legs my weaker leg can handle. I`ll even do a féw more reps for the weaker one(trying to shorten the strength gap).
However , if the gap is too big that might be a serious problem in the future; Your form might suffer and in the long run it`s your body that suffers next(some serious injury occurs).
My advise is this: If u do sguats/ two-legged leg presses , use only so much weight your form doesn`t suffer. + use single legged moves for relatively high reps(for a few weeks ) and do more work for the weaker leg(even twice the work).
Gradually use heavier weights and lower reps. Once the weaker leg feels ready , go for more two-legged moves, again light at first and gradually heavier.
One important thing too is to work the abs and the whole canter of your body very hard since it`s the essential part of body in all leg training.
Well , that`s how I would do , but first see that physio therapist !!! Good luck and lots of patience...:up

[pd150]

I appreciate the suggestions Spatts and Hanurai. I like the idea of doing my regular exercises (Squat, etc.)with the weight I can perform in good form and then adding a fair amount of Isolation excercise for the weaker leg. I will incorporate this principal in my next leg workout using single leg squats. I usually do a medicine ball routine for abs and some others so my core is a focus, however your comments about it made me realize how I could Isolate it also and how it would help my leg.

Thanks again guys.

[Showdowner]

Try some dmso on an injury to speed recovery time