Is exercising with a missing muscle safe? (Morphea)
Posted , 2 users are following.
Hello!!! I'm Aimee, and I am missing the entirety of my top left abdomen. If I work out my core i begin to have back problems or lose my appetite and have to see a chiropractor to move everything back in place. I was wondering if exercising in such a state is dangerous and should be avoided or not?
To explain why i don't have a muscle there...
I have a rare skin condition called morphea in which i have discolored patches of skin on my abdomen. These patches itch when they first form but stop after a point, but they never go away. I have one large patch extending from my left armpit to the front left top abdomen, a small patch just below it on my middle left abdomen, and an even smaller patch on my left lateral ankle. I got this when i was 7, it didn't effect me in any way and i typically forget i even have it. However, later in my life i discovered it can also eat away the muscle right below the patch... that's what happened to my upper left abdomen. That happened when i was about 12-13. I was laying in bed trying to fall asleep when i got this sharp pain in my upper abdomen. It lasted about 5 seconds but i grabbed it with my hand and i could feel it being gulped up. And just like that it was gone and it never returned. I began getting into fitness at 17, after a couple months i began to have lower back pains. I saw a chiropractor and he explained to me that my uneven abdomen cause my right side to bulk up which makes my left side droop. He said my vigorous exercising caused my stomach to be pushed down to my bellybutton and to make room it popped out some of my lumbar vertebrae which cause my back pain. He moved my stomach back into place and this caused me to lose my appetite for two weeks. I was never hungry i had to remind myself to eat. I chose to never exercise again. I decided to try it out again just a little bit ago, i am now 19, and after just one ab exercise i already had irregular pain persisting in my anterior trunk. Just wanna know if there is any way i can exercise without causing serious damage to my body. Because so little people have this condition it is hard to find much information on specifics. I guess there isn't much people missing muscles that exercise and have problems. Are there any other morphea or muscle missing people out there?
0 likes, 2 replies
judith59246 aimee25777
Posted
Wow, I've not heard of this before. How frustrating for you. Have you tried Pilates or yoga? If you find a highly qualified instructor (some instructors have just done a short course to qualify so you need to be careful,...) they can do a full assessment and work out an exercise plan for you. In both Pilates and Yoga there are various forms of exercise i.e mat pilates, reformer pilates... It may be worth exploring.
I'd also suggest not taking the word of one specialist but to get several opinions. I was once told by a Consultant that I needed a spinal fusion or I'd risk being in a wheelchair within 2yr! Another consultant told me the exact opposite and gave me suggestions for a short and long term exercise plan. Needless to say I didn't have the fusion and here I am 28 yr later and not in a wheelchair. Good luck in your search to find a suitable exercise regime x
aimee25777 judith59246
Posted
Huh, yoga has never come across my mind but it sounds like a great idea!! I will take that up and see some people about that. Actually kinda excited to try yoga, Thankyou for sharing your advice!!!