Question. I had a very small splinter removed from the side of my hand. Doc did One stitch only because location. He advised not to do any push or pull weight lifting so as not to pop the stitch (Which, he admitted, would bleed-- so re-bandaid it–and might scar). For a month. Also I shouldn’t row (my cardio). A month is going to drive me crazy… Also I’m concerned about loss of muscle I’ve worked SO hard to obtain. What would YOU do???
I kept training
If it’s just 1 hand, you can always train the other side.
I’d so something new - sprints? mad planks? KB swings if it doesnt hurt?
One month off won’t set you back too far.
I’ve got a broken hand, currently, but I still play baseball and workout just the same. Albeit, there’s severe pain at time.
Also, I’ve had stitches in 27 different locations and never stopped training. I’ve never received a single stitch for a splinter, however. So, I can’t speak specifically to your situation.
How long would/did you wait to go back? What about cardio?
2 days, as per the video title.
I did arm-over-arm sled pulls. In your situation, you could walk/run/bike/do air squats/hit a punching bag with your 1 good arm/etc etc.
You have very few limitations with 1 stitch.
Thanks for the suggestions. I’m thinking of taking the next two days off… Going back to cardio, elliptical, bike… Maybe next week starting back on light lifting on machines. Playing it by ear, paying attention to how it feels. The odd thing-- I’ve had my share of mole removals, many requiring a stitch or two., On my back, arm, chest… Never ever have I been “warned” not to work out! Of course, I never asked either… At any rate… I always carried on my regular routine and never had any trouble. Now I feel they’re making a mountain out of a molehill.
I also feel that way.
The doctor is doing his best to cover himself. Mine did the same thing. As an autonomous human, you have the freedom to decide if you wish to regard their warnings or not.
I chose not.
Quick story. In high school, I was doing Russian twists with a 45. It was my last workout, I was completely gassed, and my form had gone to complete shit. Well, I ended up crushing my pinky under it and popping it like a zit. Sent viscera about 10 feet across the floor. Got sent to the ER since my pinky was trying to do it’s best impersonation of a fire hydrant, got like… 6 or 7 stitches… something. Told me to stop lifting until I had the stitches removed. Well, I told him to… well… you get it. Ended up completely severing the stitches and botching the whole job. But it healed fine.
Moral of the story: he’s just covering his ass, you’ll be fine.
Also… how did a splinter warrant a stitch? Not mocking you, that just seems like an extreme measure.
Thank you for your reply! So…Actually doc didn’t say splinter, I did… he termed it a lesion, most probably a piece of lead or other foreign body, but he’s a surgical dermatologist (luck of the draw-- I’ve also gone to that group many times and seen a PA)-- And I had a precancerous lesion removed some years ago-- Soo since he couldn’t guarantee it wasn’t something that was bad, he acted proactively and cautiously. Believe me, all day I’ve been alternating between beating myself up for getting a “piece of lead” removed Instead of letting it stay put… At the same time telling myself it’s better out than in, considering my history, my tendency to worry, and my brother in law died from a malignant melanoma. Nothing I could do about it now-- it’s out. My plan is to take a day off altogether, go back to cardio on Thursday, wait until mid next week for some light machine work for weights.
Yeah man. My dad had a sebaceous cyst (apparently they’re genetic? Lucky me) for his entire life. Never had an issue, at about 40 it ruptured under his skin and caused havoc, necrotizing all his flesh, better safe than sorry.
Anyways, you seem to have a good idea of how to handle it. Besides, your body will probably thank you for a solid week of rest.
Yeah just do this. Forget the rower for couple of weeks as can rip up hands at best of times
There’s a LOT you can do without using your hands for a month. Do a couple lower body workouts each week - leg presses, leg extensions, leg curls, hip adduction and abduction, and calf raises; do a core workout a couple times a week - back raises, planks, side planks, decline crunches; if you go to a gym, many have some upper body machines with pads that place the resistance on the forearms, like delt raise machines and pec decks with 90* arms, so add those to the core workouts; and a couple days each week, lay into mean cardio on a stepmill, bike, elliptical, treadmill, or combination of them.