I deal with arthritic joints in both big toes, worse in the left one (what some call a "dorsal bunion") and plantar fasciitis recurring in my left foot. This is not exactly your problem, so the weight-bearing part of your foot may vary.
When my foot is worst, I stay on a regular stationary bike. (The recumbent doesn't benefit me any more than the regular bike & does not give me a better workout.) I'm fine with the resistance cranked pretty high, but this is because I am okay with pushing down hard on my feet. Your injury may vary. I also swim, but the breast stroke is not my favorite at these times. Anyway, you say you can't swim.
When I row, I actually find that I am using my feet, though my quads more, so at the worst flareups, I wouldn't row. But that would be the next exercise I'd add, once my feet were a little better.
I've found spinning is completely different from the stationary bike, because of the standing, particularly standing sprints, the hovering, and the jumps. If you spin, you may take it easy on those moves. I do not spin if my plantar fasciitis is bad. Some of the standing spin moves are pretty much like the movement I do on the arc trainer & elliptical, so I consider spin a sort of hybrid between stationary bike/elliptical work.
So yeah, the way I work is that I get up in the morning & find out how my feet are doing & plan the day's exercise from there. No matter how good I feel, I try to be on a bike at least half the week, so as not to push my luck.
The absolute worst thing I've done is try to run for more than two consecutive days. Can't do it. I break down every time. So a run is a rare treat for me, and I try to do it at this absolutely wonderful state park near me, with hills & a packed-dirt surface, on a gorgeous summer day. And the next day, for recovery, I'm absolutely on a bike.
Last edited by saef; 07-11-2010 at 11:43 AM.
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