I am a 24-year old soldier in the U.S. Army. During basic training, I did hundreds of push-ups in a single hour. Two days later, I developed a problem called rhabdomyolysis. I’ve been taken off all physical training and go to physical therapy instead. Will I ever be able to do push-ups again?

Yes. Military physical therapists have a special program worked out for soldiers with this problem. Rehab begins with range of motion exercises and works toward getting back full motion. Stretching and resistive exercises are slowly added.

Push-ups are also added slowly and start with a modified form. Modified push-ups include wall push-ups, then push-ups done from a high table top. Before going to regular push-ups, the exercise is done from a low table. When the patient is ready, wide arm, “diamond,” and single-arm push-ups can be included.