[Closed] busted an ankle

Search on here - few stories.
Takes time and get a wobble board..
Maybe use hot/cold application - which is good for sprained ankles.

Not on the bike, but flying a kite, would you believe.

Biggest advice from me would be to see a sports physio for some proper rehab treatment. I know so many people who twisted or bust their ankles and now always seem more prone to going over on the same ankle. My Dr just said "meh, rest it and it'll be fine". Decided to see a sports physio just to be sure who explained how the ankle would never be the same without some decent treatment (this was free through work BTW, so it wasn't the physio trying to make a quick buck).

I knackered some ligaments, not bones. The ligaments heal, but with added scar tissue which can restrict movement and cause pain in the future. Part of the treatment was to break down this scar tissue, which bloody hurt! The other main aspect was to rebuild the (from memory, so I'll prob get this wrong) propriaceptors. These are involved in making quick adjustments to your balance without having to get messages to and from the brain. They get damaged during injury and if not redeveloped can lead to a tendency to go over on the same ankle in future.

I knackered mine at Christmas (a few years ago) and had a couple sessions a week in order to recover ASAP for a snowboarding holiday in March. It was still a little bit dodge in March but mostly OK, although I felt the odd twinge here and there well into the summer/autumn. First couple of days were the most pain I've ever experienced!

Takes time and get a wobble board..

No seriously coming back from injury is a slow process and one has to have patience - plenty of physio is the name of th game but not too much too fast. Wobble board sounds good but maybe hold onto a chair at first otherwise you may over do it?

What exactly have you broken tess?

I broke my ankle almost 2 years ago now, needed plates in both sides. Did it dirt jumping a week before my final uni exams. Perfect timing! Has the swelling gone down yet? I seem to remember I had odema for a while and keeping it elevated helped alot, although this can become uncomfortable but i'd do it as much as possible.

When i had the cast off the consultant wasn't in that day and i had some other bloke who really pissed me off, foolishly this deterred me from sorting out any physio and i let things run their natural cause. After about 6 months i still had a prominate clicking in the and ankle it still wasn't quite so i had a combination of private and nhs physio help. I think in the end i had to go back 6 or so times to the nhs for different xrays tests etc. Eventually november just gone they took the plates out which has helped slightly but still have the clicking which becomes painful after a run or long days hike. Its fine cycling which is the main thing!

But yeah, on the whole, get as much as you can from nhs and keep on at them if it isn't right! and do all the physio exercises they give you no matter how boring they are. Good luck!

Mafu26 I've broken my fibula. On Jan 5th. Pot came off 6 days ago, no physio offered just told it will be painful and swollen and I wont have much mobility in it for the next 3 months but best thing to do is exercise. Walking is difficult. Tried going back to work last 2 days but have given up today am thinking of going to my GP for any help can offer there.

If there is ligament damage it will take a long time to get back to full health in my experience.

I dislocated my left foot and snapped my fibula a year ago and I could only get back on the bike in December 09. Your accident doesn't sound as severe but don't underestimate the time it will take.

Keep it elevated as much as possible. Icing it really helped me.

Good luck, hope it goes well.

Definitely physio. I did mine 18 months ago and rode the Mega the following summer, if that helps! I'm still a bit overcautious on the junction where I did it, and in poor weather conditions, but I had a choice of getting back on the bike or using overcrowded trains or badly-driven taxis (though at least the company paid for the taxis!) to get to work, and the bike was the most bearable option...

I broke that bit too but i've had trouble from the other side. My right ankle rolled round outside towards the fibula (which snapped!) and then pulled the ligaments and bone off on the inside. Do you know which way your ankle rolled? Inside or outside if that makes sense? They'll probably be ligament damage which will need physio and exercises to get them tight and strong again. I only really know about my break so it might be completely different to yours! But what I do remember is:

I was told to keep crutching for a month to 6 weeks after the pot came off, slowly putting more weight on. Do you still have crutches?

Do lots of ankle/heel raise things (

) do it on one foot and support your self on a window sill or whatever and hold it for 3 secs then gradually increase the time you hold it for. Do it on both ankles so you can gauge how strong your bad one is.

Also try standing on one leg with your arms out stretched and hold it for three seconds with you eyes open and then three seconds with your eyes closed. It'll make your ankle work more keeping you upright and lots of tiny adjustments will strengthen it.

I think in hindsight i should have got more advice rather than shrugging it off so i'd say yeah, go to the doctor and get him to refer you to the physio in hospital. I notice your in bingley, is the leeds LGI your local? I went there then eventually got refered to harrogate which had waaaaaaay less waiting time and can get you through 'the system' alot quicker.

hope thats helps! 🙂

Still on crutches here after having had my ankle joint fused a couple of weeks before Xmas. The opp became necessary after years of "going over" on it including I supect fracturing it when I thought I had just sprained it! Did break it when I was wee which was the probable root cause of the whole thing. Not quite sure how rigid ankle will affect my riding; will however be a lot less painful.
So my message would be to always get a bad sprain x-rayed, and agree with others that private physio is the way forward if you want really get your ankle back to normal again.

I broke mine a few years ago, it suddenly lets you know just how vulnerable you are, I was on a solo evening ride on the Quantocks, something I've done hundreds (if not thousands) of times, suddenly you're lying on the ground with no phone signal and no one around for miles.
I was in plaster for six weeks and off work and the bike for twelve, it took a fair bit longer to get the nerve to ride offroad, I never got all the movement back in the ankle and it aches a bit on cold mornings.

Dibbs - so how did you get home?! Yeah i didn't ride offroad for a while. Stuck to my road bike for several months.

I had to hop (a very unpleasant experience with your ankle flopping around) a hundred yards or so til I got a phone signal, then I got someone to come and get me and take me straight to hospital, at least there was no wait at casualty when I got there, they took one look at me and sent me straight through.

Tess - I broke my fib on the 1st of November and got exactly the same dismissal after 5.5 weeks. Mine was a spiral fracture...yours?

I was dubious at first, but it has healed well. VERY Stiff for the first 3 weeks, they told me I'd be out and about without my crutches within a few days. I think they meant at home...I was trying to walk the 2 miles to uni. Mine was extremely sore for the first 2 weeks but has gotten better. I've done no phisio, other than stretching and balancing exersizes at home, walking up and downstairs is painfull but good for it too.

Don't be surprised if you take a slight step backwards, I thought at the end of the 1st week that it was getting worse, but it was just that I was trying to do too much.

You can e-mail me if you have any other questions.