Right, so some prat decided that, after 13 pretty uneventful years of mountain biking, she’d break her ankle during a pandemic (going up a fairly tame bridleway that she’s pulled her son along in his trailer in the past…).

She… OK, I’m halfway through my 8 week non-weight bearing cast wearing recovery, and FML, it’s tedious. Please regale me with your tales of swift recovery. 😭

I recovered from two broken wrists in just 4 days.

(admittedly due to either an incompetent health professional or a mixup with the x-ray results)

Still damaged but shows that there’s always hope 🙂

Seriously though, that sounds like a nightmare. Best wishes for getting out riding.

Broke mine 23 years ago after one operation 21 years ago and another two years ago I’ve just retired on I’ll health due to the injury. All you can do is follow the physios advice and build strength back in the leg. Good luck with the recovery and take it easy.

I broke mine quite badly 40 years ago; apparently there were about 30 separate bits of tibia, screwed back together with a plate, and then complications with infection in the bone, probably because of the metalwork. My GP thought I’d struggle to walk properly. I’ve run a half marathon, done harder rock climbs than I did before, I still ski, etc.

Once I got onto partial weightbearing I found swimming really useful – I could walk in the shallow end of the pool with half my weight supported by the water, and swimming helped strengthen the joint.

Look at it this way; you don’t have to be frustrated by the lockdown, as you couldn’t have done anything anyway because of your ankle. And you haven’t missed anything because of your ankle, as everything’s in lockdown.

Good luck with your recovery.

My son was seventeen when he was airlifted out of Hamsterley forest. Open fractures of the Tibia and the Fibia, as well as a dislocated ankle. He spent four months on his back with a strict no weight on his ankle. He was back on his bike in less than a year and now at twenty two, is as fast as ever on his bike. Just follow the experts advice, and you’ll be back on a bike in no time. Good luck

I suffered a double fracture of my left ankle 22 years ago. It is now held together by a plate and screws in both sides of the joint. The doctor who operated on it said it was like a jigsaw puzzle as the end of the bone had fractured just above the joint. I was in a cast for 6 months and on crutches for a couple of months after that.

Since, I have run several ultramarathons and completed several long distance hikes in the US, as well as lots of multiday bikepcking trips. I get some aches in it sometimes, but it doesn’t stop me doing what I want to.

I found a turbo trainer really good for building strength in my leg after so long not weight bearing properly. Take your time to make sure it heals properly and back off the exercise if it becomes too painful.

I broke my ankle cycling home, a kid hopped off a kerb on a scooter as I was at full pelt on the commuter

I even managed to cycle one footed to a&e, I was lucky, cleam break, no internal metalwork needed

I put on a lot of weight having to be immobile for 6 weeks , did get very good on the playstation though

that was late March, I was doing uplifts again by June & raced the Mega in early july

a lot of swimming was key to getting my fitness back, getting around on crutches was miserable though

Cheers all! Although it’s an unstable fracture, it’s not too bad (I think?) – no metalwork required. It’s complicated by the fact I’ve got shonky knees (up to three operations so far), which I’m hoping won’t hamper any physio too much. :/

Hi! I fractured my ankle and bruised one of the bones in it nearly two years ago (still sometimes not right on long walks).
I didn’t go to a&e for about ten days after as I just it was a bit sore 😂 . I had to wear an air cast boot for about 6 – 8 weeks.

But regards recovery, I found a balance board to be really really good, can’t put a price on how much it helped me to build strength and confidence back in my ankles. I have a basic one from Decathlon which is a round board with a lump in the middle on the bottom, and also I have a surf board style one (a bit more advanced and slightly more expensive).
The balance board was recommended by my physio along with other exercises, but I’d say definitely try out your hands on one!

Snapped my ankle at the tail end of september (28th) last year. On the dancefloor at my Mrs 30th. So that was fun. Plate and 7 screws. Cast for three weeks and then the boot. Really didn’t want it plated back together, but the advantage of that is that I was weight bearing a lot sooner than I thought I would be. Followed physios advice with resistance bands and a squidgy ball and stuff and just tried to use it as much as I could without it hurting. Although I’ve got a bit less mobility that previously it’s not the end of the world. The screws are a pain as they protrude a bit and catch on certain types of footwear etc

Bought a turbo trainer and I did my first workout on November 16th. Did a few more during december and then I was back out on the mtb on the 30th for a gentle ride. I get the odd twinge, but nothing of note. Certainly a smoother recovery with fewer issues than when I did my wrist, but I think that’s as much to do with an office job and being younger and more stupid when I did that. 38 if that’s at all useful.

I had mine screwed together a couple of years back to try and fix my arthritis, 12 weeks in cast/boot. Op in mid September, started riding carefully end of Jan, MTB at CyB on the easier reds in Feb and was in the Alps in the summer.

At least you can stay home, I had to get to work and the only way to sensibly do that was to ride in on a mobility scooter, which became known as the obeseicle.

The balance board was recommended by my physio along with other exercises, but I’d say definitely try out your hands on one!

Fortunately I already have a balance board, as I got one for my knee physio!

Broke mine when I jumped off my motorbike, was asked whilst in A&E when I’d previously broken it – which I wasn’t aware of – thinking back I gave it a good smack whilst waterskying a couple of years prior.
Anyway after the second time around 6 weeks before any weight bearing.

In awe following Tahnee’s recovery on Instagram. Might be some good rehab tips there.

I broke mine last year. The day after 10 days of fantastic skiing I slipped on some ice in the driveway. Metal plates, bolts and pins. Every break is different. You’ll be fine I’m sure.

As mentioned above, the swimming pool was really good for it once partial weight bearing is allowed. I’d definitely recommend that for sure. And be patience can be good too when building the strength back up.

After 40 years hanging around ice rinks and occasionally playing ice hockey, i slipped on ice in the yard at work on the 30/12/2017.
Fractured fibula, dislocated ankle, chipped tibia and tallus.
I needed metalwork to repair it.
6 weeks non weight bearing, i was off work for 22 weeks (bus driver)
I endured a fair bit of pain, especially physio, but 2 years after returning to work i barely think about it.
I still occasionally have niggly days with it, and I don’t quite have full movement in it (probably have 95%) but, it’s ok.
Don’t lose heart, I felt like I’d never be able to walk properly again, but I’m still going.
Be careful on crutches, i fell over a couple of times because the painkillers i was taking meant that I didn’t realise i was falling until it was too late to avoid it.

Just done mine climbing at Stanage. Been told 6 weeks non weight bearing…hoping to be good again by christmas. Seems physio, physio, physio must be my dogma after this period.

I also wonder whether a FS might make a big difference over the hardtail?

I broke r/ankle end of Oct 1999. Fell off my bike whilst leaning too far over pedaling round a mini roundabout! My foot was pointing a 3 O’clock. Had it plated and pinned and in a cast for six weeks or so. After the cast was removed and a few weeks of physio it became apparent that I wasn’t getting the full up and down movement in the joint. So the next summer I had the pins and plates removed which helped a little bit but movement was still restricted. I could ride and swim but couldn’t run at this point. I then asked for an MRI scan which took ages to get, then it took ages to get the results, then eventually I was booked in for arthroscopy as they found that fragments of bone were stuck in the cartilage between the Talus and the Tibia. It must have been about summer 2001 by this point. Once this had been done it started to get much better quite quickly. I was signed off work for six weeks after the op to recover, but after four weeks I was walking around fine so I booked a last minute holiday (On Ceefax!!) to Tenerife. I found the burying my ankle in the hot sand then walking on the sand and swimming massively helped me get the movement back. by 2003 I’d started running again and by 2006/07 could run a 40min cross country 10k.

My sister broke her tib or fib on holiday in the USA, which was interesting. On returning home she got a kneeling scooter, which was fun to use and increased her mobility a lot. She did get some funny looks though until people clocked the cast.

I’ll settle for running a 40 minute 10km.

@joe
Broke mine on stanage 8 weeks ago
The lack of movement now is crazy
Fit4physio at endcliffe park are the go to

Happy to chat dude

Rob

Drop me an email at rob.bike.revive@gmail.com

Now the owner of a plate and six screws!
Broken fibula and dislocated ankle