Torn Ligament...what can I do?

[moo]

Ok.... sprained my ankle...

Coming up nice and large after a couple of days and stiffening up.


What can I do to help this. Is there any exercise that would be beneficial? Can I swim/cycle?

Going mad already and I only did it on Weds.... never did have any patience lol

Please advise!

[Chris]

Oh dear, how did that happen?

I've learnt one or two things about sprained ankles.

Keep your foot up as much as possible -I know it isn't easy to do if you have a life to live - but it makes a huge difference in reducing the swelling.

I sprained my ankle badly on first day of holiday in the Isle of Mull. I would have been too upset not to have gone out on the mountains so I bought a walking stick and shuffled around on the mountains anyway (very slowly with a big shoe on my foot). Did me no harm and I was as fit as anything within 6 weeks.

Once swelling has gone down the excersise to do is stand on one leg with your eyes closed. It's about properception or something that sounds like that.

Coming up nice and large after a couple of days and stiffening up.

[crowhill]

Comfrey oil helps reduce the swelling. It might seem a bit homeopathic and "herbal" but it really does help. Chris mentioned balancing on one foot to help proprioception. You could also roll up a towel into a tube and stand on it lengthways - that works as well and you can do it while watching tele.
I find that sprained ankles heal reasonably quickly (well quicker then you imagine for the pain you suffer at the time) and I can do a bit of road/treadmill running fairly soon after the initial trauma before returning to the rigours of off road. The poprioception is important as a bad sprain leaves the ankle weak.

[moo]

cheers guys...

2 questions:

do i stand on the sprained ankle for balancing?
do i stand on one leg on the towel ot 2?
how soon do yoou mean afterwards crowhill?


(ok thats 3 questions lol)

[crowhill]

cheers guys...

2 questions:

do i stand on the sprained ankle for balancing?
do i stand on one leg on the towel ot 2?
how soon do yoou mean afterwards crowhill?


(ok thats 3 questions lol)

2 Answers...
One leg (the sprained one) for both balancing exercises. The effect is the same - you'll wobble slightly and the act of balancing strengthens the weakened ankle. If you google poprioception (I think that's the correct spelling) you'll get further info.
How Soon? - Dunno really - depends on the severity of the injury, but don't rush back too soon. I was just offering you a bit of hope and suggesting that running on the road will enable you to run with a weakened ankle.
Good luck.

[Gaz]

proprioception

[david]

In my experience the worst thing you can do with a sprained ankle is to strap it up and rest it. Keep it elevated as much as you can and do gentle exercises such as waggling it around which will help prevent it from seizing up. As well as ice (the traditional frozen peas are best) you could also try alternate hot and cold treatment which I've found quite effective. Stand in the shower and spray the ankle with cold water for a minute or so, then spray it with hot, then back to cold. Do it a few times but always finish with cold.

[moo]

Cheers David. Thanks for all this... will try various suggestions when kids stop attacking me. Ankle does feel reasonably ok today actually. Slightly swollen and stiff but ok. Tempted to run but won't! Get me rowing machine going I think.

Found quite a good website if anyone else has a similar problem.

http://www.sportsdoctor.com/articles/twisted.html

Where would we be without t'internet eh

[moo]

been to see duncan the physio. Badly torn ligament. Ultra sound and advice given. Going again on Weds and until its sorted.

Core stability classes for me....oh and I bought a cheap bike from ebay lol

Hopefully will manage the borrowdale recceeeeee.We'll see.

[NotOnUrHelly]

Moo,

I twisted my ankle the week after the Anni Waltz, (so thats the weekend of the 3ps). I heard it crack when I twisted it and it was so sore

I still had three miles to runm so kinda set off running. It was a hobble at first then it loosened up and I was fine when I got back to the car.

That night I was meeting friends and camping in the lakes.

I drove to the lakes from the Howgills(point of trauma) and by the time I got to the lakes and got out of the car. I was limping quite badly.

I immeadiatly iced it, the next day I was limping slightly and walked up helvelyn and had nine hours walking around that area (stupid I know). The first hour was sore but after that it loosened up and was fine.

By the end of the day I was jogging down the hills.

By Tuesday of that week if had swollen up like a tennis ball and was badly bruised right along the bottom

I then had two weeks off, and hit the turbo trainer (this was dire)

I then got back running but only on the roads. I did the horwich 5 miler race and it was a little sore and niggly but other than that it was fine.

Sorry to drone thats just my pattern of events.

What I did notice and this could be the important stuff for you on the road to recovery is.

When it was getting better and I did get back running. It was always sore the day after, then the day after that it was fine. So dont be scared. If it is sore the next day after a run. Just see how it is the day after that.

Im not sure whether the walk up helvelynn helped or hindered or the 3 miles running on it straight away. But I did try to keep it moving, when I was not elevating Icing and Turboing.

I think it was 3 weeks for me. So it should not be long.

Hope it goes well for you.
Jamie