Broken Ankle at 10 months
I love snowshoeing and x-country skiing. I talked with physical therapist about which would be easiest/best given state of my ankle at 10 months. We decided on x-country skiing since snowshoeing might be more difficult.
Surprise! Before this injury, x-country skiing was easy and fun. After this injury, caused by slipping down the stairs, the sensation of slipping across snow on x-country skis brought up fear and anxiety related to the trauma that day when I slipped down the stairs and smashed ankle on tile floor. I pushed through the fear, fell and got really upset, got back up and kept going, and eventually decided I had tried enough. I swapped ski boots for snow boots and hiked 6 miles on the groomed snow trail. It was a perfect day in the gorgeous Sierra mountains and being flexible with what’s possible.
If there is still massive snow in the Sierras in a month or so maybe we’ll get up there and snowshoe.
Managing low level pain and working on dorsiflexion:
- I experienced one brief moment when I forgot about the ankle injury. I wondered why it was achy and then remembered. I want more of those moments!
- There is intermittent, site specific, pain on my fibula and physical therapist showed me how to know it isn’t muscle pain and is more likely to be irritation from the metal on my fibula. The pain is there, every once in a while, without weight bearing and stretching doesn’t help.
- If I daily do stretching, walking, strength training then my ankle feels at its best. I had a work day recently where I had 12 hours without doing supportive stretch/strength for my ankle and it became swollen and stiff.
- Physical therapy continues with a lot of lunges and squats and stepdowns. I don’t have enough ankle range yet for a low squat.
- My dorsiflexion is greater without weight bearing than with weight bearing. Something gets in the way when weight bearing and then ankle doesn’t have as much range to dorsiflex.
- Part of working on dorsiflexion is heating my ankle in the morning (with microwavable neck wrap) and then doing knee to wall stretches. My ankle does not like that and I persist and encourage it and then it feels better.
- I also have been trying many of these ankle mobility exercises.
- Before I get on a plane, I take ibuprofen and that helps reduce swelling (along with wearing compression socks). It was much easier on a recent flight compared with a flight 3 months ago.
- I have been icing my ankle more in the past month than in previous few months. It’s probably because I’m doing more with my ankle now and I use ice to manage any swelling.
I want to run!
- The hesitation to clear me to run, says physical therapist, is that the inflammation and pain I still have might get worse.
- I’m okay with managing the inflammation and pain and so we’re going to try ladder drills soon and see how that goes.
- When I started to walk again, I would just walk a half block or a block and then walk back home. I’m hoping to start doing that with running — just run a block or two and then see how ankle does and iterate.
- I’m not a serious runner. I like the feeling of freedom and capability that running gives me (I can do this!)
It’s an iterative process to patiently work with slow progress and limits. I’ve noticed that the 45–60minute PT routine (so many squats, lunges, stepdowns) doesn’t hurt as much as it used to. This long recovery is sometimes so emotionally exhausting and I keep reminding myself of all the progress so I don’t give up.
