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pedex 03-19-06 10:20 PM

Sprained ankle?!
 
thursday I was carrying my bike and stepped off a step onto the sidewalk and my cleated shoe slipped off the edge of the sidewalk thus rolling my ankle underneath my weight, my other foot was in midair and I had my bike out in front of me in the air too

tried in vain for about 10 mins to get on my bike, finally after much cursing and about 20 mins the pain had eased enough to get back on it and go back to making deliveries

Didnt feel anything go "pop" or snap, just lots of dull pain with sharp pain when certain pressure was applied to my ankle. I was actually more or less ok riding, but walking meant hobbling and limping bad.

Anyway, it swelled up of course, not too huge to get my shoe on and off but it did get pretty big, so I prettymuch left it alone. Next day, more swelling but alot less pain, could walk normally more or less. Lots of purple bruising on instep and outside edge of my foot and even some near my toes. Did about 70 miles worth of messenger work, and it actually didnt feel too bad at the end, I was beat but my ankle seemed a little better.

Yesterday the swelling started easing up, today(sunday) it was almost back to normal and I didnt do anything to it, no ice, no tape, no painkillers. I rode 2 miles today and it felt ok, I can dance on the pedals again.

What I wanna know is, ok if Ive torn ligaments or tendons, what can I expect symptom wise? It seems like its gonna be just fine, Ive never sprained an ankle before, have no clue what to expect. Movement seems ok in all directions, doesnt feel funny anywhere.

forum doctors, whatcha think?

C_Heath 03-19-06 10:49 PM

Well, Im far from a doctor. However, After "rolling" my ankle several times over the years, it has come the time for surgery. 18 degrees of "twist" of roll in your ankle from outside to inside warrants ligament surgury. After my last roll over (about 3 months ago) I got vomit sick. This had never happened and so I sought the ol Doc. After an Xray, he let me know quickly that I had 26 degrees of roll in my ankle.

He wore Xrays gloves, turned my ankle as far as I could stand and took the pic. He had never seen 26 degrees of stretch in ankle ligaments. You have 3 ligaments holding up your ankle on the outside of your foot looking something like this.... \I/ or the letter "Y" and 2 of mine are lying in the bottom of my foot.

Think of a old rubber band, dried out and then stretched, it the elasticity is not present anymore.

I dont know your current situation, however, my doc said this is like a concussion, the more it happens, the easier it is to happen again. Until you get to the point where I am (26 degrees). Im 33, in good shape, ride every day, but I didnt heal my foot when I would turn it.

If this is your first rollover, ice it, no matter if it feels good. STAY off it as much as you can. If its just swelled then its a mild sprain. If you have purple and green spots on the lower side of the outside of the foot then its more serious. That would be blood pooling in the bottom/outside of your foot.

This is just my experience with a bad ankle. If I play ball with my kids anywhere but on the hard surface, I have to wear an aircast. I am constantly searching for holes on the ground so I wont step in them because the smallest unlevel area will cause mine to roll over.

On a side note and per my Doc, It is very hard to break an ankle by rolling it the way you did. If you heard popping, it was just the bones popping because you ligmaments stretched too far and could not hold the weight (hince the pain). A pop in the ankle is like popping your knuckles. HOWEVER, if you turn the ankle the opposite way, the ankle would be more ap to break because of "no flex". Not made to roll that way so to speak.

God did his homework before he made us eh?

Good luck, dont end up like me, looking at the freaking ground all the time.

Cheers :) Ride hard

pedex 03-19-06 11:11 PM

its a freaky injury so far, never seen anything like this before

wish I could stay off of it, not an option, but I can take it easy on it for awhile

thanks for the help, sounds like I had be damn careful with it for a few months

I know one thing, I was suprised it felt better so quickly, Im almost 40 yrs old and usually when I hurt myself I dont just bounce back like a 20 sumthing year old rubber person anymore.

lunacycle 03-20-06 10:34 AM

pedex, your injury sounds a lot like what I experienced two months ago while out for a run. I stepped off of a paved trail and twisted my ankle, which sent me to the ground. I was about a mile from home, so I managed to hobble back. I was hopping up the stairs on one foot by the time I got home. I elevated my foot and iced it for about two hours. The next day, it was swollen and purple. I went to a doctor, not an ortheopedic specialist, who suggested that I probably strained the ligament, meaning I over-stretched it but didn't tear it. He prescribed ice twice a day and a huge dose of ibuprofen. He gave me an air cast to wear. They also took x-rays. I wore the air cast and wrapped it with an ace bandage for about a week, which seemed to help. I was walking around (very carefully) within a couple of days

Two months later, I still have pain and some swelling along the outside of my ankle, which I've been told is not normal. I'm not quite sure what's up, but maybe I really twisted it beyond the point of recovery, like C_heath did. Damn, now I'm wondering if I'm going to need surgery.

Anyway, my point is that yeah, this is a freaky injury. The doctor also told me that the more times you have this injury, the more likely you are to repeat it. I'm not trying to freak you out, just sharing my personal experience with this. I've twisted my ankle probably a dozen times while out trail running, and I've always been able to just shake it off within a minute or two, so it was kind of a surprise when this injury happened. Now it make sense.

I was actually going to call my doctor and do some follow-up on this injury when I came across this post. Now I'm definately going to call him.

Good luck with your ankle.

C_Heath 03-20-06 02:10 PM

remember, 17 degrees. He used a simple protractor dial. I have 6 year old twins scheduled for Tonsilectomy, adnoids (sp?) and tubes in there ears on April 3rd.

We have kick ass insurance and its still $5500 off the top of my check book. Thats why Im still hobbling around.

Watch where ya step!

bonehead 03-20-06 04:38 PM

Couldn't get on the bike for 5 months without tremendous pain--felt like crying like a little girl. But, I also injured my achilles (sp). Doctor said the only sure cure was rest. No biking, xc skiing or running. Nothing! This was the trick that worked for me: hot/cold soaks. Take a bucket of iced water (with cubes). Place your foot in it until you cannot take it any more, usually around two minutes before tears come. Then quickly place the same foot in a bucket of hot water (as hot as you can stand it). Then repeat the process for 20 minutes as often as you can. I did it three times a day. Since very little blood get to those lower parts, so say doctors, you need to help the process out. This will reduce swelling while bringing the healing blood to the ankle. Doctor says it's like tricking your body into thinking it is a new injury every time you do this. But always see a doctor before you do anything, to see the extent of your injury. Mine was pretty severe, and I didn't want surgery. So I took the time and did it the natural approach. Boy am I glad I did, other than the 20 lbs I gained. I also got a balancing board which has strengthened my ankle even stronger than it was before. But nothing is ever a sure thing.

Good luck!

Bonehead

Roody 03-20-06 04:46 PM

I had a sprain that kept me on crutches and off work for 6 weeks. All the pain and disability of a fracture but none of the sympathy! Pedex, you might have a strain rather than a sprain? I did physical therapy exercises to strengthen the tendons and ligaments. You might want to look into that.

Roody 03-20-06 04:48 PM

Also pedex...you do so much cycling, maybe an overuse injury? I wish you could go to a sports doctor, especially since your livelihood depnds on your physical condition to some extent. (Mine does too--I can't do my work with any limitations.)

pedex 03-21-06 08:21 AM

well so far its a sprain methinks, rode a bunch yesterday and it felt fine, its still a little tender but minor---if I try to bend it the way it got hurt that means pain, and a little bit of pain if I try to pull up with my toes, but both are getting less and less

now ive got some sort of stomach bug, I think im falling apart, I make it thru this week and I will be happy, already lost 2 pounds since sunday !!!

Roody 03-21-06 12:44 PM


Originally Posted by pedex
well so far its a sprain methinks, rode a bunch yesterday and it felt fine, its still a little tender but minor---if I try to bend it the way it got hurt that means pain, and a little bit of pain if I try to pull up with my toes, but both are getting less and less

now ive got some sort of stomach bug, I think im falling apart, I make it thru this week and I will be happy, already lost 2 pounds since sunday
!!!

Do you ever do any R&R?

pedex 03-21-06 04:23 PM

backpacking on weekends sometimes, but no, I dont take time off very often

if you wanna do what I do for a living time off means lost fitness, and it happens very very quickly..........a mere 10 days off would cost me around 75 watts or more, 1 month off and im back to rec rider level and 3-6 months to get it back, no thank you

Roody 03-21-06 09:38 PM


Originally Posted by pedex
backpacking on weekends sometimes, but no, I dont take time off very often

if you wanna do what I do for a living time off means lost fitness, and it happens very very quickly..........a mere 10 days off would cost me around 75 watts or more, 1 month off and im back to rec rider level and 3-6 months to get it back, no thank you

I was thinking more like one day a week off.

Any coach, trainer, doctor or other "expert" says the body needs rest. Back when everybody worked hard physically, they got Sunday off...NO work allowed, and also occasional holidays. This makes sense to me.

pedex 03-21-06 09:58 PM

well I dont work weekends, so I usually only do errands by bike which isnt much riding compared to work anyway

It is one of the reasons I dont race much, racing would easily put me into 450-500 mile weeks, it isnt worth it. I might do it more often if the races were local, but like all the club rides they are done way out on the edges of town or out in the rural areas.

I do try to stay healthy, but work comes first.

jennings780 03-22-06 02:19 PM


Originally Posted by C_heath
Well, Im far from a doctor. However, After "rolling" my ankle several times over the years, it has come the time for surgery. 18 degrees of "twist" of roll in your ankle from outside to inside warrants ligament surgury. After my last roll over (about 3 months ago) I got vomit sick. This had never happened and so I sought the ol Doc. After an Xray, he let me know quickly that I had 26 degrees of roll in my ankle.

He wore Xrays gloves, turned my ankle as far as I could stand and took the pic. He had never seen 26 degrees of stretch in ankle ligaments. You have 3 ligaments holding up your ankle on the outside of your foot looking something like this.... \I/ or the letter "Y" and 2 of mine are lying in the bottom of my foot.

Think of a old rubber band, dried out and then stretched, it the elasticity is not present anymore.

I dont know your current situation, however, my doc said this is like a concussion, the more it happens, the easier it is to happen again. Until you get to the point where I am (26 degrees). Im 33, in good shape, ride every day, but I didnt heal my foot when I would turn it.

C_Health: I had surgery to tighten ankle ligaments Nov.'04. I had a similiar situation to you it sounds like. Had a grade 3 sprain in college (1989) where I couldn't even put weight on my ankle for 3 or 4 weeks. I continued to sprain my ankle 10 -15 times a year. After a few years it stopped hurting. That should have been a bad sign, but I ignored it and didn't worry about it. I ended up dislocating it playing flag football in '04 - but it popped right back in. When I did that I want to an orthopedic guy that told me that my ankle was "subluxating" when I walked meaning that it was sliding out of place just by walking. So, I had two surgeries, was in a cast for 7 weeks and then an aircast for another 6 weeks.
Interesting. Surgery was totally worth it. But, my ankle does hurt most all the time now due to arthritis and cartledge damage. My surgeon said I'll probably need an ankle fusion in 10 or 15years.

When is your surgery? If you have any questions about recovery, pain or anything, feel free to PM me.

PEDEX: to avoid future problems you need to rehab your ankle by doing: (1) strengthening exercises, and (2) balancing exercises. Here's some good stuff on ankle sprains and how to treat them: http://www.aafp.org/afp/20010101/93.html

Because you could walk on your ankle, although painfully, it sounds like you didn't do too much damage, which is good. Hopefully rehab should help.

C_Heath 03-22-06 09:38 PM


Originally Posted by jennings780
C_Health: I had surgery to tighten ankle ligaments Nov.'04. I had a similiar situation to you it sounds like. Had a grade 3 sprain in college (1989) where I couldn't even put weight on my ankle for 3 or 4 weeks. I continued to sprain my ankle 10 -15 times a year. After a few years it stopped hurting. That should have been a bad sign, but I ignored it and didn't worry about it. I ended up dislocating it playing flag football in '04 - but it popped right back in. When I did that I want to an orthopedic guy that told me that my ankle was "subluxating" when I walked meaning that it was sliding out of place just by walking. So, I had two surgeries, was in a cast for 7 weeks and then an aircast for another 6 weeks.
Interesting. Surgery was totally worth it. But, my ankle does hurt most all the time now due to arthritis and cartledge damage. My surgeon said I'll probably need an ankle fusion in 10 or 15years.

When is your surgery? If you have any questions about recovery, pain or anything, feel free to PM me.

PEDEX: to avoid future problems you need to rehab your ankle by doing: (1) strengthening exercises, and (2) balancing exercises. Here's some good stuff on ankle sprains and how to treat them: http://www.aafp.org/afp/20010101/93.html

Because you could walk on your ankle, although painfully, it sounds like you didn't do too much damage, which is good. Hopefully rehab should help.

Wow, Thanks.....

The twins come first, Im gonna drop about $5.5K on them next week. Your right, My ankle dosent hurt anymore after about 30 minutes after I roll it over. However, the pain is intense the moment It happens. I have rolled it so far once that my ankle bone (yes, the actual bump on the outside of my foot) has gotten cut from the pavement. Thats how far it goes. I get vomit sick, BAD vomit sick. Ill get it done. We will have met the family decuctible for the year Im sure after the kids have theres done. I cannot watch a replay of a ball player rolling his/her ankle over or I will Vomit on site. All I have to see is it go and I will hurl. Thats the fobia I have. Kinda sucks. I will have this surgery, though not yet scheduled, it has to be done.



Anyhow, I hate being cut on, for fear, I wont wake up but thats me.

PureFix 03-25-20 12:41 PM

Stay off it. Keep it elevated. Follow the doctors instructions.

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Iride01 03-26-20 08:43 AM


Originally Posted by gengenesis (Post 21372048)
Things you need to do: rest, ice, compression, Elevation
1. Rest is relative. Basically, this means touching the load (using a crutch to comfortably withstand the weight of the ankle, adding a little pressure every day). Raise your ankle when sitting, and gravity can cause swelling, slow healing, and increased pain when your feet hang down.
2. Freezing can effectively reduce swelling quickly within the first 48 hours. You can still use it to relieve pain afterwards.
3. Compression refers to a fixed splint/ankle recovery compression sleeve that can help reduce swelling and protect the injured outside. The splint should be kept for a few weeks, and can be used for up to 6 weeks if the ankle is vulnerable to injury.
4. Elevation: See rest.


Originally Posted by PureFix (Post 21383195)
Stay off it. Keep it elevated. Follow the doctors instructions.

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