Hey guys.

I managed to sprain my ankle a feww weeks ago while mountain biking. The sports medicine doctors said that there was no ligament damage, but it was definitely swollen for a good few weeks. Things are getting back to normal now. I was wondering if any of you guys have sprained your ankles before, and how long it took to get back on a bike. And if you had any other pointers on what to do/not to do.

Er, I put this in the touring section as (a), I'm on my vacation in Sydney with my touring bike right now, and (b)... I'm not sure where else I'd post it!

Thanks!

I did serious damage to several ligaments in r ankle in early July and continued to commute on my bike with the aid of an over the counter sports ankle brace. Kept on cycling up until Sept. 11 when I went to have surgery to repair the ankle. I now am on a 9 week "vacation" and can't work or bike.

Are you sure that you have no ligament damage? What was done, Xray only or did you also have an MRI? I ask because I went to an Orthopedic Doc that I highly respect and after the Xrays he felt it was only a sprain but decided to do an MRI also and the results showed several full tears and some minor tears to the ligaments. Damage so bad that he sent me to a foot and ankle speicalist for the surgery.

Talk to your doctor. Getting medical advice from a web forum is officially a Bad Idea, as none of us (afaik) have medical training, know the true extent of your injuries or the progression of your recovery.

+1 See the doc. Get an x-ray

I sprained an ankle when I was about 15, I turned it while doing a skid on my (whatwe would now call) mountain bike (this was 1978) and it was a couple of days before it was back to normal. It hurt like hell, I couldn;t sleep and I couldn't walk on it, but it healed quickly (of course, I was young then and quick to heal). I also broke an ankle when I was about 25, and that started like a sprain, or felt like it. I could tell it wasn;t a sprain, though, when the swelling started to bruise. That was bleeding from the bone.
I spent a long time trying to convince myself it was a sprain, even when I knew it wasn't. I still can;t properly point that foot all the way down, and it was treated professionally. It doens't gein the way of cycling, though I'm always expecting arthritis or such like as I get older.
I'd get it checked out properly if I were you, just to make sure, and after that, do your falling on alternate feet, just to be on the safe side

Thanks! I saw two doctors, a GP and a sports medicine doctor before I headed out. Unfortunately I didn't have time to get an MRI/X ray, and the sports medicine doctor I saw didn't think I needed one. He did a number of tests on me, rotating my ankle one way and the other, up and down and all of that, no pain one way or the other. When I walk around on it now there isn't any pain. I do wish I was closer to home to get a check up on my progess though.. :S