Sprained Ankle Advice

I destroyed my ankle last Wednesday mountain biking. I'll be starting pt Monday and will keep you informed on exercises.  Also doc cleared me to ski by end of month with a grade 3 sprain.

Ouch - sorry man. Encouraging that you could be skiing in a month, though!

3rd/4th the good PT. They're rad.

Time in a pool/lake can be a great way to pull hard and limit impact. Stepping up effort 10% per week feels glacial at first, but it can be the fastest way to go (if you go 1 mile a week this week, a year from now, you're doing 142).

The first week or two of an injury might be the worst -- it seems like it'll take forever to heal. Once you're 2-3 weeks through a 6-8 week layup, you're 25-50% done, and the light at the end of the tunnel is much brighter.

Go gently, heal fast!

With what you do PT is what you need, likely transition to exercise, gentle ranging, and a ankle brace for a bit, What you do not want to do is develop a reinjury pattern with ligamentous laxity and develop some chronic issue.

Lots of great PT folks around, Quest in Issaquah, owner is Anthony who does lots of Track and field/distance running folks, good with ankles, I have no affiliation with him. Just someone I know of.

c

As several people touched on above, the worst possibilities are re-injury and fresh injuries related to compensating for your weak ankle.  

When I first sprained an ankle back in the Middle Ages (of Western civilization, not my life), I had no context within which to understand what was happening.  I soon felt fine so returned to normal activities far too quickly.  The result was that I sprained the other ankle.  I then compounded the mistake by again returning too quickly and re-sprained the first ankle.  The result: life-long issues with both ankles.  

It's not really a problem any more, since I don't pursue sports requiring rapid direction changes and awkward landings, but for many decades I did so only wearing high-tops--sneakers, hikers, and cleats.  That can definitely crimp your running, twisting, leaping and diving (for frisbees, volleyballs, long drives to left-center, etc.), but it can save you a lot of down time due to chronic injuries.  I've still got a selection of high-tops stashed away in my garage, should you happen to take men's size 11.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

I suffered a SEVERE 3rd degree ankle sprain 3 yrs. ago during a soccer match. Lost complete dorsiflexion for months (I could not bend knee anywhere near beyond the toes while keeping heel planted on ground). I saw a team doc of the Sounders, who said I may never regain full flex again. Well, like many docs, he was wrong. Highly recommend PT, PT, PT & flexing/stretching the area as MUCH as possible to regain full mobility. It took me well over a year, but again, you're not as severe, which is a good thing. I was in a boot for months as well, which caused the area to freeze a bit, despite PT.

DG, Are you in the Portland area? If so, I have an excellent PT that I can recommend to you. I almost look forward to getting injured so I can visit him.