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robscate
Mar 29, 2002, 6:19 PM
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I severely sprained my ankle a couple of months ago. I missed a hold trying an awesome boulder route and my spotter was asleep at the switch. I landed hard and my right ankle "gave out" with a sickening popping feeling. I went to two doctors, one in the insta-care and one general medicine who agreed that it wasn't broken just sprained with a tendon break. Anyway, the snow is melting and the boulder feild is calling my name. does any one have any good ideas on how to stretghen/ rehab my ankle. I still have a tendancy to "favor" it while climbing etc.. Rob
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fiend
Mar 29, 2002, 6:26 PM
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When you're in the shower in the morning take some time to stand on one foot (the injured foot) and balance on it. If it doesn't hurt too much, close your eyes. Losing your visual clues makes it harder to balance and forces your ankle to support you in a range of unexpected positions. I messed up my ankle exactly 2 years ago today and it's still stiff and gets sore sometimes, but I didn't do any physio or anything. All I did was the shower thing once in a while and it works fairly well. I'd recommend physio though Don't get discouraged if you still have pain and stiffness for a long time, your ankle will feel fine for climbing (although not always for landing ) but running on it may give you troubles for a while. Sorry can't be of more help, but I know what it's like to be out with bad ankles
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crazywacky
Mar 29, 2002, 6:35 PM
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Ouchies! I know all about that feeling, having received multiple 3rd degree sprains my self. Ttherapy is the best, and really the only, route to full recovery. Take a visit to your freindly neighborhood pharmacy or medical supply hsop and pick up a 3 foot length of surgical tube. That elastic stuff they tie on your arm during blood donations. You can do this with shoes on or off. Have a seat in a chair. Place one end of the tube in each hand. Loope the middle of te tube around the foot of the injured ankle. You probably want the tube to run in the part of your toes that curle, like the part you would use to grab a sock with. The first excercise is to simply flex your calf to straighten out your foot, or point it. Do this as multiple sets with 10 - 20 reps each. The next excercise is to strengthen the rotational strength of your ankle. Same set up as the first excercise with the tube running behind your toes. You will write the Alphabet with your toes. A, B, C, etc. Do that a couple of times with breaks as needed. Do these daily, morning or evening, or both. It will take a good couple of months to get it, you ankle, back into shape. Also, if the pain continues, or gets worse, go to an orthopedic(bone doctor?) surgeon or doctor to get it evaluated. You may need surgery to repair the tendon and bone, or cartilige(sp?). The popping sound is generally the sound of the tendon on the outside of your leg, that runs behind the right ankle bone, coming around the bone when you turn your ankle. Kinda like a rubberband, it pops around the bone and then pops back when you straighten you ankle back out. Causing all sorts of soft tissue damage and the bruising that follows. Good luck, Scott
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phylp
Mar 29, 2002, 6:37 PM
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I have rehabbed severely sprained ankles a couple of times. One of the things the PTs taught me, which worked great, was to do several rounds of heat and ice: Make a hot water soak bucket and an ice+water bucket. Start with the hot, for 5 min, then swithch to the ice, 5 min, etc for three rounds. Make the hot as hot as you can stand by keeping a kettle with some boiled H2O nearby - but be careful not to scald yourself.
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robscate
Mar 29, 2002, 7:29 PM
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Thanks for the good info, I have been doing most of the exercises mentioned and I am slowly starting to run on it again. I talked to an uncle of mine who is in othropedics, he mentioned that it may never get better. he was going to try and get a copy of my xrays for a better diagnosis. the last daig. was that I had actually broken a small auxilary tendon that wraps around the outside of the ankle bone and ties into the top of the foot. anyway, thanks for the help, and I might post a picture of my "purple ankle" Rob
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bumblesbounce
Mar 29, 2002, 8:39 PM
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Registered: Dec 1, 2001
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Hey... Yes, see an orthopedic. Thats very important. Althought I've never injuried my ankle persay. Slowy get back. Don't get right back into climbing. If it hurts cheak to see if it's swollen. But no matter what put ice on it after doin pyiscal activity. Also wear an ace bandage or something to support it.
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