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Damaged ankle ligaments, how long off the bike?

by Lee170
Sat, Aug 15, 2015 15:37
8

Playing football last night and went over on my left ankle, result damaged ankle ligaments and can barely walk, has anyone on here suffered with this kind of injury before?
How long a bike lay off do I have.
Hospital said min 6 weeks off, I'm hoping to be back on way before then. Well hopefully anyway.

Any ideas or tips for speedier recovery welcome, already missing the bike!

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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8 comments

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Colin Peyresourde | 9 years ago
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Oh, and these are people that know what they're talking about:

http://youtu.be/0UmJVgEWZu4

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exilegareth | 9 years ago
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How many posts are there above referring to ligaments as tendons? They're different structures, guys... If it's grade 3 confirmed by a scan then it should be immobilized and in worst case may need surgical reconstruction. EIther way you're looking at 6wks, worst case 12 wks...

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Lee170 | 9 years ago
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Yes I'm on crutches but trying to walk without them aswell, had an X-ray but now waiting to see a sports injury specialist to assess damage, spoke to a physio at hospital who suggests it's stage 3 ligament damage, but need to confirm with specialist on tues.
Starting to put weight back on it now but still very sore.

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Leeroy_Silk | 9 years ago
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Crikey above is right in what they've mentioned, taking advice from internet experts over medical experts is generally pretty stupid. If you're having Physio, listen and do exactly what they tell you. However, I've personally been given advise from doctors that has contradicted later advice from sports physios. in your particular case there are a few things to consider with your injury. Tendons aren't particularly good at healing themselves, for them to heal properly they need blood carrying oxygen to flow through. Blood flow through tendons is low when compared to muscles and other soft tissue so when a tendon stretches it needs stimulating to aid blood flow. Stimulation could come from Physio and / or light exercise. On this basis, cycling is a good form of rehab as there's little to no weight bearing and virtually no impact. Do be carful when unclipping as the twisting motion can aggregate. I certainly wouldn't be thinking of football / running any time soon.

What have you actually done to your ankle? Have you snapped / ruptured the tendon? Are you on crutches, have you had any scans?

PS. My doctor who told me to rest for six weeks was an ear, nose and throat specialist, my Physio actually encouraged me to ride again after a week.

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crikey | 9 years ago
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Quote:

Ignore what the doctors said

No, don't do this because this is very poor advice. Talk to the doctors and more importantly talk to the physios and DO AS THEY TELL YOU.

Ignoring medical advice and following internet advice is the best way to turn an acute injury into a chronic problem.

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Colin Peyresourde replied to crikey | 9 years ago
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crikey wrote:
Quote:

Ignore what the doctors said

No, don't do this because this is very poor advice. Talk to the doctors and more importantly talk to the physios and DO AS THEY TELL YOU.

Ignoring medical advice and following internet advice is the best way to turn an acute injury into a chronic problem.

That said doctors are not so great with soft tissue damage as they are not concerned with treating it. Physios have the better handle on this so make sure you see one ASAP.

There is some thought in the industry that traditional RICE method is not ideal as it blocks the natural healing process. The problem with soft tissue damage is the lymphatic system. This does not do well when being immobilised but it is the dump truck that takes away the processed used material from the wounded area (blood being the Ocado delivery man of resources). The way to get the lymphatic system is to move the joint as much as possible and so reduce the swelling.

Palpating the tissue helps too. Beyond that returning to normal function as soon as possible is desirable. Immobilising any joint for any amount of time is not ideal. This applies in the case of ligaments, but it sounds like you have had a diagnosis on this.

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CXR94Di2 | 9 years ago
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Having spent 15 weeks non weight bearing due to calcaneus fractures . I now suffer with weakened tendons and are spending lots of time doing physio to regain strength.

I would get back to light exercise asap. BUT and it's a BIG BUT! Take it steady so you don't cause further injury. Light exercise will be beneficial.

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Leeroy_Silk | 9 years ago
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Ignore what the doctors said, it's your ankle, you'll know when you're ready to ride again.
If it's recent you'll need to keep it elevated to reduce swelling, stick a pillow at the bottom of the bed when you sleep, at other times just put your foot up and tell the Mrs. its medicinal.
Normally after an ankle injury I'll ride with one of these (see below) to keep it supported. If there's a weakness and this is a common injury you might want to consider wearing one when you play football.
http://www.mcdavidusa.com/Product/199R/MCDAVID_Level_3_Ankle_Brace_lace-...
One other thing, tendons are lazy little bastards! They tend to heal a small amount and give up, so you might find this becoming a repeat injury. Either learn to live with it or demand Physio to help with long term repair.

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