Broken Ankle and When To get back on the ice

[rf3ray]

Hey guys broke my ankle on over-rotating a Double Toe Loop, just had surgery and had 2 screws in, just enquiring anyone here know when would be a good time to go back to training, and has anyone here had this much bad or worse of an accident from skating and basically left of where they where at training. Btw I am currently 32yo

[singerskates]

Hey guys broke my ankle on over-rotating a Double Toe Loop, just had surgery and had 2 screws in, just enquiring anyone here know when would be a good time to go back to training, and has anyone here had this much bad or worse of an accident from skating and basically left of where they where at training. Btw I am currently 32yo

I've never broken an ankle but I have broken my elbow and had wires and a plate put in. I never got it taken out but then you don't wear skates on elbows anyway. It took me 8 weeks for the elbow to heal enough to go back on the ice gingerly and I had to wear an elbow pad. Being that you have a plate in your ankle and screws, it's best to have the plate and screws removed before getting back on the ice because I've heard from many skaters how painful it is to skate with screws and plates in their feet. You've got the boot pressing against the plate and the screws which cause extreme pain. Let the foot heal long enough that your doctor will allow you to have the surgery to remove the plate and screws, let that heal, then do physio and then return to the ice. Ask your doctor and physio person for an estimate on how long it would take to get back on the ice. It could be a few weeks longer or shorter all depending if you follow your docs' and physio's orders. Once you have the surgery to remove the plate and screw, ask your physio person about water treatment/exercises to speed up recovery.

[ibreakhearts66]

Morgail had a similar injury. I broke my ankle a while back playing soccer, but didn't get a plate put in. My break was an avulsion fracture and I did have to have surgery, but it was to reconstruct the (totally torn) ligaments. It sounds like you are lucky in that your injury was to the bone and not soft tissue, so you *shouldnt* have problems with instability. I was off the ice for a few months, but my surgery was totally different, so don't look to me as a timeframe.

Just listen to your docs. Do whatever they tell you in terms of rehab and rest. It would sure be a waste to get on too early, reinjure yourself and be off even longer. Good luck with your recovery!

[rsk8d]

Hi! This Lauren from Sk8Strong. Sorry about your ankle! You should be able to return to skating; it will take some time. You must go to physical therapy to get your range of motion, joint mobility, and strength back. Most important is joint mobility and ROM, because an ankle cannot be properly strengthened if you do not have full mobility. A good therapist will do a lot of hands on mobilization, massage, and manual stretching with you, and progress into balance and strengthening exercises. Once you're able to do some plyometrics without pain, you should be ready to skate, but don't return too soon. Listen to your PT! Any questions, contact me at
laurensteve@sk8strong.com

www.sk8strong.com

[NickiT]

I broke my ankle quite badly after a fall on the ice and had surgery to fit a metal plate and 5 screws. I was not allowed to bear weight on my ankle at all during the 6 weeks I was in a cast, and was told it would be at least 6 months before I could skate again. However I made it back on the ice after 3 months, albeit somewhat painfully and tentatively. It was another 2 to 3 months before I attempted jumping again, and even now nearly 8 years on, I suffer discomfort in my ankle on and off. If the screws are staying in, I highly recommend bungapads as any pressure on that part of the ankle is extremely unpleasant. Hope you make a speedy recovery, but you can rest assured you will be back on the ice again!

Nicki

[ZekeTheCat]

I broke my left ankle (fibula) skating (Killian choctaw was the culprit)and also tore some ligaments back in 1984 - was 39 at that time. Had to have it surgically repaired with screws that are still there to this day. I was on crutches with a temporary cast for the first 3 weeks and then a permanent walking cast for the next 5 weeks for 8 weeks total recovery time. I felt like I had a rubber leg (from muscle atrophy) when the cast was finally removed but I was able to start skating almost immediately- had to take it slow and easy to start rebulding muscle strength. I was involved in ice dance (compulsary) back then and not freestyle stuff - so no jumps or other strenuous free style moves. Each case is unique with different rates of healing and possible complications so follow your doctors orders and best wishes for a speedy recovery.

[Morgail]

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that. Although at least you can say you were doing something cool when you broke it - I messed up my ankle on a bracket :roll:

Morgail had a similar injury.

Yup, that was me. Last Labor Day weekend - almost a year ago, now, I had a syndesmosis tear (aka a high ankle sprain) where I basically tore the ligaments that hold the bottom of the tibia and fibula together. And I broke my fibula. Not fun at all. I had to have surgery also, but got something called a tightrope which doesn't ever have to come out. I was on crutches for about 6 weeks after surgery (longest 6 weeks of my life). Didn't stop me from watching Regionals, though! I backed myself up to the top of the bleachers, propped up my foot, and had my mom fetch me hot chocolate and nachos:lol: (Also managed to drop a crutch down through the bleachers, but that's another story.)

Anyway, I was off-ice for almost 3 months. I was 28, so only 4 years younger than you are. I went through PT and diligently did all the exercises. Ortho wanted me off-ice another month, but I went back a little early and stuck to basic skating for a few weeks. However, I didn't allow myself to skate until I could raise up on my tiptoes on my bad ankle with no help from the other foot, hop & land on the bad ankle with no pain, and until I could walk comfortably around my house in my skates. Once I got to that point, I felt safe getting back on the ice.

Only you can know when you're at that point, though. It may be when the doctor tells you you're okay to skate, it may be a couple months after that, or it could be a little before that. Best thing you can do is work at the PT exercises and rebuild your strength (after you heal, of course). Plus, you'll find that your ankle is too huge from all the swelling to even fit into your skate for a while!

It was maybe a couple months of skating before I felt like I was back to where I'd left off. I didn't lose any jumps (but I was only doing singles through the lutz...definitely no double toes!). My camel was surprisingly better after the injury! The hardest thing to get back was a sit spin because of the ankle bend required. Just take it slowly when you go back. All I did my first day back was stroke around the rink. Then for the next few times, I moved on to crossovers, 3 turns, mohawks. I didn't jump again for about a month.

Do you have to get the screws taken out? If so, that might make for a longer recovery time.

There are several skaters on this board who have had major ankle injuries (along with other injuries). They were all so supportive of me when I dealt with my injury, and it was nice to know that others had been through the same thing. Hope yours heals well & keep us up to date!

[fmh]

my mother had a similar injury, only it was a bit worse, she had more screws put in.
but these injuries take a long time to heal, (she wasn't a skater) but she cross country skis, and after about 6 months she was able to ski, but still had to be careful.
I think it really depends on how the injury feels, and how quickly it heals. some injuries have complications, while others heal very quickly.

[Sessy]

A guy I sooorta know (he's taught at the club my mom skates) who does like triples on good days had something similar and it took a year before he was entirely back. Of course he managed to sprain his ankle after the cast came off cuz he got too enthousiastic and started doing things the ankle wasn't up to, so it probably took longer because of it.

In my case with no screws, it's been 1,5 years now and still not everything is right, but in my case things are complicated heavily by an inflammation which has other causes.

So it's a very individual thing, but give it enough rest or you'll end up recovering much longer in the end.