[andystart]

andystart on April 29, 2020 at 9:35 am · in reply to: Ankle injury #41026

Thanks again both.

What I’d do to have access to a pool at the moment! For me, that won’t be possible until restrictions are lifted. I did another step climb today for 75 minutes with a 35lb pack at just below threshold, which felt great and no issues with the ankle (a good podcast masks the tedium of the surroundings!).

The walk/jog program and the biking (and whiskey) sound like good options. It’ll be 6 weeks on Friday since the injury and whilst it feels like it’s on the mend, it’s disappointing not to be able to get off to a good start with my 24 week Uphill Athlete plan. But I’ll have to keep adapting it and see if I can get back on track with it when full movement returns.

Thanks again for your advice both,

Andy

PS. There is little to no pain now when the foot is fully flexed without any resistance, but if I put some weight on it and try to fully flex it or try to do anything explosive, like a squat jump, that’s when I feel pain. Slow, but improvement none-the-less!

[andystart]

andystart on April 26, 2020 at 3:19 pm · in reply to: Ankle injury #40920

Hi Thomas,

Thanks for following up. I wanted to leave it a couple of days to respond to see how it felt. Your instinct about running was probably right. The ankle didn’t feel brilliant the next day. Nothing drastic, but the pain a touch more prominent. But Friday it felt absolutely fine and yesterday I did an hour of step climbing with no problems at all. So, in general, further improvement, which is positive I hope.

Is there any x-training you would recommend?

Laphroaig is a lovely whiskey and, at that age, a real treat!

Thanks again,

Andy

[andystart]

andystart on April 22, 2020 at 6:58 am · in reply to: Ankle injury #40732

Thanks both. And again, much appreciated.

Having read up a little on Syndesmotic ankle sprains, it seems to ring true. So a longer recovery would be expected, but not too long fortunately. I was worried if it persisted I would have to rethink my trip in October, as I need to be fit. But I feel more at ease now.

Slow and steady sounds like good advice. I don’t have a bike, but I went out for a very gentle jog for the first time today and whilst I could feel my ankle all the way, it seemed to hold up pretty well. I’ll assess how it feels over the next 24 hours.

I think improvement is starting to increase at a better rate in just the last few days, but if it doesn’t continue I’ll think about seeking advice. Our lockdown is pretty strict here in the UK though, so it couldn’t be until restrictions are lifted.

I may have a wee dram of scotch to celebrate!

Thanks again guys for your responses,

Andy

[andystart]

andystart on April 20, 2020 at 7:53 am · in reply to: Ankle injury #40674

Thanks for your response Thomas, much appreciated!

It was our last day of the week and we found a great spot on the mountain to slide down (it was great fun, but a bit silly in hindsight). So I’m picking up some speed sliding down on may ass and I stupidly put my cramponed, mountain booted foot down to slow myself. The crampon did its job perfectly and stopped me dead sending all the momentum into my ankle and leg. So my straight leg and whole body took a bit of an impact and then I went over the top of my ankle extending it back and inwards. It hurt, but it can’t have been anything too bad as I felt fine after few minutes – no pain anywhere until the day after next.

The pain and swelling were kind of at the front of the ankle and maybe slightly to the right. Now the swelling has reduced, the pain is mainly at the front and is worse when I try to fully flex the ankle rather than extend it. Looking at a diagram, I’d want to point to the area where the Inferior Extensor Retinaculum is, but I have no idea if that’s where the issue lies.

Fortunately I’m not limping. I can walk and climb stairs and do a lot of movement without problem. But if I try to run or climb or anything the requires full range of movement the pain kicks in. It’s really not that bad I don’t think, but it’s taken four weeks to recover to where I was hoping I would be after four days. And I’m chomping at the bit to get started on my training for a big climb in October!

Apologies for the long explanation, I’m unsure how to describe these things succinctly.

Many thanks again in advance,

Andy

PS. They say Scottish winter climbing is the best training ground in the world!