Torn ankle ligament

[Looper]

Gone over on my ankle working in the garden today and torn my calcaneo-fibular ligament

Swelled up like grapefruit and hurts like a mofo and I have crutches from the hospital to hop around on.

The main advice is RICE

Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation

Any experience/advice welcome.

Never gone over on an ankle before. All I did was step on the edge of a paver, my foot tilted 45 degrees sideways then - pop - my fibula falls sideways off my foot. Very strange as I am sure I have put my ankle through much worse stress than that in the past without injury.

[chassamui]

Gardening in high heels is not advisable. Sorry I can't be more helpful. Not a Gardner, or a wayward paviour.


:im sorry:

[Geezy]

Did my right ankle in a while back. Thought it was minor (although it had ballooned to thrice its normal size).

Carried on scootering, limping around, swimming, jack-assing around until my foot and calf swelled up too (and turned a shifty shade of purple).

Went into the hospital for an x-ray and check-up, and the bastard doctor put me in a cast. That was the most inconvenient my life has ever been, besides being hospitalized for other illnesses.

Cast came off after 10 days, and a boot was put on. Much more mobile.

Until now I still have scar tissue all around the ankle area. But I was walking without aid after a month.

Good luck!

Oh, rest is best! I spent countless hours googling how to fix it up quick-quick, and at the end of the day (month) rest was the magic fixer-upper.

[Chittychangchang]

Until it's happened to yourself the pain carn't be imagined, literally seeing flashing stars.
Done both of mine pissed up years ago, rest is the only answer.
Then some strengthening exercises like gentle jogging in a few months

[BaitongBoy]

The ligaments around the ankle can be divided, depending on their anatomic position, into three groups: the lateral ligaments, the deltoid ligament on the medial side, and the ligaments of the tibiofibular syndesmosis that join the distal epiphyses of the bones of the leg (tibia and fibula).

The old myth of resting is fine, initially, but you want to start "working on it" as soon as the swelling "stabilizes," probably in a couple of days...

Ice is key, in my book...Check the frequencies you should apply it...But there is also new info out that suggests ice can cause damage...I will stick with ice, thanks...And heat, later on, as in very hot water...This is where a training room is the answer...

Finding yourself an ankle machine to strengthen it would be the best...Good luck with that, unless you find a sports club that has the proper, aforementioned training room...Check the universities that have teams and try to get in...You will learn a lot...

There are also exercises you can google, but the ankle weight training machine is the best...

I had my engineer friend build one to help heal his ankle because he had a family ski trip planned in a few weeks that was already booked...And his was a minor "sprain," like yours...

Unless you were an athlete and had experienced the amazing results first-hand that can be accomplished, you would mistakenly think that you should be sitting on your ass for the next few weeks...Not true...

I've had the worst type of ankle sprain where all ligaments were severely torn, due to some stupid Brasilian coont "flying in" on my leg...I thought I'd be resting after I saw the damage, but I was working the ankle weights in a few days...Fooking magic, it is...

Can be better news to get torn ligaments because they will knit together again...I've seen taller athletes have stretched ligaments, and they never heal properly, so they constantly "go over" on their ankles...Some opt for operations where they cut the ligaments and reattach them so they are "tighter"...Good success there, too...

[Looper]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Still swollen up today. Have a compression bandage on it all the time.

Did try some ice a few times lastnight.

Bloody annoying being immobilised.

^I have heard about the physio exercises being important for ligament scar tissue to develop correctly and regain full articulation.

I will try and google up some more about that.

If I do need to do stuff I have mountaineering boots I can wear which hold the foot and ankle virtually rigid. I did not run that idea past the doc in the ER but I assume that would be a good idea.

[VocalNeal]

and the bastard doctor put me in a cast.

Then some strengthening exercises like gentle jogging in a few months

Hashing is good for you!

[Little Chuchok]

That's what I have right now. Friend of mine is a physiotherapist. He says the best treatment is to

1) Strap the Ankle (Or put in boot) so it will heal and stop the damage caused by walking
2)Massage the tendonitis every day to breakdown scar tissue.However this must be followed by ice packs.
3)Keep off it

[Looper]

My ankle swelling has gone down a bit but now my foot has swollen up instead and turned a funny purple and yellow colour making me look like a strange hobbit creature.

The ridge marks on my skin are from the compression bandage.

[Dillinger]

Wheres the bite mark from?

[Luigi]

^^ Freakkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!

[Luigi]

Reckon that left sock was used in lieu of toilet paper in the recent past.

[Looper]

The reason for these socks is that they are thin so they let me wear my mountaineering boots in the house.

I have mountaineering boots with steel plates in the soles for ice climbing with crampons but I am wearing them around the house at the moment since they hold my right foot rigid so my fibula cannot slip off the side again when I stand up while the ligament heals.

Wheres the bite mark from?

Just a scratch from the gardening. Not injury related.

[Luigi]

Damn man, get well soon.

[Bettyboo]

Gone over on my ankle working in the garden today and torn my calcaneo-fibular ligament

I bet that bloody hurts. Rest, rest and rest.

Is the Russian still pleasuring you, and is she a leg biter?

[Looper]

^Rest assured that it was painful Betty. I actually heard a muffled ripping noise as my ankle bent sideways. Russian lady is still in the picture.


Latest breaking news on the ligament so you can all sleep tonight...

Called back to hospital as they found a small fracture on the X-Ray



I have traded in my orthopaedic climbing boot for this dinky little lacing Velcro wrap strap which holds my ankle together without weight several Kg.

[Bogon]

Been there, done that.

Not much to add apart from a few Bogon tips.

Bogon tip #375 - Put one of those cheap plastic garden chairs in the shower so you can sit safely whilst showering and keep your foot away from the water if you want to keep the bandage dry.

Bogon tip #376 - Keep an empty 2ltr bottle next to the bed so you can piss in that whilst resting /sleeping. It's good for quite a few pisses.

Bogon tip #377 - This is more of a fashion statement. Rotate your collection of shoes! if you wear just the 1 shoe all the time. then when it comes to going back to wearing 2 shoes, they will not match, due to the general wear and tear.

Good luck.

[Looper]

if you wear just the 1 shoe all the time. then when it comes to going back to wearing 2 shoes, they will not match, due to the general wear and tear.

Thanks Bogon. I will keep my best diamanté studded heels in reserve in the walk-in shoe-robe until I am ready to strut my stuff again!

[stroller]

You forgot to shave your legs!

[Takeovers]

Seems younger people get over it faster. My son at 15 ripped his achilles tendon right off including a bit of bone during school sports. It was extremely painful but he was even more pissed because he would miss a class tour to Italy a few days later. He could not even lie down so I put an easy chair in his room and he tried to sleep in that.

Next morning his mood was disastrous. No he can not get dressed and won't go to the specialist doctor. It is too painful. So I went shopping for an hour and then needed to convince him about the doctor. When I came home he had the most amazing mood swing. He somehow had managed to get his pants on and even get down the stair to the living room. Let's go to the doctor. I have decided I will go to Italy.

The doctor was surprised but he said there is nothing he can do. It needs to heal by itself. So if help can be arranged he is not opposed to the trip. My son called his teacher and she said, she will gladly see to some help when the doctor is not against it. His classmates told me, no problem. We will carry his suitcase. We will help him to get his socks on and off. We will help when needed.

When he came home after 8 days he was almost completely recovered and no longer needed crutches.

[Bogon]

Thanks Bogon. I will keep my best diamanté studded heels in reserve in the walk-in shoe-robe until I am ready to strut my stuff again!

Good stuff.

At least somebody on this board understands the importance of haute couture.

[Pragmatic]

Calcaneo-fibular ligament. Did mine many years ago. The thing never heeled properly resulting in 4 operations. The final one being an ankle fusion because of arthritis from the initial injury.

[Seekingasylum]

Once you fuck it up, it's never the same again. Ankles are real buggers and you should always favour the injured limb once you are ambulatory. Running between the wickets will soon catch you out so don't take the piss.

[Looper]

Bogon tip #376 - Keep an empty 2ltr bottle next to the bed so you can piss in that whilst resting /sleeping. It's good for quite a few pisses.

Thanks for that top tip Bogey.

That worked a treat lastnight and meant I did not have to hobble to the shitter to strain my greens.



I think I would be struggling to fill a 2 litre bottle but better safe than sorry.

My design involved taking the top 2 inches of a 2 litre orange bottle so there is a hole big enough to lower one's schlong right inside to avoid spillage.

Also the neck is wide enough then that I can shake it around a bit and smack it of the side a couple of times for drippage.

Then put percy back to bed and swiftly back to the land of nod...

[Bogon]

^ My pleasure.

Bogon tips are there to be shared.