Injury advice?

[butterscotchcollins]

Granted not many of us are doctors (myself included) but personal experience advice welcome: I did SOMETHING to my left ankle 2 weeks ago on the treadmill and I am so bummed. It stopped swelling after a day and I’ve been RICE-ing, I worked from home last week so that I could rest (otherwise I walk about 4 miles a day on my commute). I can walk on it but I limp. I tried running on it once it started to feel a little better which was obviously a huge mistake but I did make it all 8 miles.

So 2 questions:

1. How do I not go crazy being stuck
immobile and unable to train? (I was doing SO well on my plan running 5 days a week and getting faster!) I know I can do light exercise like the bike but mentally I am so down in the dumps.
2. Is there any hope for a quick recovery so that I can get back at it???

Appreciate anyone who’s taken the time to read/respond with encouragement (or even tough love) you guys are great.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you trust your doctor, i’d have them check it out to see what’s going on.

Other than that I’d see if taping it (with kinesiology tape like KT or Rock brands) helps.

 

[DopeyBadger]

If you're limping, then it would seem like seeking a professional opinion sooner rather than later will be your quickest method for recovery. But I'd urge you to return to running slowly. I don't know how much training you were doing prior, but 8 miles as a first run back after injury seems like a bit much. So slowly return and keep the long term in focus rather than the short term desires. My usual rule of thumb is 1 day of easy for every 1 day of time off. And in general, I limit those easy days to no more than 60 min.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

After an injury, I ease back into running with walk/jog intervals.

Something like:

First day: 90% walk/10% jog (not even calling it running).
2nd day: If OK after day one: 75% walk, 25% jog.
...

I keep ramping it up. If everything feels OK, I'll increase the 'jog' to 'run'.

It's important to note: does this injury hurt immediately when running or 12-24 hours later? Are you getting instant feedback or do you have to wait a day to see if you've overdone it?

1. How do I not go crazy being stuck immobile and unable to train?

I try to look at it long term: what choice can I make that will leave me healthy and running X years from now?

Time-off may not be best for your short-term goals, but may be better for the long-term.

 

[garneska]

my two cents and it’s worth nothing. If it hurts so much that you limp walking it’s time to rest. that means two weeks of doing something that does not bother it bike, swim or nothing. If after two weeks and an easy return, ie try running 3 miles and it is still bothering you then it is time to see a dr.

on the flip side, if you have a therapist you can see instead of a dr I would go that route. Usually dr prescribes therapy. Main reason to see dr is for insurance purposes.

 

[lifesavacation]

I wouldn’t bother with the doctor just yet. It’s likely you need more rest. Stick with the bike or switch to swimming until it’s fully healed. Unfortunately, ankle injuries can take a long time to heal.

 

[camaker]

1. How do I not go crazy being stuck
immobile and unable to train? ...I know I can do light exercise like the bike but mentally I am so down in the dumps.

You’ve gotten some really good advice on how to deal with the injury so far. I just want to point out that if you consider the bike “light exercise” you’re doing it wrong. It may not be the same as running, but you can push your HR up into training zones and continue to maintain or increase your cardio perfectly well on a bike.

 

[GreatLakes]

Make contact with a good physical therapist and go see them. I have a DPT I see a few times a year when little injuries pop up and the knowledge and preventative strengthening exercises he has given me has been worth much more than my co-pays.

Swimming is a good cross-training option when you need to keep weight off of a limb and it will give you a great cardio workout to boot.

 

[dvcterry]

Agreed with previous poster, swimming is good cross training and takes some pressure off while you may not be full weight bearing on the ankle. A stationary bike, spinning works the leg muscles. And it will be a good time to strengthen core muscles, because I know we all love yoga and pilates so much, let's do the plank for the next two minutes.

Mind over matter is the hardest, when we want something and cannot have it, we tend to want it more. And we don't always listen to our bodies.

If it may be a contusion, it'll take time to heal. Don't feel guilty about taking time to rest. Listen to your body. Feel better soon.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Thank you guys for the excellent advice and taking the time to care enough to respond! It’s still a bit sore but feels a lot less painful than last week so it seems keeping weight off + bike is helping. This is helping me stay positive. I’ve gotta be healed up for April!