UKC

Wasn't quite sure which forum to post this on.

I tore the medial ligaments in my ankle about five or six weeks ago.

The medical lot have given me advice and the physio waiting list on the NHS in my part of the country (Edinburgh) is ten weeks or more. I'm doing the exercises recommended, but the ankle is still fairly weak. (I've pretty much missed the winter climbing season )

Does anybody have any experience/advice about how and when to get back into action? E.g. how safe is it to ignore pain, should I make the ankle work hard, or should I go easy on it.

Experience and comments would be very much welcomed.

Thanks

In reply to Tam O'Bam:

Hi Tam, I gave the Medial Ligament on my knee a moderate tear just before Christmas. I stopped running but continued to hillwalk but it was a mistake as things got worst instead of better. I eventually went in the middle of Feb to a physio and I am sorry I waited so long. The improvements were pretty much straight away. If you can afford it just pay for the physio. I went to Scotland in the middle of March but it was too soon and my knee flared up again and I am back in physio. It is improving again. I hope to get back running in a few weeks but I will rest it properly beforehand.

In reply to Tam O'Bam:

If you can, really consider seeing a sports Physio. Think of it as an investment just like any other training. Normal physios don't always understand what you need the joint to do, or your motivations for recovery. Price wise my Physio is pretty reasonable, tries to keep the cost down and does a good job at rebuilding me when I break.

In reply to Tam O'Bam:
If after 5/6 weeks your still in pain, sounds like it was quite a serious injury. If just weak that is another thing.

I've done tears to lateral ligaments in the ankles. Recovery ranges widely. Unless you know or have been told I would err on the cautious side and not push it. Too much too soon and you will likely undo some of the healing if you don't do it under guidance. Of course it's a balance of rest and specific exercises.

When I did a really bad tear to the talus ligaments it was 8 weeks (6 weekly sessions of Physio) before I could start to push it. It remained weak for a while though. I see your a hillwalker - better not tell you how long it took to get back into the hills!

If you want to enjoy the hills, stick to the specialist advice is my view through experience. If it's just weak and little or no pain, then I would be exercising more now assuming you have the specific exercises.

I've used FASIC sports physios many times; they are in Edinburgh. Even if you wish to wait for an NHS Physio, you could pay for one appointment with them to get a specialist opinion of what is what at this stage. They have never had a commitment that you have to have x sessions unlike other physios I've used in the past. BTW you do not have to be a competitive sports person to go there, but you must take part if only at a hobby level and hillwalking counts.

In reply to Tam O'Bam:
I badly tore the ankle ligaments on the outside of my ankle, and my whole lower leg swelled up and went black and different colours, and it was pretty horrible to look at.

My hospital physio wasn't so great, and just gave me some exercises and an icing regime to do, but I went to the sports/private physio around the corner from my home, and they gave me ultra sound and frictioning massages on the injury site, and various bits and pieces of treatment and advice, and it's as good as new again.

If you can afford to I'd pay to see a decent sports physio, a good one is worth every penny I think.

If you can't afford to, looking up how often is safe to ice an injury and then regularly icing it would be a good idea, as I eventually started to get itching inside my ankle at the site of the injury as it started to heal, which at the time coincided with my icing it, but they might not be directly linked. I dare say there's helpful exercises online too, but I have a feeling that frictioning and ultrasound are worth having, which you'd need to see a physio for.

You could see a physio every other week to keep costs down perhaps, and still get the ultrasound and the frictioning treatment?

In reply to Tam O'Bam:

Hi
On the whole ligament sprains or ruptures can take as long or even longer than fractures to heal, the best thing is not to try and rush it and build back up slowly, you will probably find a wobble/balance board helpful for improving strength and proprioception in the ankle.
You could try cycling gently in the meantime to start improving the range of motion
The deltoid ligament is a large structure and you can expect swelling etc for several months afterwards, I always warn my patients that it's not unusual to have intermittent swelling for up to a year after the injury
PM me if you like if you want any more specific advice
Mike

In reply to Tam O'Bam:

I tore my medial ligaments in my ankle about 30 years ago. Tore my achilles in the same incident, jumping 4 ft off a traverse on Careg Hyddrem. i got ultrasound on the NHS once a week for 2 or 3 months. I started climbing again after 2 months, but walking in to Esk Buttress made it swell up again and set me back a month. It's been fine since then but does seem to click more than the other ankle. Go easy on it, you're not gaining much if you push it too hard.

In reply to Tam O'Bam

Many thanks for your comments and advice.

Looks like I will have to be patient and spend a bit (deep pockets, short arms)!

Two men standing at a bar. One was a climber, the other had no money either.

Cheers.