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skiing after broken ankle

post #1 of 6
1/11/09 at 2:48pm
Thread Starter 
i broke my ankle on the 19th july, had to get a plate & 6 screws in it.they are still in. bone healed well, ankle still a bit stiff & sore at time... especially scar. i have booked skiing for the 29th feb and am a little nervous, have only went on a skiing holiday once before so i won't be looking to do any major skiing.
has anyone been in the same position as myself, if so how did you get on skiing after having a broken ankle ?
also looking to see if anyone can tell me off any good ankle support straps i should get.
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post #2 of 6
1/15/09 at 3:15pm
I have never broken my ankle, but tweaked it mid-season last year. I would recommend that you give your doctor (and/or Physical Therapist) a call, but generally feel that ski boots give a certain amount of support to your ankle. However, you might find that hard, bumpy snow agravates the soreness.
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post #3 of 6
1/15/09 at 3:44pm
My experience was not good. I had to have tendons reattached and ligaments reconstructed surgically. This required one screw in the outside of my ankle to hold the tendons.

Surgery was in June of 07. Fall of 07, I tried on my ski boots and though there was minor discomfort, I was encouraged that it was going to work. Went ahead and bought season passes for myself and my boys.

First day out on the snow was miserable. The minor discomfort, when subjected to the real forces of skiing, turned into unbearable pain. I made it down to a ski shop at the base, borrowed some scissors, and removed padding from the liner around the affected area. I was able to finish the day, but only for the sake of my kids - I was NOT having fun.

I tried a couple more times through the winter, but I was miserable each time.

This year, I bought new boots that didn't seem to apply pressure in that area, and it has worked beautifully. I've had no pain at all this year. Unfortunately, I can't get the boots to fit adequately to allow my to ski in control, but that's a whole other issue.

Bottom line, I would try skiing on it for a day before you head out for a trip somewhere.

AM.
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post #4 of 6
1/15/09 at 7:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by alikiernan View Post
i broke my ankle on the 19th july, had to get a plate & 6 screws in it.they are still in. bone healed well, ankle still a bit stiff & sore at time... especially scar. i have booked skiing for the 29th feb and am a little nervous, have only went on a skiing holiday once before so i won't be looking to do any major skiing.
has anyone been in the same position as myself, if so how did you get on skiing after having a broken ankle ?
also looking to see if anyone can tell me off any good ankle support straps i should get.
Assuming by the plate description that you only broke your fibula, not your tibia. With that in mind here's your shopping list:

- ankle support brace not needed
- ART (active release therapy) to scar tissue
- physio to mobilize ankle AND subtalar joint (both tend to lose ROM)
- balance and proprioception exercises (look up on the googlemachine and do at home)
- strengthening (interweb: calf/gastroc & lateral/peroneus muscles)
- check your boot fit for comfort and modify accordingly before skiing (extremely important with hardware in such a superficial area)

Hope that helps
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post #5 of 6
1/19/09 at 7:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jdistefa View Post
- ART (active release therapy) to scar tissue
- physio to mobilize ankle AND subtalar joint (both tend to lose ROM)
- balance and proprioception exercises (look up on the googlemachine and do at home)
- strengthening (interweb: calf/gastroc & lateral/peroneus muscles)
- check your boot fit for comfort and modify accordingly before skiing (extremely important with hardware in such a superficial area)

Hope that helps
In addition to all of these things, I had a really nasty sprain on my right ankle that I never took care of and one thing I started doing was sets of calf raises every time I brush my teeth. I would do 30 with feet parallel, 30 with toes 45 degrees outward, and 30 with toes pointing 45 degrees inward. This certainly can't replace the therapies outlined above, but is a great way to regularly work some lower leg strengthening in without making any additional time to do it...good luck!
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post #6 of 6
1/22/09 at 4:06pm
Well if you cant ski with all your hardware in your ankle, talk to your Ortho doc and have the hardware removed. We take hardware (plates and screws) out all the time because of pain. Doc will do x ray to see if fx is healed enough to remove hardware. (I work in an OR) Wait till end of season if you can, who knows maybe you will be able to ski without any problems!
Sue
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