A ski-touring and ankle braking episode

[Harlen]

Bearzy and I finally got back into the snowy mountains and spent 4 days on the edge of the Mokelumne Wilderness, happily ski-touring about and hiking up the peaks above Kirkwood from the south side.  We spent 2 nights snow camping above Silver Lake, and another at a snow park on the Carson side and for a finale, I crashed and burned my right ankle on a day ski-tour under Round Top Mountain.  That was yesterday afternoon, (5/14) and after an agonizingly painful ski out and drive home (more agony with the brakes!), I am happily propped in bed.

100_0049.JPG

I was below Roundtop, the mountain in the center when I wiped out. I was skiing down the lower part of the sunlit slope.



When this inevitable event finally happened to me--  lousy downhill skier that I am, I was about 2.3 miles away from my car, which was parked at Carson Pass.  It was a tragi-comic return with all the cussing, and then reassuring of Bearzy, who was increasingly concerned for my sanity.  I found ways to ski with one inert ankle, and was very lucky that the terrain lent itself to invalid skiing.  So, dam-it-all!, my further spring/summer ski touring plans are now highly questionable .  I am reading up on sprained ankles vs broken ones, and hope mine is just a fairly severe case of the former.  I am on crutches for awhile, but the good news is that my wife Lizzie has finally relented as to the pee bottle in bed issue.  I have a passion for reading in bed both late and early, and for years I have been telling her about all the famous arctic and antarctic heroes who used pee-bottles, and Alex Honnold is another happy bottle user in his van... so why not me?!  It took a hugely swollen ankle and bad crutch-work to do the trick.  

I am in good company here, with at least gazelle, Giantbrookie, and C9 all having done up their ankles, and limpingcrab has done even worse.  My greatest fear is permanent damage, and a weak and therefore suspect right ankle forevermore.  GB and gazelle, you both have a bit of that, right?, but still manage to perform great feats.  Any sage advice will be very welcome right now-- thanks. So I'll hope for the best.  Off to the doc's.

[rlown]

sprained my ankle 3 times and once broke it but took it to be a sprain. Didn't know I broke it for 2 decades. Always the left ankle.

[shawnterustic]

Gorgeous photo, but oh, man - what a bummer! I have no extensive sprained ankle intel to share, so I'll just leave you with well wishes and hopes for a quick healing process!

[Harlen]

That's right, you too have done it Russ. Does you statement "always the same ankle" confirm my fear that it can become chronic? My study now will be how to avoid that. I've read about various ankle braces to allow better healing, haven't read about your method on benign neglect for 2 decades.
Do you call that "alternative medicine?"

[rlown]

well, I just didn't have a x-ray at the time. given I hiked out on it for 8 miles, I didn't think it was broken. I'm left-handed and left eye is primary, so I lead with the left leg. Guess that would be the main reason it would happen on the left. Advil is my best friend!

[c9h13no3]

The best rehab is standing on one foot, on a wobble board.

The skiing out of Carson Pass is so good. What time were you descending this past weekend? Refreezes have been pretty ****. Got all this snow, but it's been skiing pretty poorly due to warm temps.

Here's my last outing in Carson Pass on April 29th, dropping down to Summit City Creek.

IMG_3909.jpg

[Wandering Daisy]

Sorry Harlen. I messed up an ankle years ago in Trinity Alps. Believe it or not, I was bushwhacking and fell off an unseen cliff while pushing through brush and my foot was caught in the "y" of a tree, hanging me upside-down. Getting out of that position was difficult! Thankfully, I was next to a cold stream so soaked my foot in the water for an hour, then walked out on it. By the time I got home with 4 hours if sitting in the car, it was really blue and swollen. I did not go to a doctor, and it healed in about 3 weeks. I do not notice any difference now. Hard to say what yours will do since you do not know exactly what the injury is. Regardless, what a bummer. Hope it heals quickly.

[Harlen]

Thanks for the kind and hopeful words. WD that's a wild tale!
Back from the doc's and then the radiology lab, where due to rules, the techs were unable to tell me what they saw, but in the earlier exam, the doctor thought the state of it was consistant with a "distal fracture of of the fibula." I sure hope she is wrong, as that would add to the sprain, which sounded bad enough when reading about that. Guess I'll take up chess this summer.

[c9h13no3]

Thanks for the kind and hopeful words. WD that's a wild tale!
Back from the doc's and then the rediology lab, where the techs were unwilling able to tell me what they saw, but in the earlier exam, the doctor thought the state of it was consistant with a "distal fracture of of the fibula." I sure hope she is wrong, as that would add to the sprain, which sounded bad enough when reading about that. Guess I'll take up chess this summer.

Oooohh. Dang.

To be optimistic, bones generally have reliable healing timelines of 6-8 weeks and don't cause lingering problems. Sprains can follow you around a long time or refuse to heal.

[Gogd]

..the doctor thought the state of it was consistant with a "distal fracture of of the fibula." I sure hope she is wrong...

So the doc confirmed you had a sprain? That would be too bad, I'd take a broken bone over a sprain. The thing is almost all bone breaks are fine after a couple of months, and they hurt less or not at all if you immobilize them; whereas a sprain hurts all of the time, due to extensive the swelling , can take months to recuperate, and often one will have lingering joint instability for years if the sprain was bad enough.

Lower limb injuries is one thing I have knowledge of, having been on crutches five out of six years at one point in my star crossed early adulthood, and also several experiences later in life. My CV includes a fibula fracture along the growth cap margin in the ankle joint, and a bad high+low ankle sprain that left me black and blue from my toes up to mid calf. You could no longer discern the bones in the ankle joint. It swelled so severely that I had to get a second cast two weeks later, because the swelling subsided enough that I could insert my hand down the cast and cup under my heel with my fingers. Fortunately I didn't require surgery, but that ankle still is somewhat unstable 45 years later, and sometimes dislocates in my sleep!

Good you went to the doc. FOLLOW HER ADVICE! We tend to rush the healing period; no good becomes of that, it can lead later on to injury related arthritis or a sloppy, instable joint, and likely lengthen the time it takes to get back full function. If the doc put you on NSAIDs pills, ask if a script for a topical alternative is available. The modern topical, prescription NSAIDs preclude stomach issues often associated with the oral pills, and can be way more effective in certain applications. Both sprains and breaks require down time before attempting normal activities. For the first week icing down sprains helps reduce swelling and pain. Get a waste paper basket and fill half way with lots of ice and water. Stick your limb in up to mid shin. At first the frosty pain is intense, but about two or three minutes in you go numb. Marinate the joint in that brew for 15 minutes. You can repeat this as frequently as every two hours. After a week you may start a hot soak/cold soak therapy. Do the hot first, it dilates the capillaries, bringing nourishing blood to the injury and flushing out the toxins caused by the trauma and swelling. ALWAYS follow up a hot soak with the aforementioned ice bath. The ice bath is done to reduce fluid accumulation (swelling) that occur as a result of the hot soak. Both soaks should each be 15 minutes. The hot/cold soaks will help up to six weeks after the injury.

There are things you can do to reduce discomfort, and manage lingering swelling issues. Don't wear constricting foot ware on the affected foot. If you wear a sock, it should be a lose fitting one. Wearing tight footwear can aggravate circulation issues distal to the injury. Likewise forego using an ace bandage, they may be of some use immediately after an injury, but serve little purpose days thereafter. Avoid being on your feet for more than a few minutes at a time; and try to elevate your foot, level with your heart whenever possible. If your job requires being on your feet, get the doc to write a medical leave note. Once you get the OK to return to a normal life, ease into your active lifestyle. Ligament and soft tissue joint structures require a protracted healing period. Walking is good, but only a little at first. Eventually working up to several short 15 minute walks a day is better than one long one. The doc may suggest certain joint flexibility exercises at some point - but don't do any activities without her consent. In any case cold soak after each physical activity! Inflammation is something you need to manage to avoid potential long term issues. It was nearly a year before I could discontinue the cold soaks on my ankle, and almost two years before a bad knee injury was well enough that I had no further swelling issues. I know I make this out to be a big deal, but heck, you like to be active, and we don't heal like we used to. This recovery advice will increase the likelihood of a full recovery, and reduce the chances your injury will dog you in the future.

Ed