twisted ankle

[Rebecca D]

I rolled my ankle doing step ups Saturday. The swelling is pretty bad and there is very "nice" color on the outside of my ankle and foot. Besides rest, ice, and elevation does anybody have any tips to help with the swelling and mobility???

Also, since I am limited in my mobility any suggestions for cardio?

Rebecca D

 

[RottenWillow]

I rolled my ankle doing step ups Saturday. The swelling is pretty bad and there is very "nice" color on the outside of my ankle and foot. Besides rest, ice, and elevation does anybody have any tips to help with the swelling and mobility???

Also, since I am limited in my mobility any suggestions for cardio?

Rebecca D

FAR infrared heat penetrates over an inch into tissue Rebecca and is very effective at helping heal damaged muscle, ligaments, and tendons. The quality pads are unfortunately still stupidly overpriced, but immeasurably superior to conventional heat. I've been using FAR infrared heat for about 2 years now and swear by it.

For cardio, maybe a rowing machine? Try bracing with only your good foot and give that a try.

 

[superqt4u2nv]

You might also try a recumbant bike

 

[musclemom]

You may very well have to put cardio on hold for a week or two. Bear in mind, anything where you're feeling pain when you do the motion, you have to stop, you'll just make the injury worse. I took a step bad one summer and did the same thing, basically was homebound for two weeks. You should have the ankle wrapped with an Ace bandage and can also take over the counter anti-inflammatories (ibuprofen, Aleve, Advil) if your GI tract can take it, it will probably help more than Tylenol.

Little FYI: There are three levels of sprains. Level one sprains are considered slight. The ligaments are stretched but the joint remains stable. Bruising is minimal and a person can still put weight on the injured area.

A level two sprain results in some tearing of the ligament. There is swelling and bruising in the area. The injury is painful and there is a loss of ability to use the joint because of pain and stiffness.

Level three sprains are when the ligament is totally torn or ruptured. A person can't put any weight on the joint and there is pronounced swelling and bruising.

Sounds like you might have a level II sprain, and you might want to consider seeing a doctor.

 

[cw801]

Yeah, as much as it sucks to have to put cardio on hold due to injury, I have learned that it's far better to just let yourself heal up so you can charge hard again, then to try to push yourself and just cause that injury to either linger, or develop into something worse over time. When I have to take it easy, I just try to eat really clean and do other activities that won't put any strain on whatever it is I have injured........until it's healed up enough to go back at it full-force!

 

[Rebecca D]

Thanks for all the advice. It is a level II sprain. Believe it or not I was so focused on ice and elevation that I hadn't even thought about ibuprofen. Compression has also helped bring the swelling down.

I know I should take a week off but I had to sneak into the gym today. Was able to use the machines with little pain. For cardio I tried the rowing machine but too much pain. The recumbant bike was okay but I went so slow I didn't even sweat. I actually found the solution in my garage. We have an old air schwinn bike where the handles move while you pedal. It has a place to rest my feet and let my arms work the bike. Got a good 30 minutes in.

Rebecca D