Back to exercise with a sprained ankle

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free8gent
free8gent Posts: 61 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I sprained my ankle about 3 weeks ago (non-exercise related) and was told by my doctor to rest for 4-6 weeks, or until the pain subsides. I have not been exercising at all during this time, as I was in quite a bit of pain in the beginning and then got a bad chest cold. I am itching to start working out again, but I want to ensure I don't do anything to aggravate my ankle and potentially create a chronic problem.

I usually do P90X at home, but my doc advised to wait until my ankle is totally healed to return to that due to the jumping and pivoting involved. I would love to get some suggestions for things I can do at home before getting back to P90X when my ankle is healed. I exercise at home for convenience, and also because I don't have a gym membership and cannot exercise outside where I live due to the pollution.

Thanks in advance!

(Note for those who may be curious: I sprained my ankle by passing out after an injection at the doctor's office. It was a glamorous moment waking up on the floor with the nurse by my side. Luckily I didn't bump my head, but did sprain my ankle in the process.)

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  • ClairBears84
    ClairBears84 Posts: 531 Member
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    hey there,

    OUCH! I did the last year December, although by missing a stair in my excitement:laugh: after getting engaged :flowerforyou:

    take it slow else it will take forever to heal, walk and climb stairs and see how you feel mine took around 2 months to be totally healed.

    x
  • mousepaws22
    mousepaws22 Posts: 380 Member
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    I sprained my ankle at the start of December- then slipped on some ice two weeks later and made it a lot worse! It took about 8 weeks for it to be not too painful to exercise on so I started doing circuits and weights wearing an ankle support but it took about another 3-6 weeks for it to be completely pain free. My Doctor did say it can take up to 12 weeks to heal, but he also told me to carry on exercising as it wouldn;t cause any further damage. Good luck!
  • kwol18
    kwol18 Posts: 25 Member
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    I'm currently doing P90X as well, My suggestion would be to skip the plyometrics, cardio, and take it very easy on the kenpo routine until your ankle is healed. For Legs and Back I would suggest to only do the 2 legged squats, or modify the exercises to where it's comfortable with the bad ankle. Any body weight squats that involve both legs should take most of the pressure off your bad ankle for the time being, Then once you are healed "Bring It"
  • nbischoff15
    nbischoff15 Posts: 35
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    It depends completely on how bad of a sprain. 6 years ago I had a bad sprain that required a boot and crutches for a couple weeks... then wrapped and limping for a couple more. That sprain it took me nearly two months before I could jog without shooting pain, and nearly 6 months before the numbness in my foot went away.
    This last sprain (same ankle) was 3 weeks ago - it wasn't nearly as bad - still bruised and swollen for nearly a week.... but I have started doing a slow jog again.... take it easy and let the ankle be your guide. Don't push it as you will just continue to reinjure it and prevent it from healing properly.
  • free8gent
    free8gent Posts: 61 Member
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    Thanks a lot for the suggestions. I think I will be able to do a modified version of P90X soon (i.e. no plyo or cardio, be careful on Kenpo X and Legs & Back). I am going to take advantage of another low-pollution day here and go for a walk today.
  • upgetupgetup
    upgetupgetup Posts: 749 Member
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    1) There are no not hilarious sprained-ankle stories!

    2) I've tried my hardest to work out at home with my ankle problems, and I've concluded the gym just offers a 40% safer and better workout.

    Because 90% of the major strength & cardio moves you can do at home (without equipment) rely on the lower body, they can all strain that sprain. So you either have a weak-*kitten* workout, trying to do upper body stuff around it & not putting too much pressure on the ankle/foot, or, you run the risk of prolonging injury and making things worse, if you're not fully healed.

    At the gym, you can get a challenging workout that avoids aggravating the ankle in a way it's hard to do at home.

    ps I really hate the time & $ the gym takes, but I know I've made things worse at home.

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