Exercise after a sprained ankle?

abilucas912 · February 2017

Bit of a premature post.. I went to a trampoline park this evening for a fun workout, but within minutes managed to severely sprain my ankle! I was helped at the park (wheelchaired around a little bit too!) and I'm yet to get to A&E to have it medically assessed but currently cannot put weight on it at all. I'm absolutely devastated because for the first time ever I'm regularly exercising and I've fallen in LOVE with the gym! My cardio tends to be HIIT treadmill sprints, incline walks, cycling or using the elliptical, but I also do a lot of weight training. Usually I do 30 mins care and 30 mins weights - one day of abs, one shoulders, one back/bi's, one, maybe two legs/glutes and one, maybe two are pure cardio. I also do yoga once a week. However, I know this is going to have to stop or change and I'm so gutted as I'm really enjoying it, losing weight and toning.. and I have a bridesmaids dress to fit into in May!

Does any have any tips for getting back into exercise after an ankle sprain and the best kinds of exercises to do? I love love love HIIT treadmill sprints but I feel like I won't be able to do that for several weeks now...

maddymama · February 2017

My first reaction is to say go to the A&E and get it looked at. If you can't put any weight on it, it might be broken and not simply sprained.
Drs. advice of how and when to return to exercise will depend upon whether or not its broken or sprained, the severity of the injury, and the location of the injury (type of sprain/break). I would hesitate to take medical recommendations from anyone here until you know the exact nature of the injury to your ankle.
That said, I hope you heal quickly and are able to return to exercise sooner than later!

dwrightlaw · February 2017

I can totally relate. I had this same experience recently. Make sure you go to MD to make sure no fracture. It's been 3 weeks and I still have swelling/tenderness but improving. Be patient and take care of yourself.
I just started back to the gym, I can do the stairmaster without too much difficulty and I wear a compression sleeve while at the gym. I am still not cleared to run.
After you get medically cleared perhaps you could do something low impact.
I wish you a speedy recovery!

Misspinklift · February 2017

That happened to me last year. I was in the couch for s week and I should stay on the couch longer but I couldn't. I did yoga until my ankle was strong enough. Make sure you drink plenty of water, and have more protein than usual. It will help your ankle and your body.

deluxmary2000 · February 2017

I tore a tendon and ligament once in my ankle. After 3 days rest I went to the gym every day with my orthopedic boot. Lol. For cardio I did the stairmaster and elliptical. Weightlifting I could do pretty much everything but squats, so I substituted step-ups.

Talk to your doctor, though, because I'm an idiot when it comes to resting an injury.

jcraig10 · February 2017

As much as you will want to get back to working out, make sure you give your ankle enough time to heal. I badly sprained my ankle a few years ago and am an avid equestrian. I didn't allow enough time to heal correctly so I was in pain for much longer than I should have been. Take the time off and take care of yourself. And definitely go get it checked out.

alexshir · February 2017

I broke my ankle in 3 places last August. I'm almost 6 months post op. I have a plate and 7 screws on the outside of my ankle and 2 large screws on the inside. I was in a cast for 6 weeks and was non-weight bearing on crutches. I started full weight bearing at 11 weeks. During my non-weight bearing period, I worked out on my bed doing upper body weight lifting and leg lifts. Once in my boot at 6 weeks, I started riding my stationary bike and when I was able to full weight bear, I started doing walking videos on you tube. At 15 weeks I was able to do my elliptical. I'm now doing alot more, but still cannot jump or jog without much pain. I know breaks are different than sprains, but I still have pain at times, depending on what I do. I do know that I have to exercise to get it to heal, so I just do what I can.

marikaCL · February 2017

Definitely agree with everyone that has said to get it checked out at a hospital as soon as possible.

I hurt my ankle on a tough mudder obstacle and could put no weight on it at all, but was told by the medical staff that it was just a sprain. Went to the hospital the day after and was a rather nasty fracture.

There are a ton of seated exercises on YouTube you can look at and upper body weights are good too

flatlndr · February 2017

First and foremost, get it checked out. Determine whether you've broken something, or torn something, and the extent of the damage.
Second, get yourself into a rehabilitation program with a sports-injury physio.

I used to be a runner (6-8 miles, 4-5 days per week), and I tore ankle ligaments playing basketball. I was bummed about not being able to run for 6-12 weeks. My physio recommended cycling ... low resistance, high rpm (80-90) ... to help strengthen the ankle, and allow it to get back to its full range of motion.

After six weeks of that, I started running again, and all was well.

Sadly, I tore my same ankle again 5 years later (volleyball, this time), but I got right back on the bike again. In addition, my physio put me through a bunch of strength building exercises for the ankle, and after 6 weeks of that, it was more stable than my un-injured ankle.

Best of luck!

jdhcm2006 · February 2017

I sprained my ankle in a Xtreme Inflatables 5K (my foot went down into a small hole in the ground that was covered by leaves and it popped and rolled). I nursed it for about a week to two weeks and got back to work. Luckily, pole dance is mostly low impact so even though my ankle was not completely healed, I could get around it. I just had to be really careful with my landings.

I was even able to tweak the warm up to avoid putting too much pressure on my ankle; for example, planks with my knees down instead of full planks, push-ups with my knees on the ground.

Here's a video I found after a quick google search:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCDRf7bEFNA

zdyb23456 · February 2017

I sprained my ankle while running... and I kept going! Don't do what I did. Even though it was swollen and puffy and bruised I kept up with my half marathon training. It hurt, but I kept telling myself I was tough. By the end my opposite hip was killing me and my ankle was still sore.

I still feel it when the weather changes and it's been 12 years!

flatlndr · February 2017

@abilucas912 ... how's the ankle?

MichelleLaree13 · February 2017

I am guessing you need to see an MD.
Aside from that, arm workouts, donkey kicks, fire hydrants, side laying leg lifts, reverse crunch, scissor kicks, bicycle crunches...

Exercise after a sprained ankle?

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