Broken ankle fitness

marc_mcfc1990
marc_mcfc1990 Posts: 1 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Currently stuck st Home with a broken ankle! Does anybody have any fitness/exercise ideas I could do at home where I don’t put any pressure on my ankle

Replies

  • ecjim
    ecjim Posts: 1,001 Member
    I have been there - walking with your crutches is a fine upper body exercise and will help your good leg -If you get good at it you can pickup your feet & just use your arms. I used to play tennis on crutches- not very well, but I played. seated upper body weight training - machines would work well you can get pressing & pulling movements . Eastcoast Jim
  • sbrya0362
    sbrya0362 Posts: 8 Member
    Work on your arms
  • pogiguy05
    pogiguy05 Posts: 1,583 Member
    Sorry if I come off as mean, but stuck at home? So you have no way of getting out of the house at all? Do you have a gym membership or access to a gym? Can you get one of them fancy one leg scooters? the ones where you put your knee on it and scoot around.

    The one thing that really motivates me when i am at the gym is when you see a guy or gal in there in a wheelchair. I am like I have no excuses what so ever.

    If it is impossible for you to get out, then be spot on your calories and eating.
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
    Get a Knee scooter. Then you can go to the gym. Much easier to move around the weight room with the cart.
    There are many different ones out there. I've seen many people at the gym with these.
    oaez7xnupd1p.jpg
  • scottburger104
    scottburger104 Posts: 90 Member
    Sounds like a good time to work on some core strength, grip strength, Seated presses, Seated pulls...
  • GailK1967
    GailK1967 Posts: 58 Member
    When I broke mine exercise was out as I had to have it elevated above heart high for the majority of every day for 6 weeks. Even a knee scooter to go to the bathroom or essential thing like getting food was painful as it throbbed relentlessly when not raised. Mind you I had 6 hours of surgery to repair it as it was badly broken in 6 places plus ruptured ligaments.

    Once the cast was off I was advised to see a physio for gentle exercise and 4 weeks after that gherkin surgeon advised static cycling for fitness and building up my ankle strength.
    Despite a very poor prognosis its 100% healed.
    So I suggest you ONLY listen to your orthopod and not people on here.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    edited December 2017
    You can obviously do upper body work while seated or lying down but that will still be difficult w/a broken ankle, unless you have someone to help you schlep bars, weights, dumbells and/or chairs and benches

    That said: Why are you worried about exercising when you have a broken ankle?

    Healing should be your primary concern. It is a long process.

    I had surgery on a broken ankle and foot surgery on the same leg at different times.

    Each time, the I was in a cast and on crutches for 6-8 weeks and was in a boot w/o crutches for 6- 8 weeks more before I could walk unassisted and it took another 6-8 weeks of PT and just plain old walking before the leg felt "normal" again.

    That's 4.5 to 6 months of recovery time and I think you should focus on that instead.

    You certainly don't want to reinjure the ankle or prolong your recovery because of some mishap that occurs because of an insistance on working out.

  • kandell
    kandell Posts: 473 Member
    edited December 2017
    I had surgery to fix a broken ankle (2 broken leg bones, fractured ankle bone) this summer. I was stuck at my parents' for about 3 months. Right ankle, couldn't drive, and 3 flights of stairs to my apartment was more trouble than it was worth. Just be mindful of your calories in, and do upper body/core work.

    Make sure you ease back into working out, and don't push more than your physical therapist recommends. My PT and I pushed pretty hard at the beginning of recovery because I had a big festival camping trip that I needed to be able to walk for, but I'm still not back to normal with strength and range of motion.
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    Do you have access to a pool?

    Always talk to your doc first, but swimming and aquatic exercise is often recommended for people healing from joint injuries.
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    If you can get access to an Air bike. I just bought a Schwinn Air Dyne Pro as a Christmas present to my wife and I. Air Bikes have two elements to them -- Upper and lower body (picture an elliptical but a bike instead). They are fantastic machines. No motors, last forever and are relatively cheap (because the no motor part) and resell for 80 to 90% of what you pay for them originally. If you can get your hands on an air bike (even one used). Some models have a foot rest where you don't have to pedal and can use only the handles to work upper body exclusively. This is an intense HIIT workout and builds very strong back and chest muscles while you're doing it. Incredible cardio. Air Bikes are all the rage now with Cross Fitters for this reason.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    fishgutzy wrote: »
    Get a Knee scooter. Then you can go to the gym. Much easier to move around the weight room with the cart.
    There are many different ones out there. I've seen many people at the gym with these.
    oaez7xnupd1p.jpg

    I see one of these at the gym most days. Before breaking her heel, this lady would definitely kick *kitten* most days. Now she has a boot on one foot and still is at the gym most days with her scooter (she's added Christmas lights to hers) and does her upper body workout.

    So, yeah. You can still get to the gym if you want to.
  • mimmom1000
    mimmom1000 Posts: 4 Member
    pogiguy05 wrote: »
    Sorry if I come off as mean, but stuck at home? So you have no way of getting out of the house at all? Do you have a gym membership or access to a gym? Can you get one of them fancy one leg scooters? the ones where you put your knee on it and scoot around.

    The one thing that really motivates me when i am at the gym is when you see a guy or gal in there in a wheelchair. I am like I have no excuses what so ever.

    If it is impossible for you to get out, then be spot on your calories and eating.

    It is not possible to drive if your gas pedal ankle is broken. I can't get out, as have a million steps and my shoulder on the side where I fell is very painful. I am hoping to get a knee scooter soon but it is taking a while to find one that my insurance will cover. Even if I could afford Uber it would be close to impossible to get to the car. I'm getting better at scooting down stairs on my butt and my good leg is getting stronger but is still extremely painful from all the extra work. My core muscles seem to be getting a workout since they tighten every time I lift my foot off the floor to move forward. It takes a while to develop skills and get equipment. I have a YMCA membership. I can't get there right now. So it seems a little judgemental to question if people really can't get out. I do have some therabands I can use to build some strength. Some of those exercises would be great. Also canned veggies can work as weights.
  • mom2kateRH
    mom2kateRH Posts: 178 Member
    edited January 2022
    Couple things as someone who had to recover from a trimal fracture with dislocation requiring surgery (I have a rod, a plate, and several pins)
    1. Talk with your Ortho doctor before doing anything. I was interested in doing seated exercises, but my surgeon was adamant that I not do *anything* that might put stress on my ankle at all.
    2. Check out Caroline Jordans hurt foot workout on you tube (but ONLY after getting clearance from Ortho). I repeat, only after talking with your Ortho. My surgeon did not want me to do these videos until 2 months post op
    3. Join the FB group broken ankle/foot/leg recovery: on a quest for normal. This is a fabulous group with tons of practical advice
    4. I don't know how extensive your break is, but be very careful. Healing bones are, well, healing, and you do not want to do anything to delay or hinder the process. My surgeon had me strict non-weight bearing (like, not even touching foot down on ground) for TEN WEEKS. Yes, for 2 1/2 months, I was essentially stuck on my butt. Yes, it is inspiring to see people in wheelchairs exercising, of course. And we all want to not make excuses, but healing from an injury is not an excuse. It is a legitimate reason to not go to the gym. And it is the right choice for your health, long term, to allow healing to take place

    I'll end by saying my break was bad enough that I truly wondered if I would ever walk normally again. The read on the CT was "innumerable pieces." I literally shattered my ankle. I was lucky enough to have access to an amazing surgeon. But I also followed his instructions to the letter. So, please, please, please, listen to your doc and give yourself the time and grace to heal. I've heard too many stories (FB group mentioned above) of people doing too much too soon and making injury worse.
  • mom2kateRH
    mom2kateRH Posts: 178 Member
    I'm going to put in a plug again for the FB support group I mentioned above. It really is a wonderful group, and so supportive. Recovering from a broken ankle is hard, and I feel some of the replies you've gotten on this thread are both judgemental and dangerous. You are absolutely doing the right thing by resting and protecting your ankle from further injury. Do not feel guilty for doing that.

    Also, don't limit your food intake too much. Healing bones require a lot of nutrition

    Please take care of yourself, be kind to yourself. You are not weak for allowing your body to heal from physical trauma.

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