Ankle Injuries - update on a personal experience
It's been a while now since I sustained yet another ankle injury. As I mentioned previously, the most recent injury was a good one, and put me out of action for a while now. I have come to accept that to get back into high impact, agility based sports, A LOT of time and effort would need to be put into a very specialised strength and conditioning program. One day I may want to get back into these previously mentioned activities, but for the time being I have been able to focus on my fitness in other ways.
Once I was able to come out of the moon boot (CAM walker), I began some strengthening on my ankle (as both ankles have now been injured, I focussed on both sides). An important part of the rehabilitation process post-injury is around proprioception. This is ultimately retraining your body to know where certain parts are, without visibly being able to see them (for example, after an injury of this nature, the simple process of running and being able to place your foot correctly onto the ground can be altered due to the instability caused by the injury).
Along with the proprioceptive activities, muscles and tendons too have to be strengthened as the "rolling" nature of the injury caused them to be stretched, and almost loosen.
Strengthening takes a long time, and we should all (depending on our activity loads) should be doing this in some form on a regular basis to stay "in tune" to prevent future injuries.
Due to the number in ankle injuries sustained, there will always be an element of aching, or tenderness post workout for me, but I have been able to do plenty pf activities to keep myself fit and well.
I have become reacquainted with long distance running, which has been great mentally and physically. Due to the instability in my ankles, it has all been done on even surfaces but I have really enjoyed pushing myself and breaking a lot of old personal best times over certain distances. I never thought I would say this but 10km has become one of my favourite distances to run.
Along with my running, road cycling is also very much enjoyed. Of course during winter it is hard to incorporate this into my regular routine around work hours, but it is always great to get out on the bike.
Despite how difficult the injury knock-backs have been over the years, my body is feeling really great right now. But I have learnt that I need to persist with certain ankle strength and conditioning to ensure that I stay injury free.
If anyone out there is struggling with long standing injuries involving the foot, ankle or lower limb, don't hesitate to book in for a chat and assessment. Sometimes it's more about altering your current methods of training than giving away certain sports for good.
Thanks for reading.
*every injury to every individual is unique, so it is important that rehabilitation programs are developed specially for each person to ensure a proper recovery.
