Sprained ankle

[Yvanna]

Hello everyone,
I used to post here quite a bit several years ago, but I somehow got out of the habit of working out regularly. I am looking to get back into a regular exercise routine..
So just wanted to say hello.... I have been enjoying reading your posts.

I sprained my ankle about a month ago.... I can walk on it, and it doesn't really hurt... though it swells a little bit if I over do it... and I can feel a little discomfort or stiffness in it.

If anyone has experienced a sprain, what sorts of exercise did you start out with in trying to heal your ankle?

 

[tlc93]

Hi Yvanna! Welcome back. I'm glad you're back to working out. I sprained my ankle about a year ago. I feel your pain. I started back by doing easy cardio and I mean EASY! A lot of upper body too! Each day if I felt ok I did a little more cardio or some lower body. Ice when needed but don't overdo anything as it will slow the healing. Good luck and be safe.

 

[karategirl]

Sorry to hear about your ankle, Yvanna.

I've experienced a few ankle and knee injuries in years past. When my symptoms were at their worst, I focused mainly on upper body weight training, upper body cardio (boxing, heavy bag, punching combos), and core work/Pilates. The next step was to add lower body weight training with modifications as needed. When I felt ready for more cardio, I started with cycling and short walks on the treadmill.

Be careful, and listen to your body! Best wishes for speedy healing so you can get back to it!

 

[Yvanna]

Hi Yvanna! Welcome back. I'm glad you're back to working out. I sprained my ankle about a year ago. I feel your pain. I started back by doing easy cardio and I mean EASY! A lot of upper body too! Each day if I felt ok I did a little more cardio or some lower body. Ice when needed but don't overdo anything as it will slow the healing. Good luck and be safe.

Hi TLc93, and thank you for your welcome and your advice for exercise. I decided to just do a walking Video yesterday... and it went ok. Will work up from there..
I've gone over on the same ankle a couple of times since injuring it, doing just everyday activities like housework.... so took your advice and kept the cardio real simple

 

[Yvanna]

Sorry to hear about your ankle, Yvanna.

I've experienced a few ankle and knee injuries in years past. When my symptoms were at their worst, I focused mainly on upper body weight training, upper body cardio (boxing, heavy bag, punching combos), and core work/Pilates. The next step was to add lower body weight training with modifications as needed. When I felt ready for more cardio, I started with cycling and short walks on the treadmill.

Be careful, and listen to your body! Best wishes for speedy healing so you can get back to it!

Hi Karategirl, and thank you for your advice. I just did a walking video yesterday... and will start doing the upper body work soon. Have to pick a video that is doable as I am just getting back at it after not doing much of anything for years. Thank you again, the steps that you listed sound great.

 

[Shelbygirl]

I actually sprained an ankle myself sort of recently. I was able to workout during my recovery by doing the following:
1. Upper body weights
2. Barre/Mat (i.e. TurboBarre, To The Mat)

For cardio, once I was able to put some pressure on it, I road a recumbent bike and then I moved on to a spin bike. I also did Leslie Sansone and Jessica Smith low impact workouts (avoiding some of the lateral movements initially).

Just a word of caution...ankle sprains can take a long time to heal. Mine took around three months. I'm in month four following the injury and I'm pretty much back to normal (except for some general ankle stiffness).

Good luck!
Shelbygirl

Hello everyone,
I used to post here quite a bit several years ago, but I somehow got out of the habit of working out regularly. I am looking to get back into a regular exercise routine..
So just wanted to say hello.... I have been enjoying reading your posts.

I sprained my ankle about a month ago.... I can walk on it, and it doesn't really hurt... though it swells a little bit if I over do it... and I can feel a little discomfort or stiffness in it.

If anyone has experienced a sprain, what sorts of exercise did you start out with in trying to heal your ankle?

 

[DirtDiva]

I don't know if *rolling* an ankle counts as a sprained ankle, I never went to the doc. I can say I was in complete agony. This happened indoors doing an Insanity workout (with shoes designed for cardio). My ankle was the size of a light post and could put zero weight on it for days. I bought a soft ankle brace (mainly a Velcro wrap) that was helpful. I started working out my legs again by walking and wasn't able to wear shoes because of the brace. Here's the deal, I never wore them again, because I found I performed better barefoot, including when I'm lifting. My ankles are stronger from going barefoot and my feet are way more flexible.

 

[Jane Power-Grimm]

will start doing the upper body work soon. Have to pick a video that is doable as I am just getting back at it after not doing much of anything for years

Cathe's Basic Step and Body Fusion workout has a simple 20 min. upper body segment which you may find of use. Also, the upper body movements in her Travel Fit workout can easily be modified for someone getting back into it if a light tension (pink) band is used. You can adjust hand position to make the tension doable for you (i.e. hold the band closer to the ends).....just an idea.

 

[GAmom]

I too sprained and or rolled my ankle about 3 weeks ago. (BTW: When Cathe says to clean up your area she means it...Fast feet shuffle and a barbell close by don't mix) Didn't go to the doctor either but it had swelled up to about a 1/2 size of tennis ball. Now it's almost healed (feel more at the end of the day) but was scared to do too much. Would hate to risk further injury.

I have done some light resistance band work..Holding the band in both hands and flexing my foot against the resistance hoping to get back to normal. Also walking seems to be helping. Good luck Yvanna, hope it's better soon!

 

[snowlover]

Here is an idea for you that always worked for me: ride a bicycle (or of course a spin cycle). For many years when I ran I sprained my ankle several times (years later I realize it is often because I can't find shoes that fit correctly so there is too much play in the heel making me more apt to twist my ankle). I once tried riding my bicycle with a very fat, swollen ankle and found that it actually helped the healing. I had stiff cycling shoes and the foot was strapped in so it offered a stable movement yet good circulation and even helped alleviate pain. Otherwise this is an excellent opportunity to concentrate on the upper body. Healing does take time . . .

 

[fitdeb]

a great re-hab exercise is to "air-write" the alphabet with your foot. "Writing" works the muscles through a complete, non-impact, range-of-motion. If you are so inclined, air-writing a list of "swear words" works too

 

[Hannah Faulkner]

Hi Yvanna!! Welcome back. Ice work best in my case coupled with slow exercise, short walks healing works slowly....

 

[allallison]

Hi Yvanna! Welcome back. I'm glad you're back to working out. I sprained my ankle about a year ago. I feel your pain. I started back by doing easy cardio and I mean EASY! A lot of upper body too! Each day if I felt ok I did a little more cardio or some lower body. Ice when needed but don't overdo anything as it will slow the healing. Good luck and be safe.

Indeed, proper aerobic exercise helps ankle recovery. However, I don't think that icing will slow down the ankle recovery time. It can effectively eliminate pain and swelling. The effect should be positive. Besides that, I would suggest you to use Chinese medicine “正骨水” and use compression sleeves for ankle stable.

 

[Gobias]

I don't know if rolling an ankle counts as a sprained ankle, I never went to the doc. I can say I was in complete agony. This happened indoors doing an Insanity workout (with shoes designed for cardio). My ankle was the size of a light post and could put zero weight on it for days. I bought a soft ankle brace (mainly a Velcro wrap) that was helpful. I started working out my legs again by walking and wasn't able to wear shoes because of the brace. Here's the deal, I never wore them again, because I found I performed better barefoot, including when I'm lifting. My ankles are stronger from going barefoot and my feet are way more flexible.

Do you do step and HiiT without shoes? Do you wear socks?