should i ride with a strained ankle?

[young Ed]

I have hypermobility and it can cause all sorts of issues - I know I have been there repeatedly and there is something your GP can do about it - refer you to a podiatrist. You may well find that you are walking on the wrong part of your feet, or in my case, I can walk on any side or part of the sole of my foot and my ligaments and tendons don 't hold my lower leg bones where they are meant to be - the result is that I sprain my ankles a lot and have done just about everything possible to them as a teenager - including a ruptured achilies tendon, numerous sprained & torn ligaments & tendons and several broken bones, all from minor trips/slips or just the 'ankle going over'. Custom orthopaedic innersoles have made a considerable difference to my life and now I probably only suffer a sprained ankle every 2-3 months instead of 2-3 weeks previously and if I wear the high ankle boots I'm meant to with the inner soles, I only have problems once or twice a year.

As for cycling with a sprained ankle - you have to be careful. If it is hurting and you carry on, you will cause other problems - I know I tried carrying on with my JOGLE back in September after falling and spraining my ankle the first night out from John O'Groats. I carried on cycling for 7 days until the pain became too much and I was physically unable to ride any further. That injury is still causing me problems and twinges even now, in January.

i probably get problems every 2-3 months as well so not too bad i guess then again in school i do wear deccent boots with a bit a ankle support and similar at home
Cheers Ed

 

[buggi]

If it's ligament damange (ie the ligaments down the side of your ankle that keep your foot from twisting) i would say yes, as there is limited movement of the ankle when cycling, so should be ok, just stop if it hurts to much and take care when when clipping in and out, although this should have a negative effect because you are not elongating the ligament when doing this.

Ligaments take time to heal once sprained as they have a limited blood supply and can take months to properly heal. During this time you need to do gentle exercise (ie lift the foot off the floor and gently rotate it/do circular movements) to stop scar tissue forming on the ligament which makes it weaker in future. This should be done two or three times a day during the healing period (a doctor at the hospital told me this). Cycling will not twist your ankle so i think it will be ok.

If it an Achilles Tendon injury this is completely different as strain is put on the back of the ankle when cycling. If that snaps completely you are looking up to a year in plaster (6 months of which is a full leg plaster up to the hip). a year in plaster will completely waste your muscles and then requires around 12-18 months physio. I know this because my friend decided to get fit (new years resolution) and snapped hers on her first fitness session (badminton!!!). After surgery, she had 6 months full plaster (to hip), 6 months half plaster (to knee) and 14 months physio (her leg looked like it belonged to a famine victim). And she had no "complications" so this is just basic standard injury healing, nothing delaying the process. So therefore, if your injury is to your achilles i would say complete rest and only do something if the doctor says its ok.

 

[young Ed]

If it's ligament damange (ie the ligaments down the side of your ankle that keep your foot from twisting) i would say yes, as there is limited movement of the ankle when cycling, so should be ok, just stop if it hurts to much and take care when when clipping in and out, although this should have a negative effect because you are not elongating the ligament when doing this.

Ligaments take time to heal once sprained as they have a limited blood supply and can take months to properly heal. During this time you need to do gentle exercise (ie lift the foot off the floor and gently rotate it/do circular movements) to stop scar tissue forming on the ligament which makes it weaker in future. This should be done two or three times a day during the healing period (a doctor at the hospital told me this). Cycling will not twist your ankle so i think it will be ok.

If it an Achilles Tendon injury this is completely different as strain is put on the back of the ankle when cycling. If that snaps completely you are looking up to a year in plaster (6 months of which is a full leg plaster up to the hip). a year in plaster will completely waste your muscles and then requires around 12-18 months physio. I know this because my friend decided to get fit (new years resolution) and snapped hers on her first fitness session (badminton!!!). After surgery, she had 6 months full plaster (to hip), 6 months half plaster (to knee) and 14 months physio (her leg looked like it belonged to a famine victim). And she had no "complications" so this is just basic standard injury healing, nothing delaying the process. So therefore, if your injury is to your achilles i would say complete rest and only do something if the doctor says its ok.

pretty sure it's not achilles but not seen doctor yet only seen google i just have regular cheap flat pedals so no clips
i really really don't like the sound of snapping it! i would end up standing down the workshop welding and making a custom bike to pedal with my hands!
Cheers Ed

 

[summerdays]

My friend snapped his last year, playing his weekly game of badminton. He was in a below the knee plaster, for about 6 weeks, then out, and re-snapped it within the week. This time he had surgery followed by a further 6 weeks in plaster. 6 months later he is still having physio, but is back cycling.

 

[midliferider]

15 year old boy should not rupture Achilles tendon. If it does, that needs to looked at carefully why.

 

[young Ed]

If it's ligament damange (ie the ligaments down the side of your ankle that keep your foot from twisting) i would say yes, as there is limited movement of the ankle when cycling, so should be ok, just stop if it hurts to much and take care when when clipping in and out, although this should have a negative effect because you are not elongating the ligament when doing this.

Ligaments take time to heal once sprained as they have a limited blood supply and can take months to properly heal. During this time you need to do gentle exercise (ie lift the foot off the floor and gently rotate it/do circular movements) to stop scar tissue forming on the ligament which makes it weaker in future. This should be done two or three times a day during the healing period (a doctor at the hospital told me this). Cycling will not twist your ankle so i think it will be ok.

If it an Achilles Tendon injury this is completely different as strain is put on the back of the ankle when cycling. If that snaps completely you are looking up to a year in plaster (6 months of which is a full leg plaster up to the hip). a year in plaster will completely waste your muscles and then requires around 12-18 months physio. I know this because my friend decided to get fit (new years resolution) and snapped hers on her first fitness session (badminton!!!). After surgery, she had 6 months full plaster (to hip), 6 months half plaster (to knee) and 14 months physio (her leg looked like it belonged to a famine victim). And she had no "complications" so this is just basic standard injury healing, nothing delaying the process. So therefore, if your injury is to your achilles i would say complete rest and only do something if the doctor says its ok.

My friend snapped his last year, playing his weekly game of badminton. He was in a below the knee plaster, for about 6 weeks, then out, and re-snapped it within the week. This time he had surgery followed by a further 6 weeks in plaster. 6 months later he is still having physio, but is back cycling.

yikes badminton sounds dangerous will stick with cycling and sailing!
Cheers Ed

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

yikes badminton sounds dangerous will stick with cycling and sailing!
Cheers Ed

I ruptured mine in the shower in a YHA when I was a similar age - my foot slid out backwards and downwards on a worn out tile dipped shower cubicle (those old red tiles where the drying off area was the same tile as the shower area...). Trust me, you know when you have done it. You would not even be considering walking, let alone cycling. I subsequently tore it twice more before my 20's and occasionally get twinges from it even now. You know.

 

[young Ed]

I ruptured mine in the shower in a YHA when I was a similar age - my foot slid out backwards and downwards on a worn out tile dipped shower cubicle (those old red tiles where the drying off area was the same tile as the shower area...). Trust me, you know when you have done it. You would not even be considering walking, let alone cycling. I subsequently tore it twice more before my 20's and occasionally get twinges from it even now. You know.

dear me this world is dangerous!
well i'm pretty sure mine isn't ruptured just yet another sprain but
Cheers Ed

 

[Firestorm]

My friend snapped his last year, playing his weekly game of badminton. He was in a below the knee plaster, for about 6 wweeks, then out, and re-snapped it within the week. This time he had surgery followed by a further 6 weeks in plaster. 6 months later he is still having physio, but is back cycling.

When i did mine the consultants made me very aware of the re rupture rates for the non surgical option. That said i was still recommended this route due to my age meaning that the healing issues associated with lower leg blood flow were greater