My ankle. Your help. Fed up.

[natalia]

I'm really not sure WHAT I've managed to do to myself! Fell off two weeks ago at hunter trials and broke my finger and sprained my ankle very badly and was on crutches for a week. Now I'm nearly sound but tried riding today and can't put any weight in the stirrup. Rode with one today but not very sensible on young fit horses. Incredibly frustrated, anyone else done anything like this and have any idea what I could have actually done, xrays say not broken, but cant push down on it from the ball of my foot although fully weight bearing now. I NEED to be riding by next weekend, opening meet and then team chase on sunday, and sitting by the side lines is NOT an option. Any exercises I can do to strengthen it? Sorry, self indulgent post as I'm so stir crazy its not even funny, I can do everything from the floor but just not ride!

 

[Sanolly]

Strap it and and take los of pain killers - t'is what I did!

 

[Izzwizz]

I like how you say nearly sound!! Very horsey term. Maybe you need some bute and a couple of days box rest lol!!! It may be that you have a little soft tissue damage (sorry horsey term used). Possibly pulled a muscle/ligament, have you been back to your Doctor? If theres nothing broken then I think its something like that anyway. Maybe just rest thats needed.

 

[tangoharvey]

hi, if sitting on the sideline is not an option, I'm not sure why you are asking for advice or posting......however if the sensible fairies sprinkle thier dust on you in the night, you might realise that rest is the best thing for you ankle in the short term. The tendons and ligaments even if only stretch and pulled a bit beyond their normal capacity need time to stabilise, so REST is the best thing for your ankle. After a week, start doing gentle walking and rotations, but not to th epoint where it really hurst, just to the endge of the pain. Hope it doesnt give you too much stick this week, but the kinder you can be to your ankle this week, the kinder it will be to you~!x

 

[JenJ]

Is seeing a sports physio an option?

Other than that, I can only think of strapping it up tightly to support as much as possible, and slathering on arnica to speed up the bruising. Is there still discolouration?

This wouldn't be recommended by medics, but can you dose up on painkillers to get you through a ride (I didn't say that!)?

 

[Jesstickle]

Sprains are often as slow to heal as breaks I'm afraid.

Sensibly you should stay off it until it is mended

What I would do is take a shed load of painkillers, strap it up and ride anyway. But I am not a sensible person. That is why I am permanently at least 4/10ths lame!

 

[bigboyrocky]

i tore all the major ligaments in my ankle May time and this is what i was told to do....

point your toes up towards you knee as much as you can for 5 seconds, then relax... repeat.
extend your ankle (point you toes) for 5 seconds, then relax... repeat.
then just do lots of circling of your ankle, both ways. try and do this as much as you can. when your just sat there, do it.. whilst yourhaving lunch etc... and i would also say strap it, and try and keep it as high as you can, eg if you sat down have you foot on a chair..

 

[dozzie]

If your horse was unable to weightbear after 2 weeks I think you would get the vet out again. Certainly box rest would be the order of the day.

So find a box and put yourself in it.

The world will not end if you dont make the team chase or the opening meet... Honest, it really wont. Life will go on! But tell them now so they have time to substitute.

If you fall off half way round what good are you anyway?

 

[natalia]

Thanks bigboyrocky for the exercises! doing some as I type! I can point my toes upwards no problem but can't extend them downwards easily.

Dozzie, the world won't end no, but my sanity might. If I was a horse on box rest I would have to be on a constant supply of ACP and walked out in a chiffney.

 

[bigboyrocky]

god, my typing is awful, sorry!

p.s... if it still really hurts by the time opening meet, i wouldn't do it otherwise it will be with you for ages (i did too much too soon and it was still giving me jip 3 months after, was a nightmare)

if it feels ok though, then go for it and have fun

 

[dozzie]

Thanks bigboyrocky for the exercises! doing some as I type! I can point my toes upwards no problem but can't extend them downwards easily.

Dozzie, the world won't end no, but my sanity might. If I was a horse on box rest I would have to be on a constant supply of ACP and walked out in a chiffney.

LOL! But it could put you out for the rest of the season. If you cant weightbear in the saddle then you should not be riding. It is dangerous for you and your horse. Find a substitute and take the pressure off yourself.

Having said that, I would have dragged myself from my deathbed to do a team chase... So I do understand!

But if you cant weight bear you owe it to your team to let them find someone else.

 

[Bowen4Horses]

soak a bandage in apple cider vinegar, wrap it around ankle, cover in clingfilm. leave for few hours. avoid answering door to any hotties...

whereabouts are you in the country...? if you're anywhere near me i know an 'emergency ankle procedure' which i could try...

eta: winking smiley makes it look like i'm lying or being seedy... it's neither! promise. just a bit of bowen therapy...

 

[natalia]

Clip clop, I would go for leg transplantation at the moment! is this what you mean? Amputate and steal fresh limb off a fat person who dosen't really exercise and therefore has no use for their perfect leg...As for the hotties, they are banging down the door... err, think i'll be safe there then with a my cider vinegar wrapped mashed leg.

 

[SusieT]

You could have done your achilles tendon I *think* from the sounds of it. Any pain?
I would be straight back to the doctors anyway as sounds like you might have torn something

 

[YorksG]

Not ankle, but wrist damaged in my case, nearly 2 years ago broke sacffoid (sp) rode in pot for 3 hours in rain, also stood outside with horses being shod in the rain. This made the pot soggy, so I could change the shape of it a bit! I am now having to wear a splint on said wrist for much of the time and it still hurts! I had to have a steroid injection in it this time last year (won't be doing that again ). So please learn from my stupidity and keep yourself on box rest for a bit longer.

 

[bigboyrocky]

You could have done your achilles tendon I *think* from the sounds of it. Any pain?
I would be straight back to the doctors anyway as sounds like you might have torn something

i dont think it would be achilles because it would hurt more to flex the ankle than it would to extend... am i right in thinking its the opposite in your case??

 

[nativetyponies]

i had all my leverage bones removed and replaced with plates and screws...

yes it aches/hurts ....depending on your pain threshold..

i would just grit your teeth and "kick-on"

 

[natalia]

No it's right leg ankle, pain in heel when foot in stirrup and pressing down. Pain is mainly inside. Bruising was all around base of ankle and also all round toes. This is ankle two days after mangulation-

The bruising then went in to a ring round the base of ankle and across my toes. Now there's a faint shadow ring but toes are still very purple. Lot less swollen now but still a bit fatter than it should be.

 

[NeverSayNever]

i tore the ligaments in mine in april, was on crutches for a week.... and im afraid i am still noticing it now

i was given so much flipping conflicting advice, rest it, bandage/support it... no bandage and try to use it. i was back at hosp 3 times in the first 2 weeks, first strapped it up and gave me crutches. 3 days later my toes had gone blue and it felt worse... back to a&e and next dr was horrified, said with ligament damage i needed to keep trying to use it or it would seize up and id have more bother long term with scar tissue etc, and no support on it.

i ended up going to see a sports injury physio - who incidentally confirmed the latter... but it has taken ages. i was back riding about a month later but tbh its taken, and is still taking ages to get the strength back so i am using that leg as effectively.

the bruising on mine was very very similar pattern to yours btw. - oh and if you arent already, get an ice pack on 10 mins at a time.

 

[bigboyrocky]

looked VERY siular to mine when i did my ligaments, however my pain was mainly down the ouside... i would say dont ride tbh if you feel any pain when the time comes honestly you will regret it later

will try and find a pic of my ankle to campare!

 

[bigboyrocky]

about 3 weeks after doing it..

i would imagine youve done some ligament damage... go really careful on it. i wouldnt say rest, as you dont want to stop moving about as it will take so much long to heal, but if something hurts then dont do it.

 

[Jesstickle]

Ouchy you two!

OP you'll be doing well to get your boots won't you?

I'd ride on that but like I say, I'm a wally. I snapped the ligaments in my knee and had them replaced with tendon out of my leg in two rounds of surgery. I don't think you can actually make them worse by using them but if you fall off or anything and you have weakened them they could be at more risk of giving up the ghost entirely and having to have surgery which wouldn't be great.

Maybe, as it is team chasing and therefore quite high risk, you should sit this one out.

Looks blimming painful anyway.

 

[Jesstickle]

Cautionary photos for you

This is what came off my femur. It is cartilage so I will be looking at arthritic changes to the joint at an indeterminate point in the future

These are the staples holding my leg together where they had to chop out the tendon to replace the ligament.

Although it looks like my arm it is my lower leg. The muscle just melted away as I couldn't walk for nearly four months and didn't ride for nine.


Be careful. You don't want to push any possibly damaged ligaments to destruction. It is very boring being off your feet for that long!

 

[NeverSayNever]

meant to say as well, it was the pushing down/pointing my toe i couldnt do for months either. even when i was walking normally with no pain, i still couldt point my toe enough to get my wellies on then one day i realised i had turned off the bath taps with the toes on my bad foot now i have full movement back, it just still gives me jip from time to time and is weaker.

 

[DragonSlayer]

I did mine a couple of years ago. Slid in the mud at the field! Had a corker of a bruise, and alongside my foot, the bruise formed a perfect line, showing just where I had gone over on it! It make hell of a crack, though I had broken it!

Anyway, if you don't rest it, you will pay for it later...

My ankle gives me awful gip now, and although I DID strap it up (with a tail bandage! haha!)

PLEASE PLEASE rest it!!!!!

I can't wear heels now, no strength in the ankle, tried exercises later on, but really weakened the ligament due to being silly.....

 

[natalia]

Bigboyrocky- Yes my bruising is almost the same round the base of the ankle! Snap! Although yours is a bit more special than me as your bruising goes higher up your leg, mine like a ring round the base.

I also have strapped up with a tail bandage (wonderful things them). The swelling nearly gone now but its just the pain when i try and put weight in the stirrup, every other thing I could do with it I basically can! I've got some nice lace up boots which it fine.

 

[Mike007]

Natalia you daft (but lovable) bint,your foot is going to take a bit more than two weeks to heal.

 

[GREYSMEADOW]

No it's right leg ankle, pain in heel when foot in stirrup and pressing down. Pain is mainly inside. Bruising was all around base of ankle and also all round toes. This is ankle two days after mangulation-

The bruising then went in to a ring round the base of ankle and across my toes. Now there's a faint shadow ring but toes are still very purple. Lot less swollen now but still a bit fatter than it should be.

Hi,

This looks just like my injury, I took a tumble with my ankle down a rutt and resulted in a very bad sprain, (thought broken or dislocated ankle according to St John Ambulance - I told them it wasn't as I could move my toes). My ankle swelled up within 3 mins!!!! I was in agony rolling around in the grass! Had x-ray at hospital to reveal no break and left with crutches and told to rest and keep elevated and take pain-killers. Was never provided any ice packs until I put them on myself when I got home some 5-6 hrs later.

Spoke to my Chiropractioner the next morning (he was surprised that they didn't put ice pack on, I know you don't with dislocation, but if when a footballer gets injured on the pitch outcome the icepacks!). Had an appointment within 2 hrs (with Chiro) as I couldn't move ankle and was very painful. He got my ankle functioning much better with less pain and also sorted out my arm/elbow as it was slightly out from the fall. By the end of the day I didn't need the crutches. Had a few further appointments and was back on the horse in less than 5 days of incident. Also keep icepacking, keep moving. Would definitely recommend going to a Chiropractioner.