Riding afer a broken ankle

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HoneystarEquestrian

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Hi all!
I broke my ankle 6 months ago in a stupid fall in my tackroom and I am finding the whole coming back to riding experience not so fun! Have any of you broken ankles and how did you get your ankle fitness back onboard? Im fine with general walking etc but flexing the ankle whilst riding (mainly rising trot) is causing some discomfort :(
 
Are you having any physio? I didn't break mine but tore the ligament which runs down the inside, and had to have physio for about 3 months. I did exercises with one of those stretchy latex band things (technical term) which really helped improve flexibility. Mind you the thing which helped most was riding again! Maybe just take it slowly and see if you can get hold of one of those bands, with the right exercises they do help.
 
I broke both my ankles really badly a few years ago and simply can't ride with normal stirrups now. I find the flexi ones brilliant (you can get a generic set for about £25).
I have also had to adjust my position slightly due to this but had extensive soft tissue damage as I badly disclocated them as well and now have very little movement in my ankles now.
Try some flexi stirrups as well adjusting the length of your stirrups.
Not sure how badly you broke yours but I was told that they can go on improving for up to 2 years following injury.
 
I broke my ankle on April Fool's Day 2008: in 3 places, and tore ligaments and damaged tendons. It took about 18 months before it felt even remotely comfortable walking on undulating ground, and about 2.5 years before I could walk without limping badly walking down hill; and I still will if my ankle is tired or I'm wearing less than ideal footwear. I still can't wear any form of heel over 1.5 inches and have to wear shoes that support my whole foot. So no more pretty shoes for me. However, riding has definitely been helped using a pair of Bow Balance irons. Initially, like you, my ankle would ache and hurt when I started back riding but it just took time and not being too ambitious too soon for it to settle and now, even with all the other long term issues I've been left with on the ground, riding at all paces (and on a big bouncy newly backed WB too) is okay.

What I would say, if you're offered physio and exercises to practice, do do them! Relentlessly. I'm not sure my age and degree of injury helped my long term prognosis but (at 5'1") I'd love to be able to wear a heel again. But I dont think I will and maybe more conscientious practice of my exercises would have helped.

Good luck with your full recovery. :)
 
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I broke both of mine; had extensive physio.....hydrotherapy, wobble board, bands, stretching etc etc. I can plantarflex but have zero degree dorsiflexion and have had to adapt my riding style accordingly.
 
gunnergundog said:
I broke both of mine; had extensive physio.....hydrotherapy, wobble board, bands, stretching etc etc. I can plantarflex but have zero degree dorsiflexion and have had to adapt my riding style accordingly.
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Well, that makes me a feel a little better about mine. Maybe nothing would have prevented the long term limitations I've been left with, after all. I can remember so vividly how little I appreciated the consequences of my injury when I did it. I remember thinking it would involve an inconvenient 6 weeks in plaster and then I'd be back-to-normal. Huh. How naive I was. :rolleyes:
 
Wobble boards are really good as is standing on the edge of a step to drop your heal to improve flexibility. Also standing on one leg (the broken one) and then once comfortable with that, standing on tip toe on one leg. I had a plate in my leg that ran over the top of the ankle bone which kept catching which was painful, I had it removed 3yrs after it was put in and that made riding much more comfortable.
 
I broke mine 3 times in a row.
I found the physio useless but walking on the horse was the best physio ever. I started with very long stirrups and slowly shortened them. The shorter the stirrups the more physio it provided. I did many miles like that

Trotting was the most difficult and worrying but I had an ankle brace on, I bandaged the ankle brace on for even more support and then used lace up boots for even more support. That way the rising trot became a lot easier and also less worrying.
The most important thing I did was visit a chiropractor. My friend also broke her ankle and went to the same chiro as soon as the plaster came off. I was too scared he would damage my newly healed ankle. In hindsight I should have gone much sooner as that made a real difference to the flexibility.
 
Didn't break mine, but I did do a lot of soft tissue damage and am not sure quite how I avoided a break, to be honest. I found a neoprene ankle brace helpful - but what really did the trick was doing all the physio I was given religiously. I went to see a sports therapist at a specialist running shop with an attached sports injury clinic, and this helped a lot.
 
Have to agree that riding was an excellent form of physiotherapy, and luckily my physio was supportive of me riding (I was on board 3 days after the plaster came off, I couldn't walk but it was brilliant to realise that could still ride, all be it without stirrups to start with). But it does take time to get the strength back in your muscles and this requires a bit of patience as well as determination!
 
Spyda said:
Well, that makes me a feel a little better about mine. Maybe nothing would have prevented the long term limitations I've been left with, after all. I can remember so vividly how little I appreciated the consequences of my injury when I did it. I remember thinking it would involve an inconvenient 6 weeks in plaster and then I'd be back-to-normal. Huh. How naive I was. :rolleyes:
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depending on the injury there is only so much physio etc can do. I managed to do both ankles in one go (came off the horse at a gallop and landed on my feet in a sand school). Basically both feet were at right angles to my legs (and not in the right way either) with simple fractures but pretty much no tendons or ligaments intact - I was told having proper boots/chaps on probably saved me from having open fractures which would have been a much worse outcome.
I had surgery on both ankles but from the day they came out of cast till now (4 1/2 years later) I have very little movement. I can't pull my foot up past 90 degrees and can only flex down a few degrees - I subsequently had one fused and didn't loose any movement . All this was despite extensive physio.
Like you I very much did not realise the seriousness to begin with - I spent a week in hospital before surgery and it wasn't till several weeks after I got out that it began to dawn on me and not even fully until several months out of cast when I began to see how little movement I would get back.
I can't wear any sort of heeled shoe at all - even my jodphur boots had too big a heel for me although I have been able to find some nice flat shoes :D

I have always found riding much easier than walking - my distance and terrain walking is massively affected (even more so at the mo due to arthritis which is waiting on fusing my second ankle - all due to the trauma) but when riding I can go so much further than I ever could on foot. I have had to adapt how I ride - I have dreadful penguin feet as am completely unable to turn my toes in and I can't have the whole 'hip, heel' line as my ankles don't bend so my lower leg is slightly forward however I'm used to it now as is my mare and I manage perfectly well - the only thing I struggle with is being up out the saddle in 2 point or jumping but I didn't jump much before :D:D

One thing I have found is that because I can't put my heel down at all my foot was slipping through the stirrup constantly so as well as flexible stirrups I also use toe cages and find this really helps.


I'm not trying to scare anyone as my injuries were so severe they wrote a paper about one of my ankles, I more mean it as showing that regardless of the injury you will be able to ride again and ride comfortably but it does take time. I didn't have a huge amount of trouble with pain as I started riding again because I took it very, very slowly getting back in the saddle as well as having to ride without stirrups for several months as I couldn't tolerate using them but a lot of the slowness was due to confidence as I came off at speed.
OP it will get easier as you find ways around these things - just persevere and try some of the suggestions and you'll get there :D:D:D:D (sorry for the long post)
 
mynutmeg said:
I broke both my ankles really badly a few years ago and simply can't ride with normal stirrups now. I find the flexi ones brilliant (you can get a generic set for about £25).
I have also had to adjust my position slightly due to this but had extensive soft tissue damage as I badly disclocated them as well and now have very little movement in my ankles now.
Try some flexi stirrups as well adjusting the length of your stirrups.
Not sure how badly you broke yours but I was told that they can go on improving for up to 2 years following injury.
Click to expand...

I had a very similar injury to both ankles. I also find flexi stirrups much easier to ride in and did loads with wobble boards and those resistance rubber things the physio use.
 
Interesting reading the comments on here...
Am at the end of week 3 tomorrow after breaking my fib, right on the ankle.
Simple break (clean) but had no idea about how excruciating the pain would be, nor the swelling (which is only just starting to go a bit). Been too big to get into the cast properly even when its let down, till today. They 'think' I dont have soft tissue damage! But will do a scan if a prob at 6 weeks, grr!!
Wantng to be back 'doing stuff' but realise its going to take time...had to return to fracture clinic on Monday due to the huge swelling & was firmly told to keep elevated leg up above heart for at least 45 mins in every hour & no weight bearing till return to clinic & more x-rays at 6 weeks. Currently (luckily) in an aircast.

How long before you people were able to drive after breaking it? (its right throttle/brake leg)
 
I broke a small bone in my few about 7 years ago and just built up the strenght in it gradually. Used to feel uncomfortable in cold weather and after riding for about 12 months but don't feel it at all now :)
 
I had a simple fracture of the tip of the outside ankle bone twice. I rode 2 days after the plaster came off. I also severed my Achilles' tendon, and had to have 4 months off. Do the physio exercises, keep them up even after your treatment stops, and also get the flexi ride cage stirrups. They are magic!
 
Its week 10 for me this Friday... I have done a huge amount of lig and tendon damage... having physio 2 or 3 times a week - privatley - its a long haul.... I thought i would be up and mobile about a week after plaster was off- stupid of me to think this - my leg was swollen most of the time in the cast and is still very very painful... :( but it does look a little more ankle shaped now.

I am possibly looking at March before I am back to some normality - and I am really really struggling with this time frame - but nothing I can do about it - the more I push the more I go backwards - so it is slowly slowly - unfortunatly !
 
The Xmas Furry said:
Anyone?
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I did the same, snapping the fibula where it meets the ankle. I think i drove about 3 weeks after the plaster came off, it felt completely alien to me! I probably could have tried straight away but i was so scared it would hurt i just chickened out. I didn't have a cast i could put any weight on at all so that took time getting used to weightbearing again, plus mine was left ankle and the clutch on my car is a nightmare! I th ink you just know when you're ready and when you aren't don't you.

Thank you all so much theres so much super advice here! :D I'll be trying them all!

I wasn't offered physio, they took my cast off and said bye bye!:(
 
I broke my left ankle a couple of years ago and was put into a slab cast straight away. Following week at the fracture clinic the Dr asked if I had been able to walk on it. Daughter grassed me up and said I had :rolleyes: Got given an Aircast boot. Brilliant bit of kit I found :D After 6 weeks of gradually reducing the time I wore the boot for I tried driving but there wasn't sufficient strength in the ankle to depress the clutch. It took probably another 2 weeks of trying every couple of days before I could do it comfortably.

It was the psychological effect I wasn't prepared for. When I started riding again I found I was putting all my weight onto the other ankle and this was causing the saddle to slip slightly. Took about another month before the 'oh get on with it woman' mentality kicked in ;)

I don't have any long term problems with it. Good Luck OP hopefully it won't be long before you are back to driving etc
 
The Xmas Furry said:
How long before you people were able to drive after breaking it? (its right throttle/brake leg)
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I was driving after I got the first cast off at about 8-9 weeks BUT the car had hand controls so as soon as I could get to the car I could drive. I was driving an automatic car with my feet about 4 months after the injury - I got the cast off my right/pedel leg after 3 months - and to start with I could only drive short distances with my feet but as said before my injuries were pretty extreme.
 
HoneystarEquestrian said:
Hi all!
I broke my ankle 6 months ago in a stupid fall in my tackroom and I am finding the whole coming back to riding experience not so fun! Have any of you broken ankles and how did you get your ankle fitness back onboard? Im fine with general walking etc but flexing the ankle whilst riding (mainly rising trot) is causing some discomfort :(
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I broke my ankle (tib & fib) 6 yrs ago, with an infection in the stitches, and then had about 4 months of NHS physio. I started ridng again near the end of the physio but as you say flexing the ankle was always a pproblem. I got some flexi stirrups which did help a bit. My broken leg always felt shorter in the stirrup than the other one, as though my stirrups should be different lengths and I struggled to ride comfortabley for more than an hour (and sometimes less than that).
Then this year I was in an RTA, the other drivers insurance paid for private physio, including some on my ankle which had been damaged in the accident. I then paid for more phsyio, which included some quite fierce massage and manipulation, on this ankle which had been swollen and quite stiff for all this time. Now 3 months later, the ankle is less swollen, much more fexible and more comfortable when I'm riding. I have also been recommended an orthotic to wear in my riding boots which stops the 'one leg longer than the other' feeling.
 
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