Ligament advice

yop

Guys,
I know its not a medical forum, but I am looking for a rough timescale of guys who may have done their ankle ligaments at some stage.

I did mine on 25th July, did the scan at the hospital, went on crutches for 2 weeks, have had a tight strap on it for 4 weeks now but the area is still quite swelled.

I am intending to leave it another 2 weeks before I fork out on another visit, but if it has happened to anyone on here, how long did it take before the swelling went and you were back running?

I have got gels to apply, I ice or heat pack it daily. Am I even doing the right thing!!! I dont want to have, if I can start forking out 50 spots to a physio if all he going to do it tell me is rest it, apply ice etc

Reyman

My experience is it's best to go to a good Physio 3-4 times with an injury like this. Self healing may work, but it will be much slower and you may be left with a permanent stiffness if the muscles/ligaments are not manipulated/massaged to release any tension/scar tissue.

It's worth the couple of hundred Euro I guarantee you.

yop

Reyman wrote: »

My experience is it's best to go to a good Physio 3-4 times with an injury like this. Self healing may work, but it will be much slower and you may be left with a permanent stiffness if the muscles/ligaments are not manipulated/massaged to release any tension/scar tissue.

It's worth the couple of hundred Euro I guarantee you.

I know what you are saying lad, christ this year has been a killer with injuries, have been to physio at least 10 times this year with a groin strain, but I would have thought that with the swelling that I was wasting my time?

Thanks for the reply

Lil' Smiler

yop wrote: »

Guys,
I did mine on 25th July, did the scan at the hospital, went on crutches for 2 weeks, have had a tight strap on it for 4 weeks now but the area is still quite swelled.

I am intending to leave it another 2 weeks before I fork out on another visit, but if it has happened to anyone on here, how long did it take before the swelling went and you were back running?

I have got gels to apply, I ice or heat pack it daily. Am I even doing the right thing!!! I dont want to have, if I can start forking out 50 spots to a physio if all he going to do it tell me is rest it, apply ice etc

Who told you to do the ice/heat pack? You are best to do it as bathing 2 mins cold, 2 mins hot, 2 mins cold, 2 mins hot, 2 mins cold. Cold as you can take it..with ice, hot as hot as you can take it.

What gels?

Reyman wrote: »

My experience is it's best to go to a good Physio 3-4 times with an injury like this. Self healing may work, but it will be much slower and you may be left with a permanent stiffness if the muscles/ligaments are not manipulated/massaged to release any tension/scar tissue.

It's worth the couple of hundred Euro I guarantee you.

I have to agree with Reyman, although you might consider my view as biased, being a Sports Therapist by profession, in both his opinion on the injury and his opinion about visiting the physio.

Go to a good Sports Injuries Therapist.. some people here can recommend some great ones to you. Sometimes physio's tend not to use as "hands on" treatment as other Therapists. They can do a technique called "frictioning" which breaks down the newly laid down scar tissue.

When scar tissue is laid down, it forms in a haphazard way, so his frictioning technique goes against it and breaks it down, encouraging it to form properly.

yop wrote: »

I know what you are saying lad, christ this year has been a killer with injuries, have been to physio at least 10 times this year with a groin strain, but I would have thought that with the swelling that I was wasting my time?

Thanks for the reply

If you're concerned about the swelling maybe ask the physio what their opinion would be on some lymph drainage massage or anything more they can suggest. if you're gonna continue to ice it like you have been, make sure to do it with the ankle elevated.

Also remember, everyones bodies are different. People have different pain thresholds aswell as recover times

yop

That is very helpful thanks.

The hospital told me to ice pack it.

The physio is good, just from been involved in sport all my life I can remember been told that until the swelling is gone down then a physio is no use.

I may as well book him then. See what he says.

Cheers

jester77

Take your time with it, tore mine for the first time about 15 years ago. Typical Ireland back then, I was just wrapped up and told I would be ok in a few weeks. Came off the crutches after 2 weeks, bandages off after 3 or 4 weeks and within the week I went over on the ankle and tore them again. Ankle hasn't been right since. Have torn them another 2 or 3 times since that.

Lil' Smiler

yop wrote: »

That is very helpful thanks.

The hospital told me to ice pack it.

The physio is good, just from been involved in sport all my life I can remember been told that until the swelling is gone down then a physio is no use.

I may as well book him then. See what he says.

Cheers

No probs. I understand how frustrating it is... remember if you are with VHI (not sure about BUPA) and Vivas you can get money back from going to the physio

Good Luck!

LightningBolt

Get the physio. Trust me, it is really worth it. I'm in th eexact same position as yourself having done mine in the day after yours! With the physio I'm back jogging (straight line only) and I'm slowly able to increase my stride length.

conceited

Yop, what sport is it you do?

yop

conceited wrote: »

Yop, what sport is it you do?

I'm a soccer goalie, but I do weights also and intended to get back running and swimming.

conceited

When do you do your streches? Can you give me a sample of your routine?

Anto318

I did ligament and nerve damge to my ankle about 1 month ago. After about 2 weeks when the swelling was gone down a bit I went to my physio.

I have gone to him now for about 6-8 sessions and it is on the mend but is still tender.

The physio can do only so much and then you will have to work on it youself, building up the strength day to day with exercises.

I was advised to use hot/cold. My cold session was 12 minutes in an ice bucket and exercise and physio and to be honest it did wonders but I think it'll take another 1-2 months before I'm fixed.

Best of luck with it, this is the second time the same ankle has been injured so I know your pain.

Einstein

The problem with ligaments is that they have a very limited blood supply, hence the time it takes for them to heal well.
I'm not one for practising hot/cold...I've found cold works far more successfully with anybody I've worked with, however heat does promote blood flow so it may help somewhat when you know the problem is definitely ligament related.

yop

Thanks lads, yes continuing with the ice and hot. Its really frustrating now as I will be back to square 1 now with exercise, but sin é.

As regards warm ups, it would be "standard" soccer training warmup, starting at the ankles and working up, I do the same when I am doing my weights.

conceited

Any chance of a sample warmup workout?

yop

roughly, it is:
2 or 3 lap gentle run

Ankle-clock wise, then anti-clockwise - Each side 10 seconds
Stretch calf muscles - Each side 10 seconds
Stretch hamstrings - Each side 10 seconds
stretch groin - Each side 10 seconds
move the hips - 10 seconds
A few arms streches, at front, behind back, - Each side 10 seconds
Neck - - Each 10 seconds, clockwise, anticlockwise/

Thats the general jist of it.

Ardent

I did my ankle ligaments almost 4 weeks ago now playing indoor soccer. The swelling out the side of my ankle at the time was unreal - a few days later the bruising was down to my toes!

I can walk comfortably now and jog short distances but there is still minor pain and my injured ankle is still slightly larger than the other one. From what I've read this may be due to scar tissue. I'm going to start going to a physionext week to help break it down and hopefully return full mobility in the ankle.

A couple of questions for the forum:

Has anyone here gone to a physio more than a month after their injury? Has your ankle returned to 100% of where it was before the injury?

Thanks.