College Ankle Sprains

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Dec 22, 2014
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How long of a break do you take from tumbling after you sprain your ankle? I keep waiting a while and then going back when I think I'm ready and then it just re-injures.
 
It took seven weeks for me to get completely cleared (and then I was eased back in to things) to cheer for a grade 3 (I think) lateral sprain and I went to physical therapy five days a week in my college's training room. When I had a high sprain (I can't remember what grade it was) I went to PT five days a week for five weeks then stopped going and it was still painful for several week after that. I still have problems with my ankles years later so make sure you really take the time to rest it.


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Sorry you are having issues. I've dealt with many, many severe ankle sprains over the years :( The key to avoid re-injuring it is to rehab it properly. The best thing to do is see a PT. They will give you exercises to strengthen your ankle. The more strengthen you do, the easier it will be to get back 100%. Most ankle strengthening exercises are balance exercises like 1 legged stands, calf raises, etc. & resistance band exercises. A PT or dr can tell you which ones will work best for your particular injury.

CP sprained her ankle last summer and a month later she fractured it. After the fracture, she was non-weight bearing for 2 weeks, in a boot for 2 weeks, and 5 months in an ankle brace. She was out of all sports for 6 weeks. She did PT 3 days a week and home exercises every day. She wore her brace 100% of the time (school, cheer, etc.) for a month or so then transitioned to wearing the brace only at cheer. When she returned to cheer she was able to throw most of her skills without any pain as long as she wore her brace. She still does daily ankle exercises to prevent future problems (since we both have a history of weak ankles). Her injury was severe and she tends to air on the side of caution when returning to activity after an injury. Her PT was practically kicking her out by the end.

We both use the ASO ankle brace. It is the most supportive brace I've ever worn. CP was able to stunt & tumble in it without any problem (pointed toes were not possible though).

Good luck! I hope your ankle heals quickly!
 
My kids all have weak ankles.
Former-cp had a recurring ankle injury that was never given the time needed to heal properly, even with being in a boot for 4-6 weeks on 2 separate occasions. Wound up with 2 ankle surgeries about 8 months apart when she was 15 - one to clean out scar tissue and the second to shorten the tendons and ligaments which had been damaged from the chronic sprains.
Cp has badly sprained both ankles on different occasions. 6-8 weeks recovery which included PT 3x a week. Due to former-cp's experience, we err on the side of caution and she never resumes activity without full clearance. The orthopedist always says the true test to being ready to return is the ability to hop up and down on the injured ankle without any pain. She has also worn the ASO brace (which I agree with @AlwaysLearning is the best one) however tries to get herself out of it quickly otherwise feels she becomes dependent on it.
Good luck with the recovery and please give yourself the time to heal. I feel like coaches tend to rush athletes back into activities way too quickly after a sprain, when in reality a sprain often takes longer to heal than a fracture.
 
Sorry you are having issues. I've dealt with many, many severe ankle sprains over the years :( The key to avoid re-injuring it is to rehab it properly. The best thing to do is see a PT. They will give you exercises to strengthen your ankle. The more strengthen you do, the easier it will be to get back 100%. Most ankle strengthening exercises are balance exercises like 1 legged stands, calf raises, etc. & resistance band exercises. A PT or dr can tell you which ones will work best for your particular injury.

CP sprained her ankle last summer and a month later she fractured it. After the fracture, she was non-weight bearing for 2 weeks, in a boot for 2 weeks, and 5 months in an ankle brace. She was out of all sports for 6 weeks. She did PT 3 days a week and home exercises every day. She wore her brace 100% of the time (school, cheer, etc.) for a month or so then transitioned to wearing the brace only at cheer. When she returned to cheer she was able to throw most of her skills without any pain as long as she wore her brace. She still does daily ankle exercises to prevent future problems (since we both have a history of weak ankles). Her injury was severe and she tends to air on the side of caution when returning to activity after an injury. Her PT was practically kicking her out by the end.

We both use the ASO ankle brace. It is the most supportive brace I've ever worn. CP was able to stunt & tumble in it without any problem (pointed toes were not possible though).

Good luck! I hope your ankle heals quickly!

i sprained my ankle this year and the trainer at my college gave me strengthening exercises to do some including resistance bands. It tooks weeks for it to feel better. i wish i would've been more on top of doing the exercises because I still have issues with my ankle now. They gave me a brace and I at first wore it 24/7 and then my Achilles started bothering me. When I told the trainers this they told me that it was bothering me because I was wearing the brace all the time. They told me the brace is only meant for when I was doing my cheerleading activities and wearing it when I was just walking around, etc. was weaking my Achilles. So I would consult your physical therapist/trainer/doctor about wearing an ankle brace more than than the recommended time. But I would say really stay on top of the exercises. It's the only way to re-strengthen your ankle.
 
i sprained my ankle this year and the trainer at my college gave me strengthening exercises to do some including resistance bands. It tooks weeks for it to feel better. i wish i would've been more on top of doing the exercises because I still have issues with my ankle now. They gave me a brace and I at first wore it 24/7 and then my Achilles started bothering me. When I told the trainers this they told me that it was bothering me because I was wearing the brace all the time. They told me the brace is only meant for when I was doing my cheerleading activities and wearing it when I was just walking around, etc. was weaking my Achilles. So I would consult your physical therapist/trainer/doctor about wearing an ankle brace more than than the recommended time. But I would say really stay on top of the exercises. It's the only way to re-strengthen your ankle.
The brace is not meant to be worn 24/7 or for long periods of time unless your dr tells you it is. CP wore hers all day for stability when she first got out of the boot. She took it off at home so she could take small steps & hold onto things if she felt unstable. She wore it at school for longer (maybe 2-3 weeks) because the halls were so crowded. After that it was only while she was in the gym. She gradually eased out of it so that she could do tumble class without it, but still needed it for team practice. It was 5 months before she was able to do a full out practice and perform without it. She kept it in her bag so it was always there for her to throw on if her ankle hurt.

If you have chronic ankle problems you need to see a PT or dr. They will give you exercises and they need to be done on an ongoing basis to keep your ankles strong. CP doesn't wear her brace, but I make sure she still does her exercises to prevent re-injury.


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The brace is not meant to be worn 24/7 or for long periods of time unless your dr tells you it is. CP wore hers all day for stability when she first got out of the boot. She took it off at home so she could take small steps & hold onto things if she felt unstable. She wore it at school for longer (maybe 2-3 weeks) because the halls were so crowded. After that it was only while she was in the gym. She gradually eased out of it so that she could do tumble class without it, but still needed it for team practice. It was 5 months before she was able to do a full out practice and perform without it. She kept it in her bag so it was always there for her to throw on if her ankle hurt.

If you have chronic ankle problems you need to see a PT or dr. They will give you exercises and they need to be done on an ongoing basis to keep your ankles strong. CP doesn't wear her brace, but I make sure she still does her exercises to prevent re-injury.


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This! I wish every patient/parent was as smart as you haha! Wearing a brace for a long period of time is the worst thing you can do for a weak joint (ankle, knee, wrist, etc). People wonder why their ankle or whatever is still hurting a year after they sprained it, when they are wearing their brace all the time, it won't help!
 
This! I wish every patient/parent was as smart as you haha! Wearing a brace for a long period of time is the worst thing you can do for a weak joint (ankle, knee, wrist, etc). People wonder why their ankle or whatever is still hurting a year after they sprained it, when they are wearing their brace all the time, it won't help!
Exactly! An ankle brace is to prevent re-injury while you're working on strengthening it.


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I got a grade 1 lateral ankle sprain a week and 2 days ago, getting dropped in a stunt. Been going to pt, doing the ankle rehab exercises, and icing when I don't have class. The bruising is faded and down significantly (albeit still there) but the swelling above the foot/outer ankle is still fairly prominent. I've been using both an air cast (when I walk to class/any other part of the day) and an ASO brace for when I exercise.

However, I am able to use an elliptical and generally have no pain unless I accidentally brush it against something too hard or stretch it a little too far during a pt exercise. The brace barely fits in my Nike shoes, nevertheless my nfinities!

I asked my pt dr. yesterday if I can at least start jumping on a tramp/tumble tramp to see what that does. I feel like I can do it, but I don't want to push it. I already am noticing I am shying away from equal landing on general activity and want to fight that habit.

I am just nervous about going back into tumbling. I just got my double this summer, and was really starting to get confident before the injury. I don't want to get a mental block after this. (Coming from a very mental tumbler!) Ugh, any tips on returning strong?

I know a week doesn't sound awful, and I am very very happy with my progress and the fact that it could've been much worse! But I am just worried I am going to start loosing skills if I don't start up soon. But I know I need to take the time to recover correctly.

This weekend we had a comp, and all I did was dance... which was frustrating! I just am over it haha.

This is my last year in college, so I am glad I have winter break in a week to fully recover and spend the time with my tumbling/conditioning trainer from home.

From those with experience, roughly how long did it take to land airborne skills on floor? (We are lucky and practice/compete/exhibition on spring floor.)
 
I got a grade 1 lateral ankle sprain a week and 2 days ago, getting dropped in a stunt. Been going to pt, doing the ankle rehab exercises, and icing when I don't have class. The bruising is faded and down significantly (albeit still there) but the swelling above the foot/outer ankle is still fairly prominent. I've been using both an air cast (when I walk to class/any other part of the day) and an ASO brace for when I exercise.

However, I am able to use an elliptical and generally have no pain unless I accidentally brush it against something too hard or stretch it a little too far during a pt exercise. The brace barely fits in my Nike shoes, nevertheless my nfinities!

I asked my pt dr. yesterday if I can at least start jumping on a tramp/tumble tramp to see what that does. I feel like I can do it, but I don't want to push it. I already am noticing I am shying away from equal landing on general activity and want to fight that habit.

I am just nervous about going back into tumbling. I just got my double this summer, and was really starting to get confident before the injury. I don't want to get a mental block after this. (Coming from a very mental tumbler!) Ugh, any tips on returning strong?

I know a week doesn't sound awful, and I am very very happy with my progress and the fact that it could've been much worse! But I am just worried I am going to start loosing skills if I don't start up soon. But I know I need to take the time to recover correctly.

This weekend we had a comp, and all I did was dance... which was frustrating! I just am over it haha.

This is my last year in college, so I am glad I have winter break in a week to fully recover and spend the time with my tumbling/conditioning trainer from home.

From those with experience, roughly how long did it take to land airborne skills on floor? (We are lucky and practice/compete/exhibition on spring floor.)
Cp's orthopedist always said that she was ready to return from an ankle injury (and she had had several including a bone bruise the sprain was so bad) when she could comfortably hop on that foot 5-10 times in a row without any pain at all.
 
My kids all have weak ankles.
Former-cp had a recurring ankle injury that was never given the time needed to heal properly, even with being in a boot for 4-6 weeks on 2 separate occasions. Wound up with 2 ankle surgeries about 8 months apart when she was 15 - one to clean out scar tissue and the second to shorten the tendons and ligaments which had been damaged from the chronic sprains.
Cp has badly sprained both ankles on different occasions. 6-8 weeks recovery which included PT 3x a week. Due to former-cp's experience, we err on the side of caution and she never resumes activity without full clearance. The orthopedist always says the true test to being ready to return is the ability to hop up and down on the injured ankle without any pain. She has also worn the ASO brace (which I agree with @AlwaysLearning is the best one) however tries to get herself out of it quickly otherwise feels she becomes dependent on it.
Good luck with the recovery and please give yourself the time to heal. I feel like coaches tend to rush athletes back into activities way too quickly after a sprain, when in reality a sprain often takes longer to heal than a fracture.
THIS.

Sprain=torn ligament.

Fracture=cracked or broken bone.

Damaged ligaments and cartilaginous tissues take longer to heal than osseous tissue (bone).
 
THIS.

Sprain=torn ligament.

Fracture=cracked or broken bone.

Damaged ligaments and cartilaginous tissues take longer to heal than osseous tissue (bone).
Or don't they heal the right way, especially when they go back too soon. The likelihood of re-injuring that ankle, knee, wrist, etc. is very high when it is still weak and the athlete is returning to an activity that involves repetitive use and motion. It sound terrible but I'd much rather hear something is broken than sprained. It will heal much faster and there's just less of a chance of re-injuring it.
 
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