Recovering from an ankle injury

[Smokey56]

Hi guys,

I'm new here. Thanks for letting me in.

I'm a 57 year old recreational free skier. Last May I was edging back across the wake after an onside turn and I somehow leaned a little too far against the boat and fell down. I can't explain what happened immediately after that, but when I came up for air I knew my (LFF) ankle was destroyed. I was right. I snapped the bottom tip of the tibia (the medial malleolus) clean off and severely sprained I think every one of the hundreds of tendons and ligaments in my ankle. I ended up having surgery to put screws in to put the bone back together.

So now what? I've been in intense therapy since and still having a hard time balancing or taking any stress on the bad ankle. But I am starting to think more about getting ready for next season including a change in equipment. I was riding an HO ASX with double Venom lace up boots, and I now realize I had the boots laced way too tight. I sure wish someone had told me not to do that. Now I'm thinking I don't want back in them at all. After reading through a lot of the discussions here, I am thinking the Reflex system might be the best way to avoid a repeat. I am also interested in checking out the Connelly Stealth.

Any suggestions?

Thanks again.

[RLW]

Sorry to hear about your injury. I have some experience as I have broken both my ankles skiing in the past and I do orthopedics for a living. Without knowing the specifics of your injury, I can tell you that ankle injuries may take up to a year before you reach maximal improvement depending on the severity. On a personal note, one of my ankles took about 9 months for the swelling and soreness to go away. If you feel like you are not progressing with rehab and still not able to balance or stress the ankle, it may be worthwhile to get a 2nd opinion evaluation from an orthopedic foot and ankle specialist.

 

As far as bindings go, there have been many threads on this site regarding injuries with many different binding systems. I don't think any systems are foolproof. As you have already figured out, the most important thing for any releasable system (lace-up or mechanical release) is to make sure it's not too tight. Good luck with your recovery.

[Waternut]

Agreed that all bindings have their weaknesses. You've got all winter though so don't jump the gun on anything. Do lots of research and reading on here as there is a lot of good information. Some bindings are notorious for really really bad injuries but can help prevent other injuries. So at the end of the day, you need to weigh the pros and cons for yourself. Then when you've decided on one binding, try to find some negative reviews on those bindings and figure out why and if that's something you should be concerned with.

[Smokey56]

I had a clean break of the medial malleolus about an inch up from the bottom. It was reset with two screws in from the bottom. Standard procedure from what I can tell. All the connective tissue was injured too, but the one still bothering me most is the tibialis posterior tendon. That means it's hard to flex up on my toes. Plus the fast twitch muscles are still atrophied. And yes, swelling. There's also a nerve tear apparently on top of the joint and the top of my big toe is numb. I have heard the one year projection from everyone. It's coming along slowly, but I occasionally push too hard and aggravate it and have to back off. Cycling, elliptical, and stair stepping seem helpful. And I just started rowing again. That's feeling pretty good.

Thanks for your input.

[MattP]

@smokey56 ah another rower. Welcome. Sorry to hear about your injury. @Waternut and @RLW have pretty much summed it up. Do a lot of research this winter which you are in the right place for that and weigh all your options before making a decision.

[Smokey56]

I'm in Huntington Beach so I can get on the water in Long Beach any time. I am kinda thinking about starting up slow in about Feb and getting out there for regular workouts and demo'ing a lot of set ups before making a big investment. Not sure how that Reflex is going to be available for demo though. No dealer around here.

[RLW]

I'm not sure, but you may be able to demo the Reflex at the Mapple Performance Center if you want to make a trip.

[Smokey56]

A question on the Stealth, Reflex and Powershell "Velcro" setups as compared to conventional rubber: Would it be correct to say that with either of those setups, you can maintain a snug boot but by adjusting the tension on the boot/plate attachments you can still meter the degree of safety? Whereas with a rubber boot the only way to make it safer is to loosen the boot?

[RLW]

The Stealth is the newer version of the old Fogman system. It has a mechanical release that can be adjusted by turning a set screw. It has to be mounted very precisely to allow for adjustment.

[cragginshred]

I plan to do an ankle video soon from the PT clinic.

[ral]

Post Tibial is a PITA...

 

One of the good things about harshells is that you so not put stress on your ankle while putting it on. When i got back from a 3 month break after a Post Tibial injury, I move to a Reflex because doc would not allow me to put on a rubber binding

[hammerski]

Same break here, right foot, rff. Lot's of fun tendon damage with a torn achilles that healed long which caused my calf to not work. After seeing the head of foot and ankle at U/W and him telling me, "what do you want to do?" uh, run again? He then said "Sorry, that's not going to happen in this lifetime" What an arrogant dork. Next I got referred to Dr. Scott Woll at rebound orthopedic in Portland. He's a team surgeon for the trailblazers. He took one look at the mri and said, "yep, I can fix it, I've got several nba players playing with the same injury" He did a great job, I've been working it out and it's coming back nice and strong now. I can't wait to ski this year! If you're in the pnw and have ankle issues, Dr. Woll is one amazing surgeon! ps, now using power shells. fyi, if you're using rubber boots, be sure to put vaseline in the heel. My binding would have released and I could have bypassed a whole lot of trouble and rehab!

[kevingunther]

yup, amazing how fragile the ankle is, and once you roll it once badly it seems to keep doing it. If I do my daily stretches and range of motion I notice the difference, it's just so boring to keep up with, but beats the alternative of a major injury requiring surgery. Can also look into getting a quality ankle brace to stabilize it...granted it might be putting a temporary solution in place but any relief is worth it. Got surgery on my other knee so really trying to avoid having to stay off the water too long.

[rockdog]

You might Stealths are a little harder to find also, out of production.

[skee]

Smokey56 I feel for you man. At 60 years old I tipped the 3 ball and stuffed it badly. Had just tightened my boot (Vector) "a little extra" for what I thought would may be my PB. Malleolus fracture and one very "screwed up left ankle". Surgery, wicked swelling,permanent discoloration. Ankle kind of looks like it should be on a horse, if you know what I mean.

It's been a year and a half and the plate, cable and all screws are out except one that got buried in the tibia. I snow skied at 6 months and water skied at 9 months. I have switched to a Reflex with RTP binding set up. A couple of pros have mentioned it ias one of the safest set ups. I have "tested it" a number of times and feel good about the releases.

I know what's going on in your head. It's tough to get back on the pain plank after such a significant injury but if you keep at the strength and flexibility workouts it will get better. Just takes longer for us at our age.

Btw I still get a little swelling and stiffness at 18 months out. It is to be expected.

[parkerc2112]

Not to beat a dead horse but I too broke front foot ankle(rt) 3months ago(surgery) almost 8 months after a 3rd degree sprain. Changed from rubber to reflex and have stuffed the the tip a couple of times since. Reflex Achilles strap doesn't allow hyperflexion and releases as designed. Two injuries loss of work and insurance would pay for a new boat. Ugh

[skihard]

I'm sitting here today with a broken right foot not from a ski related injury. Won't go into how I broke it that would be another thread!

 

I wear Radar Stradas after injuring my right ankle (back foot as I ski LFF) twice a couple years back with HO Approach bindings. One time severe enough to cost me most of my ski season when we still lived in the Great White North.

 

In saying that I have crashed a few times significantly enough in my Stradas where my liners and myself leave the ski. It's a good feeling.

 

I'm 3 weeks away from getting back on the water currently but know when I do I'm not going to be worried about whether or not my bindings are going to be the cause of another injury or not?

 

Plus they are way more cost effective than the Reflex system which leaves me more money for boat gas and after skiing beers! :)