 Poster: A snowHead
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I have a ski trip booked in 4 weeks' time. I sprained my ankle playing football last night.
Is there any hope for recovery? I imagine the biggest problem will be getting my foot into a ski boot.
I also wondered whether this might now be the time to try snowboarding, given the boot should be more comfortable? But I wasn't sure about the lack of protection in a snowboarding boot and whether the mechanics of snowboarding might actually be worse for a sprained ankle?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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As a backup, does the resort allow snow scooters
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Yes. Bowls of water with ice, and physio asap.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Sonmi451, depends on the level of sprain, as you will still be putting a hell of a lot of stress through your foot on a snowboard. If you're a beginner then I'd wage that you'll be spending a lot of time on your butt and that puts stress through the lower leg and the ankle when you're trying to get upright.
A ski boot is probably going to offer more support and less flex, but the challenge is how your skiing is affected by the ankle.
I'd deffo be icing and doing what a physio recommends to get the ankle in some sort of shape.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sat 3-01-26 21:15; edited 2 times in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Not ice! No longer the protocol. Alternate hot and cold water in the shower increases blood flow and repair. No NSAIDS - which are now shown to inhibit repair
https://www.weaverphysio.com/the-hidden-impact-of-nsaids-on-tissue-healing
I helped a skiing friend with dropped foot from a severed peronial nerve and while getting a ski boot on was painful it offered really good support whilst skiing. I would try some ski boots very soon in uk and see how you get on.
Re recovery time - muscle loss happens within days so start mobility as soon as possible without pain including flexion exercises and lifted mild weights with the foot, or resistance training against a low table whilst sitting next to it….
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I sprained my ankle very badly some months ago. Not only was it very swollen, it also had a limited range of movement. The main treatment advocated in my internet searches seemed to be rest and elevation. No way could I have contemplated skiing or boarding after 4 weeks. By that time my entire foot, including the toes, as well as the ankle was bruised blue, turning green. Boarding calls for a wider range of ankle movement than skiing, I reckon - especially when standing up onto the back edge (which one does a lot as a beginner!!)
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Thanks for all the replies. Fingers and toes (but not ankles) crossed that it's a relatively light sprain.
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@Sonmi451, is it still swollen? You need to get the swelling down, not least because that's the only way you're getting your boots on. When I sprained mine, I was given a hard plastic support and told to use my leg as normal. I wore the support a couple of times, but it was annoying so I stopped. Stuff like walking on uneven terrain is good for feet and ankle injuries – a walk in the woods or something, doesn't have to be extreme. Those balance board thingys are good too, just don't fall off and hurt something else!
When I broke my ankle (the other one!), I was allowed to ski immediately after cast removal, so six weeks, but told not to snowboard because the boots aren't supportive enough. Skiing after a sprain was fine once the swelling had gone, because the boot does all the work. I can't remember how long it was between injury (sprain) and skiing, but I think only about 3 weeks. I don't remember needing any painkillers, I don't usually bother for minor injuries.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Scarlet wrote: |
@Sonmi451, is it still swollen? You need to get the swelling down, not least because that's the only way you're getting your boots on. When I sprained mine, I was given a hard plastic support and told to use my leg as normal. I wore the support a couple of times, but it was annoying so I stopped. Stuff like walking on uneven terrain is good for feet and ankle injuries – a walk in the woods or something, doesn't have to be extreme. Those balance board thingys are good too, just don't fall off and hurt something else!
When I broke my ankle (the other one!), I was allowed to ski immediately after cast removal, so six weeks, but told not to snowboard because the boots aren't supportive enough. Skiing after a sprain was fine once the swelling had gone, because the boot does all the work. I can't remember how long it was between injury (sprain) and skiing, but I think only about 3 weeks. I don't remember needing any painkillers, I don't usually bother for minor injuries. |
Thanks so much - that's given me hope! I have a compression support on it. It's still swollen. I've sprained the other ankle a couple.of times; once it was out of action for months, another time I seem to think it was around 4 weeks before I felt comfortable cycling. I'm hoping this is a lighter sprain and that I might just be OK for skiing. I've been really looking forward to it after a tough year.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Good luck, @Sonmi451, 
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@Sonmi451, You should be able to ski in a month, but you need to put a bit of work in before you go. Have you actually seen a doctor/A&E/minor injuries clinic/physio for some advice? If not, think about doing that so you know what you're dealing with. Tell them about your trip so you can get tailored advice. Pay a physio if you need to. Read the advice on the NHS website to get the swelling down, and work on some exercises.
Long term, sprains can take ages to fully heal, until it stops twinging and you recover full range of motion. But you'll heal enough to live normally without it really bothering you within a few weeks, just continue to do your physio long after your ski trip.
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks
| valais2 wrote: |
Yep
Many - some meta-analyses
Soft tissue as well as fractures
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666638324004936 Conclusion Long-term (chronic) NSAID use is associated with an increased incidence of rotator cuff tendon tears at the 1- and 2-year follow-up periods in adult patients, particularly those in the 46-55 age range. Not quite sure that supports your assertion?
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2770552/#:~:text=NSAID%20may%20also%20negatively%20affect,as%20control%20of%20vascular%20flow. Further investigation is urgently needed to disseminate the double-edged properties of prostaglandins in tendon healing before we could advocate the use of NSAIDs for chronic or acute tendon injuries. - We doubt that the unchecked use of NSAIDs may exert negative effects when prescribed to tendinopathy patients. Nicely written paper. More evidence required.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38529297/ In clinical studies, nonselective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors and selective COX-2 inhibitors did not cause a significant increase in failure of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions or meniscal repairs with NSAID administration pre-, peri-, or post-operatively in comparison to placebo or no NSAID administration. and Conclusions: Animal studies on postoperative NSAID use after knee surgery suggest that administration of selective and nonselective COX-2 inhibitors may impair healing of soft tissue, bone and tendon-to-bone; however, further clinical studies are needed to better characterize dose and duration dependent risks of NSAIDs. I appreciate that I've selectively quoted
https://surgicoll.scholasticahq.com/article/124986-the-association-of-nsaid-use-and-risk-of-adverse-fracture-healing-a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis The current literature suggests that the use of NSAIDs after a fracture interferes with timely post-fracture bone healing, especially among adults. But 1. bone healing not soft tissue healing and 2. worth reading the discussion.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-57215-y Very interesting, but bone healing and a small, mouse study. As opposed to a study of small mice.
Etc |
I'm still thinking that you made a very ballsy and a bold statement and I'm not seeing a lot of hard evidence (but in fairness, a lot of "more research required", which is what we want to see. Ethics committees might be tricky?).
Frankly, and as I alluded a couple of days ago, paracetamol alone doesn't work for me and if I'm being advised to get mobile and need analgesia, I'll reach for the ibuprofen. Again.
As an anecdote, I had a heart valve repair 2 years ago (amazingly, laparoscopically with endoscopic ultrasound guidance, quite astonishing work) and my post-morphine regime was alternate paracetamol and ketoprofen. I can't believe that the NSAID would have been included if there was any worry about soft tissue repair.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| valais2 wrote: |
Not ice! No longer the protocol. Alternate hot and cold water in the shower increases blood flow and repair. No NSAIDS - which are now shown to inhibit repair
https://www.weaverphysio.com/the-hidden-impact-of-nsaids-on-tissue-healing
I helped a skiing friend with dropped foot from a severed peronial nerve and while getting a ski boot on was painful it offered really good support whilst skiing. I would try some ski boots very soon in uk and see how you get on.
Re recovery time - muscle loss happens within days so start mobility as soon as possible without pain including flexion exercises and lifted mild weights with the foot, or resistance training against a low table whilst sitting next to it…. |
Yes ice. Covered by NHS and Harvard.
Worked for me with two different episodes of badly sprained ankle, along with rehab through a physio.
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Poster: A snowHead
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You don't want to be snowboarding with a sprained ankle as your foot does move around in the boot.
Good luck with the injury, I go into safe mode when I have a trip coming up 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you can get to a really good physio and osteo path they may be able to get the swelling down so you can get your foot in the boot. The boot should give you good support.
I did mine 1 week before going on a 2 week ski tour. Managed to see the physio for the Norwich foot ball team in the morning and an osteo path in the afternoon, I was showed how to tape by the physio. I had 2 lots of treatment, by the end of the week I could get my boot on and managed the 2 weeks ski touring in arctic Norway. Good luck.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Not sure about an ankle sprain, but many years a go I cracked a bone in a foot 36 hours before a ski holiday. I heard the crack so knew I'd damaged something. Cycled home from work. I was limping around the house the next morning, and ignored my wifes advice to go to A+E as I knew they wouldn't let me go skiing. My ski boot made a wonderful cast so had no problem skiing. Getting the boot on and off was uncomfortable and needed a friend to hold it wide open.
So it really depends on how much you want to ski or cancel the holiday and your perception of the risk of potentially aggravating the ankle. I occasionally get a bit of discomfort from my ankle still. Would I do it again, yes, if I can weight bare on it I can ski. But potentially your insurance wont cover an existing injury if you make it worse while out there.
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