AITFL/High Ankle Sprain + Fib Fracture

[PixarMom]

Has anyone here also dealt with an ankle sprain/high ankle sprain who could give me an idea of realistic recovery times?

I took a weird twisting fall on December 18, 2021 and was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, low ankle sprain, and an avulsion fracture of my fibula. The fracture is more or less healed, but i'm still dealing with pain from the high ankle sprain when my foot is rotated outwards, and skiing is out of the question.

I've been seeing a PT, but the timelines I've been hearing are pretty variable. Got a big trip in late march, and I'm hoping to be able to throw down, which will be about 10-11 weeks post injury. Anyone have a similar injury with an idea of their recovery timeline?

[TNThor]

Everyone recovers differently; that's why your testing variable timelines. I I've had ankle sprains that months and a dislocation+tib/fib that I'm still trying to rehab. Listen to your PT and, most importantly, listen to your body. You'll know if you're ready to go

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[joeshek]

Not exactly what you're describing, but similar - had a weird twsiting fall after catching a shark, and was diagnosed with an ankle sprain.

After a year of PT, I still didn't trust the ankle at all, and I wound up with a nasty case of peroneal tendonitis from those tendons and muscles doing double time. Ended up going to a couple orthos, each of whom concluded 1) I had dislocated and torn my ATFL and CFL, 2) I'd actually fractured in my talus, and 3) in one short year, I'd gotten to work on growing a bone spur from the joint being so loose.


That said, I was able to go at at least 80% on a big trip (skiing) I had ~10 weeks after the initial injury, though I'm sure that did not help with the long term situation...

[Idyllwild]

Hey post was in feb so hopefully the march trip is on!

yea variable timelines based on a list of factors- hard to tell without specifics.

How bad were the sprains? Grade? Previous injuries before this to the area? What did the mri say?

Age? Genetics? Diabetic? General blood sugar levels Thyroid issues? Autoimmune disorders? Hormone balances or imbalances? Cortisol?

Doing anything to inhibit your healing? Smoker? weed and thc vapes also inhibit healing. Alcohol inhibits nutrient absorption.

vitamin I or celebrex? Other meds?

Hydration status? Nutrition? Vitamins c and d critical for rebuilding tendons and ligaments.
Clean/lean protein with lots of vegetables? Or burgers and pizza and some beers after skiing?

How’s your sleep? Actually recovering or just surviving?

How’s the RICE recovery regime?
For the lower extremities- elevation is super crucial. Get a Amazon leg pillow and post up and elevate whenever you are chilling for a few.

How’s your PT? Your Compliance?
Regular schedule and are you progressing?

Just some things I think about on the recovery wheel of life