There are a ton of hiking trails out here in northern California. My wife and I usually go hiking at least once a week as a way to enjoy the great outdoors and fresh air. My wife twisted and broke her ankle at the last part of a hike a few weeks ago. Luckily it was only a few hundred feet away from our house, so we were able to get home quickly.
But she didn’t let it stop her
As a physical therapist, I was able to quickly evaluate the severity of the injury and establish a plan of action. She most likely fractured the distal portion of her fibula, so we stabilized her ankle using RockTape. For a few days she didn’t do much walking, in fact, I helped out with cooking the majority of dinners that week. But when she started to feel a little better and was able to bear weight through the foot, we started doing small walks. First throughout the house, then to the mailbox, and longer after that. She also started doing workouts with me in our garage. She didn’t do everything that I had planned (jumping, lunging, pushups). We had a way for her to get her back to activity without irritating her ankle.
The road to recovery
She didn’t completely stop exercising. In fact, with the weight bearing on her foot plus the stability provided by the tape, she recovered a lot faster than expected. She’s still not 100% prior to injury, but we’ve made some really great progress. Yesterday, we went for a hike, and aside from being slightly achy and sore, she was happy to be outside on the trails again.
Injuries aren’t fun at all. It can be scary to return back to the activities that you love (especially when they were the activities that hurt you). But the truth is, you can get back into doing pretty much everything you want to do. It’s not going to be an easy road, but with the proper guidance and help, you’ll be on your way.
Keep pushing forward
Injuries don’t have to completely stop you from being active. You just need to find a way to modify and work around the current injury as you heal. Don’t worry, you’ll be back at it sooner than you think.
So start thinking about ways that you can work around your injuries, or old “aches and pains”. You’ll be surprised at how much you can do. If you’re having a hard time figuring out how to navigate it, book a call today. I’d be happy to help.
Dr. Ashley Mak, PT, DPT, CSCS
