Ankle injury

[Bob McCaw]

I hope to hike the AT in 2005, but I'm concerned about an ankle I broke about two years ago. I sometimes still feel some soreness when I get up in the morning, and I'm afraid that the stress of a long distance hike will cause the ankle to flare up at some point.

Has anyone hiked the trail after such an injury? Any advice on how to prevent problems, or perhaps a good web site for reference?

TIA for help.

[Rain Man]

I hope to hike the AT in 2005, but I'm concerned about an ankle I broke about two years ago. ...
Has anyone hiked the trail after such an injury? Any advice on how to prevent problems, or perhaps a good web site for reference?

I'm sure you'll hear this, and get other good advice... but use trekking poles.

Rain Man

[ganj]

I would take a look here
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cy...ylist.htm#foot

Maybe some running website would be of some help. Off the top of my head, I would think that some strength and conditioning exercises would greatly help out.

[highway]

I hope to hike the AT in 2005, but I'm concerned about an ankle I broke about two years ago. I sometimes still feel some soreness when I get up in the morning..

TIA for help.

Best therapy is to use it, as much as you can, and hiking is perfect exercise for the healed ankle. If you only feel soreness, and not pain each morning, you are fortunate. And, the more you use it, the longer you may keep arthritis from one day affecting the damaged joint.

[Blue Jay]

I smashed my left ankle between my Harley and a Toyota. Each step hurt, let alone trying to carry a pack. Walking, running, biking all strengthen the foot in a front to back, up and down motion. They do nothing for the side to side torsion of hiking with a pack (sorry highway). I went to an arena football orthopedic doctor. He told me to do step aerobics. It felt awkward looking like a fool at first, stumbling around in a class full of women. But he was right, my lifetime of weak ankles is over.

[gravityman]

I broke both my ankles in a climbing accident (hit a ledge on while taking a lead fall of about 5 feet). One ankle was broken at the talus. The other other evultion factures where the ligiments pulled the bone off. Both are sore in the mornings when I try to walk on them. However, they never felt better than when I was walking that AT for 3 months. The soreness was there in town (I don't know why that was, but it seems that everyone limps in town) but out on the trail they never bothered me. I was worried 'cause it had happened less than a year before I started.
Step aerobics sounds like good advice. The physical therapy that i went through was standing on something that looked like the pogo ball or a pillow while the trainer threw a basket ball at me. This strengthed the muscles need for balance. Also had some exercises using a resistance band.

Gravity Man

[Bob McCaw]

Thank you all for your input. Hearing from people with similar experiences definitely adds to my confidence.

The sports injury site suggested by ganj is terrific, BTW. I won't bore you with the details of my injury, but the information on the site enabled me to figure out exactly which tendon/ligament was giving me the ongoing trouble and how best to avoid further problems. [Nothing my doctor hadn't already told me, but it's always good to hear it from another source.]

Hope to see you out on the trail in 2005.

[Kerosene]

I went through physical therapy for my chronic Achilles tendonitis. After the typical toe-ups and ther-a-band exercises, the most challenging yet simple exercise to strengthen my ankles was to stand on an uneven surface, close my eyes, and hold one leg forward, then to the side, then to the back for 30-60 seconds each. Closing those eyes makes it a whole lot harder to keep your balance.