28 days! And last night, I sprained my ankle.

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

I'm excited. 28 days till my trip to WDW, staying at the Poly (first time!) and... last night, in a frantic, panicked moment, I mis-stepped out of my front door and fell. Half of my foot landed on the "Welcome" mat and the other half? yeah... not so much. I fell on my side, but in the process twisted my ankle up pretty bad. It instantly swelled and this morning, there's already black and blue marks. (In case you're wondering why I was frantic/panicked/crazy/not paying attention- my indoor only cat got out of the house and I couldn't find her)

My point in posting this: How the heck do I continue my walking/jogging/training for WDW with a jacked up ankle?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. I've been steady on walking 1-3 miles a day, and right now, walking half a flight of stairs is agony.

Thanks in advance. :\

 

[JiminyandTink]

As someone who plays basketball, this has always been a fear of mine. In fact, I usually shut down all basketball in the two weeks prior to a trip (I've had enough ankle injuries over the years that I don't want to tempt fate).

Anyway, for now you just want to rest (I was also going to use the RICE analogy as well). Any training you do now would not be worth it, your goal right now is healing. 28 days is a good amount of time to heal if you rest and work back to health slowly, just don't try too much too quicly, it wont be worth it. You might want to bring an ankle brace with you to limit mobillity in case it starts acting up while your away, and remember to ice it if you start swelling after a day in th parks (you could always pack some of those instant cold ice packs that you squeeze to make cold).

Good luck with your healing and have a great trip.

 

[Hot Lava]

I have severely sprained my ankles a few times over the years. Every time, part of the advice was to also get back up on it as soon as possible. I am NOT saying go back to your training, but you maybe also shouldn't baby it with crutches too long either. Some RICE, yes, but lying around and staying off it completely for a long time, no.

I don't know if this is in the cards for you, but trying to get some physical therapy right now would be immensely helpful. They can start giving you appropriate exercise for it, as well as hit it with the electrode therapy and massage (helps healing). I really believe this would be your best bet for getting back up on your feet (HA! - literally) as much as possible before your trip.

From my experience, you will still have pain and swelling when at the park. I went to amusement parks 4 months after my last sprain (an extremely bad sprain). By the end of each day, I was in a pretty good amount of pain. At the end of each day (or the middle also, if you go for a rest), most definitely you should elevate and ice it. I also took a boatload of ibuprofen, but you would have to make sure that is appropriate for you and your current health situation.

Use a rowing machine for awhile. It'll still give you a good workout but won't bother your ankle. I hope you're completely healed by the time you leave!

I would think this would be really hard on the ankle. The motion of when you pull forward puts your ankle into a flexed position that I think would be very painful and may make things worse. Just my own personal opinion. *shrug*

 

[Uncle Remus]

Chop it off. Get a peg leg. Continuously ride Pirates of the Caribbean

 

[Nemo14]

I know from experience that a sprain can be a lot trickier to heal than a break. Don't baby it too much, but in the infamous words of my PT, DON'T OVERDO IT!

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

Thanks again, everyone!

I am not on crutches... I'm one of those stubborn people who refuses to be babied and doted on, and the crutches would cause too much doting for my liking, lol

I'm able to walk on it, but I have been keeping it up and iced a lot. Walking sucks, but its not impossible, and due to where my job is, walking is a must- the parking garage is about 9 blocks from my office here in lovely Pittsburgh- but luckily there's a few places along the way that I can stop and sit for a few. I'm used to walking this distance in 7 minutes... now its taking me about a half hour.

I'm getting PT through my boss, who has been doing alot of stretching and adjusting my ankle. It's helping. It hurts! But its a good hurt.

I'm probably going to have a brace or at least an ace banadage wrapped around the ankle for my trip. I've already made the necessary switches to shoes, since my sneakers that I bought specifically for this trip (and have been breaking in since February) are way too tight for the swollen ankle... I have a back up pair.

Is there any where in Disney that sells ice packs? Or would I look totally stupid asking for a cup of ice and a baggie? :\ Although to be honest, I'm kinda past the i-look-stupid phase...

 

[Figgy1]

Thanks again, everyone!

I am not on crutches... I'm one of those stubborn people who refuses to be babied and doted on, and the crutches would cause too much doting for my liking, lol

I'm able to walk on it, but I have been keeping it up and iced a lot. Walking sucks, but its not impossible, and due to where my job is, walking is a must- the parking garage is about 9 blocks from my office here in lovely Pittsburgh- but luckily there's a few places along the way that I can stop and sit for a few. I'm used to walking this distance in 7 minutes... now its taking me about a half hour.

I'm getting PT through my boss, who has been doing alot of stretching and adjusting my ankle. It's helping. It hurts! But its a good hurt.

I'm probably going to have a brace or at least an ace banadage wrapped around the ankle for my trip. I've already made the necessary switches to shoes, since my sneakers that I bought specifically for this trip (and have been breaking in since February) are way too tight for the swollen ankle... I have a back up pair.

Is there any where in Disney that sells ice packs? Or would I look totally stupid asking for a cup of ice and a baggie? :\ Although to be honest, I'm kinda past the i-look-stupid phase...

Good luck and bring a box of zip locks for your ice that way you will always have a bag and they don't leak!

 

[Poofiesdream]

Thanks again, everyone!

I am not on crutches... I'm one of those stubborn people who refuses to be babied and doted on, and the crutches would cause too much doting for my liking, lol

I'm able to walk on it, but I have been keeping it up and iced a lot. Walking sucks, but its not impossible, and due to where my job is, walking is a must- the parking garage is about 9 blocks from my office here in lovely Pittsburgh- but luckily there's a few places along the way that I can stop and sit for a few. I'm used to walking this distance in 7 minutes... now its taking me about a half hour.

I'm getting PT through my boss, who has been doing alot of stretching and adjusting my ankle. It's helping. It hurts! But its a good hurt.

I'm probably going to have a brace or at least an ace banadage wrapped around the ankle for my trip. I've already made the necessary switches to shoes, since my sneakers that I bought specifically for this trip (and have been breaking in since February) are way too tight for the swollen ankle... I have a back up pair.

Is there any where in Disney that sells ice packs? Or would I look totally stupid asking for a cup of ice and a baggie? :\ Although to be honest, I'm kinda past the i-look-stupid phase...

Go to any first aid station and they will give you an ice pack while in the parks.

 

[Hot Lava]

I'm getting PT through my boss, who has been doing alot of stretching and adjusting my ankle. It's helping. It hurts! But its a good hurt.

I would say in addition to this, you need the exercises that an actual PT would give you. Based on my own personal experience, it is invaluable to healing. It is a lot more than what you described you are doing with your boss.

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

I'm glad your ankle is not broken. I'm sure that is a relief. Now that you know you are ok, did your cat come back?
!

Thanks! Yes- well, kinda. The cat got out because my boyfriend forgot to slide the screen over when he opened the bedroom window (for the first time this year- YAY fresh air!!) and she jumped out. She's an indoor only cat and shakes like a leaf when I pick her up and carry her outside, let alone being out by herself. I saw her and tried to grab her, but she ran... long story short, she hid for hours, my boyfriend stayed up to listen for the bells on her collar. Around 3 AM he heard her outside on the deck, ran out and grabbed her, brought her back inside.

Aside from being filthy and scared, she's OK. Safe, back in the house, and back to rubbing against my black slacks before leaving for work in the morning with her white body. I fell and hurt my ankle around 1:30 in the morning, the boyfriend stayed up and got her in around 3. It was a wild night. :\

Pretty sure I heard her snickering at me trying to shower last night, with a plastic bag duct taped around my leg so the athletic tape and wrapping wouldn't get wet on my ankle.

 

[bubbles1812]

I would say in addition to this, you need the exercises that an actual PT would give you. Based on my own personal experience, it is invaluable to healing. It is a lot more than what you described you are doing with your boss.

@Soarin' Over Pgh
This. No offense to your chiropractor boss, because I do think his profession certainly has a place, but at the same time he did not go to school and get trained for 4 years in physical therapy. What the PT does and chiropractor do may seem similar but I'm guessing they are not fully the same. If you want the best for your ankle/trip, I'd suggest the PT too.

 

[luv]

I know from experience that a sprain can be a lot trickier to heal than a break. Don't baby it too much, but in the infamous words of my PT, DON'T OVERDO IT!

I broke mine and had muscle damage. The break was better before the muscle was!

And then, just when it was better, I decided to go to Sea World with my sister and her kids...and I ended up back on the crutches.

Don't overdo it!!

 

[Soarin' Over Pgh]

UPDATE!

19 days to go.

The ankle is doing MUCH better... and I can do about a mile before it starts hurting. I'm not pushing it- but I'm also not keen on the "rest all the time" thing either.. I'm kinda stubborn. :\

I've had a lot of PT and with athletic tape, it's really coming along nicely.

However, every evening I AM keeping it up, and iced for a bit. By the end of the day it does hurt... but it's feeling better.

Thanks again for your advice, guys and gals!

 

[Tiggerfanatic]

Glad to hear you're doing better, and equally glad to hear your kitty is OK, too. We have an indoor only kitty, and it's pure bedlam when she manages to slip past someone to get out - and we live on 100 acres!

Take care of yourself - only 135 days 'til our Girls' Cruise!