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Broken ankle and recovery

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    • #18636
      AvatarKgil
      Participant

      This is not a race report, but rather input on how your training plans have allowed me to quickly come back from injury.

      I broke my ankle while training for Breck Epic in mid May. My fibula suffered a bad break, while my tibia had a lesser break. I wish I could say I was railing the trails when it happened, but like many accidents, I was going slow and ready to call it a day due to slick trails. The tires slid out. The bike went one way and I went the other with my foot still clipped in. Ouch. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground and not getting up too quickly.

      I had surgery about 5 days after the break and the surgeon said I could get back on the trainer about 2 weeks after surgery, if I felt up to it and only for a few minutes. It wasn’t long after that I was doing 45 minutes to an hour on the trainer. The doctor felt that I could avoid PT if I rode a bike, as the cycling motion would help regain normal function.

      After about another 2-3 weeks, he said I could get back on the road bike. The bone was still broken, but pins were holding it in. Potholes and bumps hurt and mtb’ing was out of the question…..but at least I could ride.

      I was riding up to 3 hours again end of June and got back on the mountain bike for the first time in Colorado over July 4th holiday. Maybe a bit ambitious, but it was so fun to get out. I had a checkup when I got back and follow up x-rays. When the doc reviewed them, his mouth just hit the floor. He said he’s never seen anyone come back from a break that bad that quickly.

      I may have pushed myself a bit, but I swear that if something hurt, I stopped doing it. It was a bummer to cancel Firecracker 50 in Breck, as well as Breck Epic. I could’ve ridden both, but I wasn’t in good enough shape to really enjoy them.

      The reason I’m telling you all this is because I think the reason I came back from this injury so quickly was because of your inclusion of weight training year round in your plans. I tell my friends who race about this part of the plan and they think I’m nuts. They’re maybe in the gym November through January/February, but that’s it. I try to tell them I’m not putting on much muscle, but I’m constantly worried about integrity of bones, ligaments and tendons, which gets worse as I approach 50 (I’m 48 years old).

      Anyway, I thought you’d want to know how much your plans have worked aside from just racing.

      Cheers,

      Kevin G

      • This topic was modified 5 years ago by AvatarKgil.
    • #18647
      AvatarLynda
      Keymaster

      Kevin,

      That’s a great report and valuable feedback on our training plans. Bummer to miss a season of racing but congrats on your speedy recovery. You are a healer!

      Thanks for taking the time to share your experience and story. I appreciate it.

      Coach Lynda

    • #19303
      AvatarDamian894
      Participant

      You should try the cannabis oil. I was in a serious pain on my ankle from biking as well. I have read many articles about medical marijuana and how it can help you in terms of chronic pain, bone injuries, eating disorder/anorexia, anxiety disorders and panic attacks, inflammation, even cancer and a lot more. Like this article about a marijuana strain from http://www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com/early-miss/. Cbd and thc are also new to me and I don’t even smoke. Alternatively, they’ve also found new ways to infuse cannabis on food and beverages.

    • #19310
      AvatarLynda
      Keymaster

      Thanks for your input!

      Coach Lynda

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