High Ankle Sprain--how bad is it, and when can i ski again?
Hi all,
I'm at one week from hurting my ankle telemarking at the Heav. I caught my inside edge skiing some steep bumps and felt a pop in my ankle, then immediate severe pain. I was able to get my shit together and ski/sideslip/patroller turn my way down the rest of the run (Gunbarrel) and to the base. It hurt a lot initially, but the pain quickly subsided. There has been almost no swelling. I iced it a good bit the first couple of days.
I'm poor and uninsured, so naturally I refused treatment at the clinic. Based on my research online I've pretty much diagnosed it as a high ankle sprain. Much of what i've read is really scary--months of inactivity and potential arthritis later in life! Shit.
So here's my condition now, after 7 days: I can walk without a limp. Descending stairs is still not great. I tried running a little yesterday and it hurt moderately and i limped a bit, but i could sort of do it. I can flex my foot forward and backward and can stand on it with my full weight with no pain. Normal ankle rolling does not hurt at all (I can stand with nearly my full weight on the outside edge of my foot). It hurts like a BITCH when i try to externally rotate it, though. A couple of times in the last week (I haven't exactly been staying on the sofa) i've caught it wrongly and the pain has been quite bad, but it fades quickly and seems to keep improving. 2 days ago i skate skied (nordic) for about 90 minutes with almost no pain.
Have I allowed the internet prognositcators to freak me out, or is this really a pretty minor version of a high ankle sprain? Should i get serious about immobilizing it and just be patient, or should i allow the pain to be my guide and keep doing my normal shit as much as possible? I'm jonesing to get out and tele, naturally, but i could probably entertain myself with skate skiing for a few weeks if necessary.
Thanks in advance!
ride bikes, climb, ski, travel, cook, work to fund former, repeat.
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