Ankle Sprain, Slow Recovery, Feeling Down

[over4]

Hello everyone,

 

I've been a vegan for about 5 years now. My diet consist of a big smoothie everyday (veg/fruit/protein) and some quinoa/beans/sweet-potato/etc for calories. I also take Deva multi-vitamin 4 times a week.

 

I felt great until I recently hurt my ankle - doctor said sprain + inflammation. The doctor said I should recover in 3-4 weeks. It's been 4 weeks and I feel much better but still not 100%. I can't run/yoga/etc yet but I can walk around.

 

Please give me some nutrition advice and recovery tips - feeling really down and need to recover to quickly to get back in the gym. Should've recovered by now. Please help, seriously need it.

[jamesxvx]

Everyone recovers differently. I mean I tore a tendon in my ankle last summer and was out for two weeks. You can't rush stuff like that, you'll end up hurting yourself again if you do.

 

Get plenty of rest and eat right.

[Kora]

Hello everyone,

 

I've been a vegan for about 5 years now. My diet consist of a big smoothie everyday (veg/fruit/protein) and some quinoa/beans/sweet-potato/etc for calories. I also take Deva multi-vitamin 4 times a week.

 

I felt great until I recently hurt my ankle - doctor said sprain + inflammation. The doctor said I should recover in 3-4 weeks. It's been 4 weeks and I feel much better but still not 100%. I can't run/yoga/etc yet but I can walk around.

 

Please give me some nutrition advice and recovery tips - feeling really down and need to recover to quickly to get back in the gym. Should've recovered by now. Please help, seriously need it.

 

Don't rush the injury, let it heal solid. You can however train around the injury. Find a way to work the muscles that aren't injured. It can actually help boost the recovery time of your ankle and it would give you something to focus on, keep you moving forward. There is a lot you could do to work around an ankle injury. You can still do upper body work. I personally enjoy the hand bikes at my gym for upper body work and rowing with just the upper body ect.. Ofcoarse you need to find something that fits your style & needs for training.

[over4]

@ jamesxvx

 

2 weeks to heal is incredible. The doctor told me 3-4 weeks. I am at 4 weeks and still not feeling 100%. Any specific foods you ate or exercises you did or any tips that helped out?

 

@ Kora

 

I can work around the injury but I truly am miserable without my previous routine, that was like 2 hours daily and I loved it. Any tips to speed up recovery?

[Kora]

@ jamesxvx

 

2 weeks to heal is incredible. The doctor told me 3-4 weeks. I am at 4 weeks and still not feeling 100%. Any specific foods you ate or exercises you did or any tips that helped out?

 

@ Kora

 

I can work around the injury but I truly am miserable without my previous routine, that was like 2 hours daily and I loved it. Any tips to speed up recovery?

 

https://www.sportsmed.org/uploadedFiles/Content/Patient/Sports_Tips/ST%20Ankle%20Sprains%2008.pdf

 

Initial care is the same as for all

other acute injuries: RICE (Rest, Ice,

Compression, and Elevation). Use ice

for 20 to 30 minutes each hour. Do not

put the ice directly on the skin because

it can cause frostbite. Wrap the ice in

a wet towel or cloth to protect the

skin. See a physician if you are unable

to bear weight or if the ankle fails to

improve within several days.

 

HOW SHOULD I

REHABILITATE MY ANKLE?

Rehabilitation can begin a few

days after the injury, when the

swelling starts to go down.

There are three goals to

aim forin rehabilitation

lean forward with your hands on the

wall, bend the front leg while keeping the back leg straight and both

heels on the floor. Lean forward

until you feel a gentle stretch, and

hold for 10 seconds. Switch legs

and repeat.

1. Restore motion and flexibility.

Gently move the ankle up and down.

After 5 to 7 days, start restoring

motion to the hind foot by turning

the heel in and out.

You should also begin to restore

flexibility to the calf muscles. One

way to do this is to face a wall with

one foot in front of the other and

 

2. Restore strength. After 60 to 70 percent of the ankle’s normal motion has

returned, you can begin strengthening

exercises using a rubber tube for

resistance. Fix one end of the tube

to an immovable object like a table

leg, and loop the other end around

the forefoot. Sit with your knees bent

and heels on the floor. Pull yourfoot

inward against the tubing, moving

your knee as little as possible. Return

slowly to the starting position.

Repeat with the otherfoot.

You can also sit on the floor with

your knees bent and the tube looped

around both feet. Slowly pull outward

against the tube, moving your knee

as little as possible. Return slowly

to the starting position. Repeat with

the other foot.

 

3. Restore balance. As the ankle recovers and strength returns, balance is

restored by standing on the injured

leg, with the other foot in the air and

your hands out to the side.

After the first week you may want to

warm the ankle before doing these

exercises by soaking it in warm water.

Warmed tissue is more flexible and

less prone to injury. Use ice when finished with the exercises to minimize

any irritation to the tissue caused by

the exercise.

 

Ok that copied a little weird, lol but I wasn't sure if the link would work. In general the sooner you start rehabbing an injury the faster it heals. Try this and pay close attention to three warming the ankle up like that is something I've seen used a lot to help prevent re-injury. I've never had an ankle injury but I've been using this technique with a back injury. I warm my back up in the shower before I exercise so the muscle are more pliable. That one little thing has helped enormously for my training.

 

Also anytime I have an injury I find bromelain helps. I generally just eat pineapple core but extracting bromelain is easy. You have to eat it alone like as a snack. If you eat it with it other foods it tends to help digest the other foods, not where you want it working in this case. Other then that just pay special attention to what you are eating the better your nutrition the faster you heal.