Cardio with Screwed Up Ankle?

[CJohnson]

If you have a local gym with a ski erg that would get you breathing heavy. I don’t think it totally replaces whatever your PT says though.

Also, my non-medical $0.02: Don’t screw yourself up for the rest of your life trying to punch it during one hunting season. It’s trading a short term gain for a long term loss.

 

[insanelupus]

What was your doctor's reply to those questions?

 

[Lowg08]

Broke it 6/24 surgery 6/30. I feel your pain. I’m finally cleared to do heavy ropes sitting. with no weight on my leg. Ice it elevate it repeat. Take ibuprofen and Tylenol alternating. Wear supportive boots and move your ankle up and down I’m talking a 10” boot.

 

[TX4ever]

Concept2 Rower

 

[Marbles]

Ice and elevating doesn't provide comfort after exercising, per se. It's used to reduce swelling of the exercised extremity.

In every instance where I went through rehabilitation (physical therapy) myself, after surgeries for broken bones, or torn ligaments, or ripped tendons, or shredded muscle tissues - well after the incident of injury and even when doing my own long-term rehab work (physical therapy) - every doctor and therapist I've worked with, and including a few who are hunting clients of mine, strongly urge the use of ice packs and elevating after exercising a recovering limb.

Again, I'm talking rehabilition, not like, "oh shit I just fell off a cliff and sprained my ankle and broke my arm" [been there, done that] "should I ice it or wrap it in heat?"

Your last paragraph is confusing, are you suggesting ice should not be used initially by saying you are only talking about chronic injuries? You could be correct, but do to the problems swelling can cause I still like it in the acute phase (though good evidence is lacking). It is also pretty clear I never recommended putting heat on a broken arm in the acute phase of healing.

As for everything else, doing what your provider recommends is usually the best course of action. I am only discussing evidence, none of this is medical advice.

Have a good day.

 

[Shraggs]

An elliptical is low impact for knees and ankles. I use it once a week, at low resistance and high pace to get heart rate up

 

[amassi]

After 13 years at a CrossFit gym my wife and I are back at a globo gym. If you have access to a stair stepper it's a great option, like the rower it will allow your ankle some rom and stop the muscles in the lower leg from atrophy

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[keystone112]

I would recommend cycling for cardio. Pedal as hard as your body lets you.

It sounds counter intuitive, but with my ankle problem I had to get rid of my stiff boots and go with the flexible athletic type boots. That did the trick.

 

[def90]

Rowing machine is pretty much zero stress on your ankles and if you do it right on a real machine there aren't many cardio work outs that compare. Swimming might be something to try. Kettlebell swings are a great cardio workout as well.

 

[Pancake]

I'm going to throw something different out there. Does your ankle allow you to squat? Back when I was doing BJJ, my cardio for it very noticeably went through the roof when I started doing 20 rep squat sets. I'd start with a weight where I could eek out 20 reps, then drop 10 pounds and do 20 reps again, etc. until I hit five sets.

Another option is a barbell complex. You do a series of exercises without ever letting go of the barbell. I used to do one like this:
Deadlift, Rows, Clean, Front Squat, Push Press, Back Squat, Good Morning. I'd do 6 reps of each (i.e. 6 deadlifts, then 6 rows, then 6 cleans, etc.), then 5 reps, then 4 reps... down to 1 without setting the bar down. Usually my grip would fail at some point, but then you'd just pick it up and continue. You're obviously limited in weight by your weakest lift. After you finish the complex, drop the weight and do it again until you're sufficiently destroyed.

For elk hunting, steady-state cardio like rowing or biking like others suggest is probably best overall if running and hiking are out, but these can be fun change of pace that can really tax you.

 

[TSU_Archer]

I messed mine up in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu last October pretty bad. I feel your pain. Try looking into a Mobo Board. Kind of expensive but has really helped me loosen up some of their scar tissue and tight ligaments.

 

[TSU_Archer]

I messed mine up in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu last October pretty bad. I feel your pain. Try looking into a Mobo Board. Kind of expensive but has really helped me loosen up some of their scar tissue and tight ligaments.

I know you mainly asked about Cardio but I’m confident it should help loosen some of that ankle up allowing you to do more cardio. That and Beet Root Powder really helps to ramp up that circulation. Both of which has allowed me to hit it hard again doing 14rs here in CO to get ready for Elk season.

Good luck buddy!

 

[ztc92]

To the OP, I agree with others, rowing machine, stationary/recumbent bike and swimming would be great cardio. Another option that would be low impact is an elliptical. As others have said, a good PT will make a huge difference in your recovery. While you wait to get started, I’d recommend this home exercise program (especially exercises 6-9) to ensure you don’t lose mobility:

https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/globalassets/pdfs/2017-rehab_foot-and-ankle.pdf

It’s been very interesting following this discussion of ice vs heat for ankle injuries. I often encourage ice for swelling in the acute phase (2-3 days) and then heat after that to promote healing and loosen up muscles/ligaments. I generally refer to sports medicine and/or orthopedic surgery references when these types of questions come up and I really like this overview provided by Oregon Sports Medicine if anyone is interested:

When To Use Ice Or Heat -- How To Treat Sprains, Strains, And Other Sports Injuries: Sports Medicine Oregon: Orthopedic Surgery

Whether you’re on the playing field or in the house, the occasional bump, bruise, sprain or pang is inevitable.

www.sportsmedicineoregon.com