Aisling Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 so tore my ligament... yay getting PT aside from the pt exercises and going to therapy anyone have any 'secrets' to getting strength back? thanks y'all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dingbat Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 Steroids! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 I take it from the fact that you didn't mention surgery that it's a partial tear. If so "been there done that" when a Donek 210 and I got into a fight, and the Donek won. If the atfl doesn't heal properly or you skimp out on rehab you'll have balance issues possibly for life. Once PT was done I got one of those balance boards and spent a lot of the following summer on a Tierney Rides which helped immensely with getting it strong. My previously injured ankle is now stronger than the non-injured one 5 years later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aisling Posted July 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 yeah the doc said i was lucky in that i won't need surgery but unlucky in that it takes a lot longer than i want it to... he was saying 6 months... ugh. i totally notice the balance issue at the moment. that's why i will not skip out the exercises or PT appts. I need to be able to dance, ride, run, all those fun things. where would you get a balance board? i'm interested thanks mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boarderboy Posted July 11, 2008 Report Share Posted July 11, 2008 both on-line as well as bricks & mortar. Several types with different configs available. There are PT-literates on this forum who'll undoubtedly recommend specific ones. Saw a circular balance trainer @ Target recently - about $90, I think. Some time ago, after months of PT for a Liscz Franc (sp?) sprain. I started wearing hiking boots with custom orthotics most of the time. I found after several years that my right ankle and calf muscles had atrophied (from "depending" on all that support, I think.) Got lazy last summer and ended up wearing some Garmont sandals with moldable soles a good bit. Caused occasional soreness, but by summer's end I found my ankle and calf had beefed up. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skatha Posted July 12, 2008 Report Share Posted July 12, 2008 I have a balance board that I got after my ankle recon Give me an offer and it's yours. I have almost no position sense in the foot after the surgery so the balance board doesn't work well. here's an example http://www.fitter1.com/Catalog/Items/BONGO.aspx I got mine new for about $75 two years ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted July 12, 2008 Report Share Posted July 12, 2008 speedy recovery to you! i dont know how to spell it or prononuce it but shark cartlidge pills will be good, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skatha Posted July 12, 2008 Report Share Posted July 12, 2008 Glucosamine sulfate I've been hiking and touring CO, UT, and Northern AZ for 2 weeks now-still don't miss TV, but cell phone and the internet-that's another story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted July 12, 2008 Report Share Posted July 12, 2008 I used a gradual approach to my balance board by using two layers of carpet on a hardwood floor. Really slowed down the reaction time while I figured it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 Don't know what the atfl is but I almost completely tore two ligaments and a tendon in my ankle folding the nose of my board. It took a year to fully recover; did all the necessary PT and found that cycling really helped out alot. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skatha Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 atfl=anterior talo-fibular ligament. It's the only reason you have a fibula. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aisling Posted July 15, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 the only reason? hmm interesting! i have to go to the special health food stores and get the non shellfish variety of the glucosamine would i use the balance board after PT is finished? maybe i should ask my PT person when i see her tomorrow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 I have had excellent results on several patients with ATFL tears using FASST patches from Weilab or Wei Laboratories. Its basically a modern day herbal poultice. I use them a lot for a variety of injuries in my practice. Note: It will heal quicker and with less scar tissue but the PT is an absolute must do. WWW.WEILAB.COM should have a practitioner list with someone close to you where you can get them. If you have trouble finding a source let me know and I will hook you up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skatha Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Actually, the fibula is a great source of bone for bone grafts-the surgeon cuts out the middle section and rebuilds your jaw most typically. So there is more than one use for them. My architect hubby had the hardest time trying to understand why his fibula wasn't plated, too, when he broke his leg in 2005. It finally grew back together but it took a year for that to happen. Do check with you PT and really work on the ankle rehab. Most people have recurrent sprains because they don't take the time to let the ankle heal. I know I didn't when I used to run regularly. I ran trails before they came out with trail running shoes and I lived with chronically sprained ankles. Once I couldn't run because of my second knee/acl recon/meniscus removal, my ankles finally had a chance to recover from the damage I did running. The damage I did to my ankle with snowboarding is another story, although I was able to backpack thru Bryce and scramble all over slickrock on my recent vacation. I got my podiatrist a hat and a great poster for his office. He made that trip truly possible. How'd you mess your ankle up anyway? I'm not going to read you the riot act about getting an MRI because I assume you weren't riding:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aisling Posted July 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 I have had excellent results on several patients with ATFL tears using FASST patches from Weilab or Wei Laboratories. Its basically a modern day herbal poultice. I use them a lot for a variety of injuries in my practice. Note: It will heal quicker and with less scar tissue but the PT is an absolute must do.WWW.WEILAB.COM should have a practitioner list with someone close to you where you can get them. If you have trouble finding a source let me know and I will hook you up. cool. i will have to check that out and see if there is someone around here. :) thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aisling Posted July 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Actually, the fibula is a great source of bone for bone grafts-the surgeon cuts out the middle section and rebuilds your jaw most typically. So there is more than one use for them.My architect hubby had the hardest time trying to understand why his fibula wasn't plated, too, when he broke his leg in 2005. It finally grew back together but it took a year for that to happen. Do check with you PT and really work on the ankle rehab. Most people have recurrent sprains because they don't take the time to let the ankle heal. I know I didn't when I used to run regularly. I ran trails before they came out with trail running shoes and I lived with chronically sprained ankles. Once I couldn't run because of my second knee/acl recon/meniscus removal, my ankles finally had a chance to recover from the damage I did running. The damage I did to my ankle with snowboarding is another story, although I was able to backpack thru Bryce and scramble all over slickrock on my recent vacation. I got my podiatrist a hat and a great poster for his office. He made that trip truly possible. How'd you mess your ankle up anyway? I'm not going to read you the riot act about getting an MRI because I assume you weren't riding:D Bone grafts yay!... ;) well i only sprained the other ankle once before and it healed normally... no tears involved in that one! i do irish step dance and i came down from a high leap wrong... inverted the ankle, all my weight came down on it. heard a lovely 'pop' sound. did the whole RICE thing (actually duct taped the ankle at first cause i had nothing else w me at class LOL... but went home and did the RICE thing ;) ) bruised, swollen etc... then after a few days it seemed to be walkable... after a few weeks i couldnt understand why i had trouble balancing and was very wobbly on top of being still in pain and having the atfl area remain slightly swollen at rest and reaaallly swollen when moving/walking/etc... finally went in got an xray no fractures... went to sports med dude... who dx'd the atfl tear ... mentioned 'high ankle sprain like tom brady!' said it wasn't career ending but could take as long as 6 mo to stop being swollen looking even after the pain is gone gah!:p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantheman0177 Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Tips? Do whatever exercises your PT tells you to do, better than you have ever done any exercises before. Oh, and tap into Vanessa's head when you come to visit. She is a Physiotherapist and deals with a bit of this stuff, so she might have some tips too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skatha Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Yikes! That's what the orthopod told me when I hyperextended my ankle riding in Feb 2005. The MRI I got 6 months later proved him wrong. Don't wait 6 months if you don't get better, although, your mechanism of injury (a forced inversion) is more consistent with a torn atfl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aisling Posted July 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Tips?Do whatever exercises your PT tells you to do, better than you have ever done any exercises before. Oh, and tap into Vanessa's head when you come to visit. She is a Physiotherapist and deals with a bit of this stuff, so she might have some tips too. right! will do :) i'm hopin by the time i get to you guys i'll be able to dance a bit... i know... i'm an optimist! :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aisling Posted July 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Yikes!That's what the orthopod told me when I hyperextended my ankle riding in Feb 2005. The MRI I got 6 months later proved him wrong. Don't wait 6 months if you don't get better, although, your mechanism of injury (a forced inversion) is more consistent with a torn atfl. eep. i don't want anything more serious to be wrong! so after my 4-6 wks of PT ends, should i see some results or else ask for an MRI? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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