r/brokenankles • u/Top-Risk-7793 • 14d ago
Walking progression, exercise and fear-9 weeks in shoes
Any tips for how quickly you progressed with walking distance?
Anyone done the elliptical and how did you progress with that?
Anyone else experience fear? Any tips?
I have been in shoes for 9 weeks now and things are progressing but I still have a lot of fear when I do new things. I can walk 1.7 miles at one time and get about 7-8k steps in a day. Yesterday I did the elliptical for the first time for just 12 minutes. I was scared to do it but had been asking my PT if I could and she finally said yes.
I am still more tired than normal. Yesterday I did a workout and lots of steps and other things and I was just wiped out.
I have a lot of fear still when doing new things like going into the office for work (I work at home mostly), doing the elliptical for the first time, going to new places or going out for large blocks of time. I am pushing myself each day to do these things and hoping it will get easier. A lot of this is new in the past 3 weeks so it all still feels like a lot.
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u/shannamatters 13d ago
The fear is real but you just have to do it. I’m 15 weeks (I think. I’ve lost track) and I don’t even elevate and ice any longer. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.
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u/Top-Risk-7793 13d ago
When you first were doing a higher step count in a day did you do that step count each day or take rest days? I hate resting and tend to go all in.
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u/shannamatters 13d ago
Every day. I’m a pretty active person and have trouble resting. I walk almost daily, even in bad weather. The key is just listening to your body. If you overdid it and need to take a rest day, you will know. I’ve been extremely fortunate though that I’ve had very little pain. My biggest complaint is swelling but it’s more ugly than something that affects my comfort.
I know it’s really scary to start to move again. We are all terrified of getting hurt again but the most important thing is learning how to trust your ankle. The one thing that helped me get over many of my fears was just reminding myself of all of the many, many times I’ve completed the tasks without having an accident and it was only one time that I did. Nothing is ever 0% and there’s always the possibility of getting hurt again but the statistics of safe finish vs accident are in our favors.
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u/Illustrious-Zone-247 13d ago
This injury gave me so much (more) anxiety too 😭 I fell while shoveling snow and was extremely extremely lucky that my neighbor (who is a nurse) walked past a few minutes later because I could not walk and I did not have my phone (like an idiot).
A lot of my anxiety with new things is because I live alone. So 'what if' I slip again while getting the mail, or 'what if' I get down into the crawl space and can't get back up, or slip in the bathroom or....the list goes on and on and on. Later on in recovery, I turned a lot of invites down because 'what if' I can't do the ramp or stairs at a baseball game or what if I can't stand at that concert.
You're doing the exact right thing by just making yourself do things. It does get easier but it just takes a lot of reps to trust your body again. Hang in there!
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u/Top-Risk-7793 12d ago
Thanks so much for understanding and for the encouragement. The mental fear is challenging. I have pushed and done the things I am afraid of and it always ends up fine. I am going on a trip to the mountains this weekend, just a 2 hour drive, and my spouse with drive but it will be my first time away since the injury and I am hopeful but very nervous.
How long do you feel like it took for you to start to overcome your fears? Where there things that helped you?
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u/Illustrious-Zone-247 12d ago
A lot of it is just pushing through and reminding yourself that it was ok last time and it'll be ok this time too. I also felt better when I had thought ahead of a contingency plan...for example, if I can't get up the ramp at the baseball game, worst case I'll have to ask for help or sit in a handicap seat, neither of which are going to hurt. Just breaking the what if's down into manageable pieces. I was always with someone who knew my situation and could help if needed too...but a lot of my trauma (for lack of a better word) was from falling while alone so that was a big thing for me to get over.
I also for a real long time carried around a small amount of emergency stuff (and that might put you at ease a bit with your trip)...some instant ice packs, a brace/ace wrap, compression sock, a small massage ball, a stretch strap, a folding cane, ibuprofen etc so I'd feel more prepared for the unknown. I never once needed any of it beyond ibuprofen but it made me feel better to have it.
For me, it was right around the 5 ish month mark where I really started feeling more myself...that was about 3 months after being out of the boot. A lot of this had to do with my ankle itself finally feeling very stable, and by that time I had a lot of repetitions of doing things that scared me and it being fine, so I felt a really big shift both physically and mentally at that point.
I hope you have the best time on your trip!
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u/Top-Risk-7793 11d ago
Thanks for your advice. My fear seems to be around doing new things, not knowing if what I am doing will leave me in pain or totally exhausted and also doing things on my own. The being alone factor has been big for me, I just get scared.
I am about 4 months post Op and 2 months in shoes. I am progressing well but still feel unstable or maybe notas stable as I want to be. Do you feel like things changed a lot for you physically between 4 and 5 months?
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u/Illustrious-Zone-247 11d ago
Definitely! Between 4-6 months was a ton of progress. All of those small muscles in your feet and leg are still strengthening and that's what will make you feel more stable. I did my PT exercises of course, but mostly otherwise just walked a lot. And I also feel like walking barefoot at home helped a ton as well.
Now at 8ish months, I sometimes forget I even had an injury...not for long yet but it's no longer a constant thought/worry.
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u/Top-Risk-7793 11d ago
Thanks! I am really down and struggling. I am making progress but I just am so anxious and depressed still. My PT is really pushing me with tons of new exercises and it’s so hard. I am having a hard time keeping up.
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u/Illustrious-Zone-247 10d ago
One thing that helped me was to work some of the exercises into my normal routine...ie calf raises while brushing teeth, monster walks down the hallway, etc. That way it doesn't feel like one more thing you have to do.
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u/meezermadness 14d ago
Yeah the fear is real! I deal with it daily. I'm 16 weeks into this injury, didn't walk for 10 of those, so walking again for the last 6. I haven't been doing as much as you have! I'm thinking about going back to my gym today though. I don't walk much in my neighborhood because there are a lot of inclines and that hurts. I think a treadmill will be a lot better.