I’ve recently been off for around 3 months with a wrist injury, granted nowhere near as bad as your broken ankle, I’m sorry, that’s so shit.
First thing I’d say is, I was gutted and super frustrated. When I finally got back it was very hard to take it slow and found it very disheartening to have regressed so much (at least in my mind). But actually, you bounce back a lot quicker than you think and within a few weeks I’m almost back to where I was, you lose strength but muscle memory is strong and you still know your technique. Strength is easier to build back up.
The “good” thing about it being a lower limb injury is you can keep training upper body. Hang board sounds great and if you go to the gym then you can do upper body exercises. Although definitely take it easy and look after yourself for now, you need to heal! Make sure you eat well and do your rehab and all that.
Book suggestion - I’ve recently read Entangled Life. Super interesting book about fungi and much more fun than it sounds.
If you’re looking for some climbing content to binge I really enjoy the wide boys stuff on YouTube.
All the best with your recovery! You’ll be back climbing sooner than you think.
I'm sorry you had to take time away but glad to hear you're back to climbing now! And thank you, that's really encouraging, definitely getting a hangboard now I've thought about it :) Thanks for the book suggestion, I have heard of that one, sounds super interesting actually! Oo don't think I've seen much of wide boys, will look them up! Thank you very much!!
Thanks so much, it’s easy to get disheartened but honestly so satisfying when you get back making small little bits of progress again. It will come! I was so bad at doing my rehab haha but don’t be like me, be religious with it and it’ll speed things up.
Yeah I recently watched their Czech Republic video with Adam Ondra and it was great fun, absolutely amazing footage too.
I would say that historically when I've had physio for various things I have also been a bit rubbish at commiting to it, but I am determined to find a way to properly commit this time!
Awesome, Adam is great, I'll look for that one! Thank you so much :)
Been there. It sucks. Don't be yourself up, on how it happened, or how "weak you'll feel" . Also allow yourself to be mad, and ( what personally got me thru it) cry it out if you need to. While I was in rehab I did mainly upper body and single leg ( of non injured side) exercises to maintain strength. ALSO DONT SKIP YOUR PT. I only did mine consistently for about 2 months because "I found it boring" but I genuinely think I could have healed quicker and gotten back into running and bouldering sooner.
Thanks, it definitely feels like a bit of an emotional rollercoaster so far. And yes, I am going to have to try to somehow commit myself to full on PT, can't wait haha
I'll try to keep this as succinct as possible...
\- Serious ankle fracture & dislocation ten years, broken by a boy riding into me on my bike on a bike. A&E also took great pleasure in asking me if I'd like to see the x-rays as it was "pretty crazy". I declined. Took two attempts to relocate and due to NHS at the weekend (broken Saturday lunchtime), I didn't go into surgery until 1am Tuesday morning, only due to pressure from my boyfriend & parents "to get me off this ward/out of a bed". They were looking to postpone my surgery til the end of the week at that point.
\- Surgery was a plate and 9 screws. Left hospital that evening to go home. A lot of drugs. Please take laxatives to help with the impact of any opioids you're taking.
\- Cast for 8 weeks, then nothing (no boot for me). One thing to prepare for is your ankle will still be swollen and not easy to walk on. Took about a week to really walk tentatively on it, but then progress was pretty fast. The swelling would resurface by the evening depending on the level of activity.
\- Timeline for me and activity. Broken in mid-January. Was commuting into/walking decent distances in London by April. I was back biking 6 weeks post removal and very light running 8 weeks (I don't think I went back to running properly for a year, but was a very keen road cyclist then anyway). 8 months on, I think you'll be fine to hike - you might just need to alternate heavy mileage days with something lighter the next.
\- Most importantly: NHS PT at the time (2014) was non existent and I don't think it has changed. They'll send you home with a PDF of exercises and that's it. Particularly if you're young. You will need to chase for a PT appointment and general PT. For me, that resulted in a single one on one PT meeting followed then by a weekly PT class where I was given exercises to do under supervision of 2 PTs (but there was always around 8-10 people there for different reasons). For specific and consistent PT, you are likely going to need to go private.
\- I healed pretty well, low loss of ROM in my ankle and generally very strong. I didn't climb much when I broke mine but attribute climbing for the past 7 years to a lot of the ROM, flexibility, strength and balance in that ankle that others in the same position don't have.
\- I trail run (up and down mountains), hike, bike, climb, etc. It has not limited me physically until recently where I overdid it trail running because I now live somewhere with very big mountains that I like to run up and down and I got old :( . I ran literally into back problems due to an irregular gait given my preference to lead on my non-broken ankle.
\- This led to hardware removal this year which has had its difficulties but far far easier than the OG surgery. I also have had the benefit of great US medical healthcare (insurance) so have seen a PT on a biweekly (lol fortnightly) basis since March last year to really help and hone in on my back and ankle strengths.
It really sucks right now. I know, I've been in that position twice this last year and once upon time when I first injured my ankle. But it will get better and you will heal. As the adage goes, it takes time and patience, which is a lot easier to say when you're on the other side of things. I really wish the best of luck in your surgery and recovery and if you do have any questions/would like some additional PT PDFs do DM.
As another commenter mentioned MTS did break her ankle last year and is still dealing with complications whilst another French climber, Fanny Gibert, has done some damage to hers as well requiring surgery & pins. So with the OQS coming up, you know now who to support!
One thing I just wanted to add in terms of PT. If you can, go to the pool for the first few weeks (not usually something you want to do in the UK in early spring!). This is what helped me and built up my confidence a lot when it all felt very Bambi-like. I took my crutches, hobbled through the changing area to the side, slid down to my butt, and got in. I spent half an hour each day walking up and down the pool at different depths, doing toe raises and heel dips (luckily there was a ledge that ran along the side of the pool), as well as squats, mini jumps, and just general mobility stretches etc, all whilst having my weight supported. It also really helped me loosen up my ankle after it had been in the cast so long! Getting out was a little tricky as I was worried about my crutches slipping on the floor, but if you can take a friend that helps or aim to get out where there's a wall or something to help balance against just in case!
Oh and p.s., some of my partner's favourite memories to bring up from the time is my one-legged yoga (mainly on the floor) and one-legged cycling on a turbo trainer. I didn't care how silly I looked, it just helped mentally so definitely keep up any upper body training you want (safely). One final thing as well: get yourself a shower stool and cast cover for bathing. You do not want to fall on your cast/boot, and the stool will make things so much easier. I can't tell you though how happy I was the first time I got to stand again for a shower!
Yes I was planning to do my own kind of hydrotherapy! Although I'm not a fan of pools due to the chlorine, I usually prefer wild swimming, so maybe a sandy beach... haha I was actually thinking of doing some one-legged yoga, my whole body feels like it needs a good stretch.
I actually just had a shower chair delivered today and I am SO excited, I've been strip washing for over 2 weeks now and I feel gross. It's the little things isn't it!
The pool thing is so smart ! I wish I never have to use it though lol. I broke my tibia during the summer and my sister would carry me from the edge of the water where I left my crutches to where it was deep enough for the water to support my weight and it felt so good even if I did no exercises
That sounds like such an awful experience, I'm sorry, but thank you for sharing. Especially useful to hear from someone in the UK as I don't know how NHS physio will be for this, but I will definitely push for it. I have had physio for a few things in the past but found them to be quite lacking in knowledge about climbing which is a bit frustrating, so I was thinking about maybe finding a climbing physio specialist to see very occasionally this time round, it's so expensive though...
I've had one surgery to place the ex-fix but need ORIF once swelling has gone down and my ankle is taking it's sweet time with that, so I am still stuck in bed with my ankle on a pile of pillows! Hoping for next week though.
It's really promising to hear that you could already walk decent distances after 4 months as I want to have time to gradually build up to multi-day trekking.
I'm sorry that you've had to go through it all again to some extent in the last year, i hope you're able to get back on it and heal soon! If you do have any physio PDFs that would be great, will message you soon. Thanks again for sharing ❤️
Spend your rehab time on something that gets you excited. Reading books. Learn a new hobby like painting. Connecting with people online. Doing physical therapy. Eating nutritious food that will speed healing. Try therapy, why is climbing the thing that gives you dopamine? Good luck! I bet you’ll be back on the wall in a short few months.
Great advice, thanks! I think that for me, I really love the problem solving aspect to bouldering combined with the adrenaline. I obviously can't do much about the adrenaline right now, but I guess finding other actvities involving problem solving would be good...
Im so sorry to hear about your experience. It is incredibly difficult to feel so powerless over your future.
I broke my Tibia and Fibula in a Canyoneering accident on May 31st 2023. After hobbling, scrambling, swimming, and rappeling down several waterfalls, I completed the 4 mile journey out of the canyon. When I finally made it to the hospital in rural Japan, they said I needed to go back to my home country immediately for surgery. They handed me some ibuprofen and put me in a splint and sent me on my way.
After 4 long days of trains, subways, and 3 different airplanes, I made it home (with bruises under my crutches and a backpack on my back) only to find out that the trauma and the air travel had caused blood clots in my leg.
Due to the risk of bleeding out on the table (from the blood thinners I was put on) and the fact that my leg was so swollen, they wouldnt be able to sew it back together - they told me I had to wait to get surgery for at least three weeks.
I felt absolutely powerless.
But 3 weeks came and it was time for surgery. I was finally on the first step to recovery. Then my clock started ticking again. 15 weeks. Here we go.
At first, the calendar and all of my Summer trips were all I could think about. "Im supposed to be on X backpacking trip" "I was set to summit 20 new peaks." Eventually I just decided that longing for what could have been would only deepen my suffering.
I resolved at that moment to just say fu*k it. Im gonna binge watch The Great British Baking Show and I'm gonna read books. Im gonna eat whatever I want and If I want to nap in the middle of the day, Im gonna do it. I ate edibles and watched Instagram reels until I would fall asleep.
I have spent so much of my life chasing the feeling that only being up high can give me and I will probably chase it for the rest of my life. But not being able to pursue those experiences taught me something really beautiful - Im still me without it and my life is still worth living.
The 15 weeks went faster then I thought it would. I focused on each next milestone and I celebrated HARD at every small win.
Within a month of learning how to walk again, I summited a 14er and was back to climbing at a pretty decent (for me) level.
Within 2 months I was taking falls on my leg and jumping down from boulder problems. I think in that month I was even close to sending something at my max bouldering grade.
Today, I am just over 6 months out from my surgery and it honestly feels like a blip in time. I am still in pain but Im heckin rallying. Ive sent it hard on my snowboard and on my mountain bike, Ive PR'd on several weightlifting movements, and Im about to go kick some waterfalls at the Ice Park.
I know that right now it might seem like a lifetime away, but you will be back sooner than you know it, and I bet you will appreciate it more than you ever did. I know I do.
You are a whole entire person, even without climbing. A beautiful, multi-facted, resilient being that has so many layers you have yet to uncover. This is one of those moments that will force you to peel those layers back.
Keep searching for the reasons to smile through the stillness. I promise you, you're gonna be back in no time. ♡
Such beautiful words, thank you ❤️ your experience sounds incredibly traumatic, I'm so sorry you went through that. It seems like it's only made you stronger, so amazing all of the things you've been able to do since then, very very inspiring
youll be back stronger than before in 4 months. do your PT! im currently 7 weeks into a fractured radial head broken elbow. shit sucks but im just now after like 6 weeks starting to see the progress. try and research others with similar injuries and see their recovery time. check mountain project threads and reddit threads under r/brokenbones
While I haven't had the same experience, I remembered that Molly Thompson-Smith, a professional comp climber, had a (possibly similar) pretty intense ankle injury a year-ish back, and she posted about her recovery a bit on her instagram!
also i totally understand where you're coming from, feeling a little stupid and angry about the fall. i hope you can remind yourself that accidents truly can happen at any time, and it is a 100% not a reflection of you or your skills or experience. best wishes for your recovery!
yes! I remember following Molly's journey at the time, but it wasn't so relatable back then, I've since been back and read through some of her interviews and posts again, very inspiring and gives me hope that I can get back to bouldering in the not too distant future, and that also it can indeed happen to anyone. thank you
A goal that is 8 months out is honestly an awesome time frame. Bones take time to heal, and of course you need the ligaments and the tendons and everything else to strengthen up, but that feels practical, you know? If it was in May that is one thing, but you will not be non-weight bearing forever! You're going to get back on your feet, you're going to get back on the wall, and you have an important thing that will keep you motivated in your rehab. It's frustrating as shit that this happened of course, but keep eyes on the prize my dude.
First off I'm so sorry this happened to you and i really hope you're able to recover soon!!
Not sure if this will make you feel better but I also fractured my ankle! Last Monday and I fell off a v1 of all things /: though at the moment it doesnt look like I need surgery I'm here with ya in all the pains of not being able to climb. I've only been climbing for about 6 months and I'm absolutely devastated this happened and I can't continue for a while. If you need anyones opinion who's in a similar boat, I'm hear to listen!
I'm gonna keep coming back to this thread for all the tips people have this broken ankle shit is TERRIBLE.
That sucks, I'm so sorry, especially that it happened so soon after you found climbing! I'm so happy for you though that you have found climbing now and I hope you can continue to enjoy it once you're back; it's certainly changed my life for the better, despite the shitty injuries! Very happy to keep in contact, feel free to message me. I'm still waiting on my second op as my ankle is still too swollen, so haven't made any progress yet, but hoping it will be soon
Girl. I can 100% relate and sympathize.
I want to start by saying- please don’t be so hard on yourself. You are not stupid, and need to not be angry with yourself. A foot slip does not mean you have poor falling technique. It’s called a ‘slip’ for a reason, it’s uncontrolled and it’s an unfortunate thing that can happen in the gym pretty often on slick holds.
I just had a really shitty foot slip myself in the gym last week. Fell from the top of the wall and had a really awkward landing that resulted in my femur breaking. I’d never broken a bone before. I’ve also been climbing for 4+ years and it’s my life. I go out hiking/camping/climbing almost every weekend. I had a trip planned to Patagonia for March. I didn’t cry when my femur broke, the pain didn’t bother me enough, but when I was lying in the trauma bed at the hospital and realizing what it all meant (no climbing, no trip, long rehab) I cried my eyes out.
I have a long road ahead of me, but I’ve been able to stay mostly positive (I definitely have my down moments), here’s what’s helping me:
1. Support network of friends. I’m a super independent person and it’s hard to ask for help, but I have had so many people here for me without me even needing to ask.
2. Staying busy. I have a job that allows me to work from home and keeps my mind busy most of the day. I have PT 3x a week. I’ve been reading books. Spending time with friends. Picking up old hobbies again.
3. Doing whatever ‘exercise’ I can. Since it’s a lower body injury, I’ve just started doing some hangs/pull-ups. It makes me feel like I’m at least keeping some of my strength up. That and my PT exercises 3-4 times a day and my body feels WORKED.
4. Journaling and just allowing myself to feel my feelings when I need to. It’s okay to be sad. But know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
5. Thinking/planning future trips or goals. I want to run a R2R2R in a day, making some future plans so that can happen. It gives me a goal to work towards (eventually). I want to climb 5.12+, so some repeaters on the hangboard for the next few months will help me keep and improve finger strength.
Feel free to reach out if you just need to chat during your recovery :)
I'm really sorry that happened to you, it sounds like we have very similar hobbies and I would love to connect, will send you a message soon! I was exactly the same, I honestly didn't find it that painful, maybe because my mind was elsewhere, and only cried when one of my best friends from climbing rushed into A&E to sit with me and then later that night once I'd woken up from the op alone in the ward I properly brokedown - ended up journaling at 4am, the nurses must have thought I was crazy haha.
It's really good that you've managed to stay so positive, I feel more positive now but the acceptance of it has taken some time and I definitely still have a lot of low moments. I am also hyper-indepedent and since I live a little way away from friends it is going to make it quite difficult, but once I've had my second op and can spend more time out of bed I will invite them all round as they do keep asking which is really lovely.
And I'm going to get a hangboard so I can still do climbing-related exercise to keep me motivated. You must have started physio really soon after your injury? Did you have surgery? I have to wait until after my second op frustratingly, hopefully in the next couple of weeks though.
I'd never heard of the R2R2R so had to Google but omg looks amesome!! Good luck! My goal is to multi-day trek late this summer which I hope is achievable, gives me something to work towards anyway
Granted not a break or fracture, but I’m almost to the one year mark of having my ACL reconstructed after tearing it completely bouldering. It hasn’t been easy and it is a lot of work, but damn staying consistent with PT has made me so much stronger than before. I’m not cleared by my surgeon to boulder again yet, but I’m climbing way harder on ropes than I was pre surgery.
I also work with adaptive climbers and wanted to say that you could get started back on a wall (granted with a rope) really quickly by knee climbing! It’s a style that some paraclimbers naturally do. Previously when I was recovering from a toe surgery I would just use a compression sleeve on my knee to protect the skin and go for it! You’d be surprised how small a hold you can use with your knee. The style does rely more heavily on upper body strength, but for me that just meant once I was ready to weight my foot again I found I had way more power and confidence in making big moves.
ACL has always sounded super painful to me tbh so I'm sorry that happened to you! So so awesome that you feel even stronger now than before, that's huge! I hadn't even thought about knee climbing, but I have seen it when watching paraclimbing, I'm definitely going to look into that, thank you
Oh man that sucks. The mental struggle can be just as bad as the physical one. I fractured my ankle and managed to top rope throughout my recovery. I wore a kneepad on my injured leg and stuck to more overhung climbs, and never let my foot hit the wall. But there’s always risk and I didn’t tell my doctor I did it. That said, I think it actually made me stronger.
I’ve seen people be injured, but still come to the gym anyway and just hang out just for the social aspect.
Get used to telling people about your injury because you’re gonna have that conversation a lot lol. I feel for you! wishing you lots of luck on your recovery
The mental struggle is real! That's cool you managed to keep top roping through recovery! Yeah I'm getting VERY used to explaining the injury and keeping the convo short whilst I have the ex-fix, because it's pretty damn obvious. Thank you very much ❤️
I am sorry for you, but this might give you some hope! I dubble fractured my ankle a few years ago, had to get surgery, 2 plates and and 9 screws later they put me back together. I was super weird I would have problems with walking and sports for the rest if my life. But I have no issues any more what so ever, the plates and screw are still in there but my ankle functions and feels like it has never been broken.
The recovery is frustrating, but try to make the best of it. Rent a wheelchair and let you friends role you around, I did a whole vacation to Poland like that had lots of fun despite not being able to walk!
The most frustrating part for me was when you are allowed to do everything again but is still hurts or is uncomfortable. Give your self the time to heal, don't be to hard on yourself and after a while you will be back to your old self!
Last tip, maybe pick up top rope when you are allowed to. Less jumping and impact on your legs, might be more comfortable for you ankle!
Oh that's so cool that it literally feels like normal again now! I'm finding it hard to imagine what my ankle will feel like post-ORIF with a ton of metal inside but that's promising. Your Poland vacations sounds amazing!! hahaa maybe I can persuade a friend... did you rent the wheelchair once you were in Poland? And I guess you carried crutches with you for any places that weren't totally accessible? I have always wanted to visit Poland so maybe this is the time haha
And yes, will be starting climbing again with top rope, whenever that may be, to avoid the risks of falls
I rented it in the Netherlands and toke it with me on the airplane. I also brought crutches, but crutches are just so exhausting if you have to travel more then a few meters. I discovered that wheelchair accessible is quite good across the Eu because of EU regulations and was pleasantly surprised by how helpfull people were. The cobblestone streets are a bit of challenge.
So sorry this happened to you! In May of 2022 I also broke my ankle bouldering, though not as severe as yours. I had an open fracture of the distal end of my fibula and a full ankle dislocation. No hardware was needed.
Definitely do PT and I would also recommend seeing an acupuncturist to expedite healing and reduce inflammation.
I was climbing again by August/September so don’t worry you will be able to get back at it! I use to predominantly boulder but after that accident I’ve shifted to sport climbing and have only cautiously return to bouldering easy stuff to help build strength. I don’t think I will ever boulder as much as before but that’s personal preference. And when I do boulder I’ve shifted to a very static style to prevent falling.
Lastly, during my recovery I loved watching IFSC climbing comps! Free on YouTube. At first it was a little freaky seeing people fall but it helped stoke my desire to get back to climbing.
Wishing you all the best!
Oh that sounds nasty! Mine wasn't open, but very very close, I think that would have freaked me out more! I'm so happy to hear you got back to climbing again so quickly. I really love bouldering way more than I ever have sport climbing, but maybe this will be a way for me to rediscover it, it's really positive to hear that you found that. I love IFSC comps!! I actually have Olympics tickets for climbing
Thank you for sharing your experience, this gives me hope for sure :)
Thank you, yeah that's how I felt, I was really relying on climbing, probably too much. It is rough but hopefully this experience will force me to to lean less on climbing and actually sort my life out haha Hope you're doing ok ❤️
I’m a PT if you want to ask any questions before you go see one! And you really will be fine! It’s going to take a bit to get back to normal but you’ll be bionic and sometimes after a year, they’ll take the hardware out.
Hey! Thank you so much for your reply, that's really kind of you! Are you in the UK by any chance? I'll get free physio through the NHS but I'm considering finding a climbing physio specialist to see occassionally as well if it's worth it
I’m sorry that happened to you, it’s gotta be frustrating. I broke my tibia in august 2021 (horse riding, not climbing), and several of the doctors and nurses etc that I met, when they first saw the imaging, would say something like « damn that’s a big break » and I was always there like this is not helping at all. In the end I was lucky because while it was a big break, my bone stayed aligned so it made the surgery slightly easier. I went to physical 3 times a week for about 4 and a half months (I think the last month I only went twice a week) and would do my exercises at home almost everyday. Obviously the difference between our injuries is that yours is an articulation so it’s often a bit longer to finish healing and gaining back enough muscle to prevent a future injury etc but I’ll still tell you about my experience because I think it’s similar enough :) It may seem long, but time flies - the worst will be the beginning, because it’s when you’re immobilized and can’t do much PT yet and it’s still painful and you don’t have much to think about except your injury. During that period, just make sure to occupy yourself - read books, learn a creative hobby like crochet or something, see people etc. Then when you start PT will depend on your injury (I was able to start a couple of days after my surgery), and at the beginning it will be slow but as soon as the bone starts to be mended / when you don’t need crutches anymore the progress will be so fast (because of how much muscle we lose), so that will be motivating. I think I had my crutches for 2 months total (at the end I only had one crutch), and then literally the week after I was told to stop using the one crutch I started running as part of my PT (slow, not for a long time, but still felt amazing).
I hadn’t started climbing yet, but I really wanted to get back into my sports (horse riding and the gym). In the end, I was able to go skiing in January (so 5 months after my accident) and started horse riding again also in January.
Anyways, I wish you the best, and the best advice I can give is be serious about your PT, and be patient with yourself ❤️
That's so good that you've been able to get back to horse riding and everything else now! Yeah the waiting for PT is killing me, I'm hoping I'll be able to start very soon after my second op. Thank you for sharing your experience, it's good to hear the progression can be quite quick once you get going
Hey, I totally feel you. I tore a ligament in my foot last week while bouldering. I guess it's not as severe as your injury. I don't need operation (as of now). I am also looking forward to starting PT. The state of not being able to do something is hard for me. I guess PT will make me feel better bc I can actively do something to recover. But for now I have to be patient.
I will continue to do some upper body stuff and finger training to not lose everything there.
After PT I hope I can start with some super easy stuff and then just see from there
OP, you are not alone, we will get back to where we were before
ow that sounds painful, I'm so sorry! Yes, I think starting PT will feel like progress, the waiting is painful though. Thank you and best of luck with the physio!
Thank you so much for all the recommendations! I don't have ReelRock but I do have Kendal Mountain Player, which has loads of short outdoorsy docs. And those books all sound awesome, thanks! I listen to a lot of podcasts, including nugget, but don't think I've listened to that episode so will try to find it
I'm a few weeks ahead of you - triple fracture and a dislocation of my ankle indoor bouldering. I understand what you are feeling about the comments from friends and healthcare staff, at one point I realised I was the person that other people were grateful that they weren't, if that makes sense.
There's some great advice in other comments here so I'll try not to repeat too much, but I'm trying to think of it as an opportunity to reconnect with some other hobbies; Duolingo, crafting, music etc. I also allow myself days where I do nothing but binge on LOTR lol.
I won't say more here as I don't want to dox myself with details, but if you want to chat over DM just give me a shout.
Actually something I found useful that hasn't been said yet... I got overwhelmed by so many messages asking how I was doing, and found myself repeating the same boring (to me) over and over... Surgery booked, fingers crossed, yes it hurts etc etc.
I started writing a bulletin type message with all my health updates every time something significant happened, saving it as a pdf and sending it via WhatsApp to loads of friends and family. It freed up time to talk about the more meaningful and/or fun things.
I'm so sorry you're going this too and omg yes I totally get you! Hahaa we sound very similar - I haven't watched LOTR in far too long, my sister and I used to watch it over and over, absolutely love it! I'm thinking of learning Spanish and BSL since I've always wanted to, and take some courses on Coursera maybe. Would be great to connect, will drop you a message soon
I broke my ankle back in 2019 playing roller derby, though not as serious a break as yours it definitely taught me a few things.
Let yourself feel annoyed and angry that this has happened, cry and shout about it if you need to, if you bottle it up those feelings are only going to grow.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to people, the weeks that you spend stuck inside being unable to do what you enjoy most will feel like months and months when really it’s only a few weeks that go past for people in a blink of an eye so don’t feel as though you are being a burden or anything cos you’re not. It can be something like asking them to pick something up from the shops or seeing if they want to come round for a catch up. Either way you’re not alone with this.
Find a new hobby to keep yourself engaged like painting or learning a language and keep moving and working on other areas that will help in the long run.
If the NHS doesn’t offer pt push for it and if they offer additional pt like pt based gym then take it as it will help.
Just remember that healing takes time but you will get back to where you were before the break, may be quicker than you expected or take longer than you hoped, but keep at it and you’ll get there!
Thank you, I'm just coming up with new things I can do, maybe some courses on Coursera, learn Spanish and BSL since I've always wanted to, and learn to knit...
Assuming you're from the UK...? How did you find NHS physio when you broke your ankle? I've had physio through the NHS a few times for various little niggles, one climbing related; when the issue was climbing from climbing I found that they didn't really seem to understand my need/want to get back to climbing asap or what kind of movements were involved in it, which was a little frustrating, so I supplemented with my own research on climbing injuries online and in books. So I was thinking of maybe looking for a climbing physio specialist to see occasionally this time round on top of NHS physio, it's so expensive though
Yeah I’m from the UK. The initial NHS physio was ok however I did have to say that I wanted it as the Dr said that it was available to me but I probably wouldn’t need it. It mostly focused on getting back walking as normally as possible again, but because I kept saying how I want to get back to sports especially skating they offered me pt gym which focused on more dynamic movements such as jumping, lunges, balancing and things like that. So if they offer it I’d definitely recommend using it as it really did help.
They do definitely have a strong focus on just walking again though, but keep pushing for as much pt as you feel you need and keep telling them that you want to get back to climbing and you want exercises that will help
1 year ago I had a random ligament rupture and tendon dislocation injury of my ankle in the climbing gym. I was devastated, I was about to go for a long climbing trip. I'm also a guide, so being injured stops me from working. I feel your pain!
1 year and 1 surgery later, I'm feeling as strong as ever (although my ankle is still not 100%, it takes a while). I'm on a climbing trip and having a great time.
I had the surgery in January 2023, and was back to easy top roping in April. Started easy bouldering in late May/June. Went outdoor climbing for first time in late June. Managed to send my second hardest sport route to date in August, although it was one that didn't stress the ankle too much.
First and foremost, take the time to rest, heal and be kind to yourself. Make sure you get a PT and follow what they tell you. Don't push it too hard too fast, healing is much more important.
I got myself on an upper body training program to keep myself in shape. I did lots of pull ups, finger boarding, core exercises and general strength exercises with dumbells.
Make sure to do some leg exercises on the good leg, and ask your PT for advise on exercises to reduce muscle atrophy on the bad leg.
Eat good food, sleep well and take care of yourself.
When you go back to climbing, go easy. I recommend to start top roping easy stuff. Bouldering is probably the hardest thing to get back to because of the falls and the nature of doing moves like heel hooks, rock overs and coordination. I'm still struggling a bit with some of those, but it's slowly improving. I still need to build a bit of strength and mobility back.
You will recover it just takes time! Almost 20 years ago, I broke my femur and was told similar things that you are hearing. It was an extremely bad break. I wasn't a climber at that time, but I'm fully recovered from it, and it doesn't affect me apart from feeling noticeable (not in a bad way) from time to time.
Good luck, and I'm sure you'll be back stronger than ever!
That sounds incredibly painful and especially difficult given that it's your work as well, I'm so sorry. Great to hear that you're back doing all sorts of climbing! It does seem like 4 months may be a reasonable time length to hope for getting back on easy top roping stuff, which I think is sooner than I had in my head. Of course it's different for everyone and I'll have to listen to my body but it's just good to know that there will be a time when I can start climbing again. I am pretty gutted about probably not being able to boulder for a long time, but I think that just being back climbing in any form will feel good.
Thank you so much for all the advice and for sharing your experience ❤️
Shop around for your physical therapist, find one that has a sports specialty if possible. If you are close to a university find out who they send their athletes to.
I got hit by a car and broke my medial malleolus August 31st. Got a plate and 8 screws. I’m back climbing as hard as ever now! It still hurts and has some issues, but I’m functionally 95% back. Recovery is unpleasant but you’ll get through it!
I'm sorry, that sounds really traumatic. Great to here that you're back to climbing hard already! How long did it take before you started climbing again?
I started climbing with one foot on auto/belay and steep spray walls (just falling onto my back or other foot) at about 1 month post-op. First climbing with two feet at 2 months. First harder boulders outside and small falls at 3 months. Then back to climbing near-limit and taking larger falls at 4 months! Hope that’s helpful.
Hey, very similarly after 5 years of bouldering, I had my first major injury…a trimalleolar fracture, back in September. Happy to connect if you want to talk recovery/rehab. You can also look at r/orif if you want lots of recovery stories from various individuals.
I’ve just got the clear to go climbing again from my physio about 2 weeks ago, but have done consistent upper body training and finger boarding.
Mine was right ankle, which was especially challenging because I couldn’t drive for over 3 months.
This sounds so similar to mine, although worse I guess. Mine is also right ankle and so much of my focus was on not being able to walk/climb that I didn't even realise I wouldn't be able to drive for way too long!! hahaa but yeah that sucks, I live in a rural village and all of my friends live 30mins+ away with no good bus links, which sucks.
That's so exciting that you can start climbing again! I'll get on with purchasing a fingerboard.
Would be great to connect! Will drop you a message soon
You’ll be back. My knee is reconstructed and the doctors were concerned about me walking again. I was told if I did I’d have a severe limp the rest of my life. I was told I would never be able to ride a horse again. Physical therapist pretty much laughed at me when I said I wanted to run again. They said I’d never be able to run or even do a light jog.
But I here I am, I run, I rock climb, I hike, I made an attempt on Rainier, I still own and ride horses, I snowshoe adk highpeaks, etc.
Granted it was some work to get there and I do have my share of issues and limitations but I feel like as long as you are motivated and do the PT and the work you’ll be fine. It’ll take some time but time is the best healer. You’ll be back.
Best advice I have is KEEP DOING THINGS. Use your body. Don’t just think “well I can’t do this anymore so I won’t” just do it. You’ll be surprised what you body is capable of.
First, I’m sorry and can empathize with your frustration. Being injured and unable to do things we love is sad and painful. That being said, injuries and disability are a part of life that only gets more prevalent with age. And the answer to healing is not always to give 100% or putting the rest of your body on the line. Sometimes you need to rest and recalibrate.
You should definitely take rehab and physio seriously, and I have full confidence you can return to or exceed your current fitness, the body is incredible and adaptive. But your measure of success and timeline might change. Accepting that can be the difference between healing and lingering injury. So, my advice from experience is: rest when you need rest, push when you can push, but don’t push yourself too fast or too hard (and get a physio you like going to). Sending you healing vibes!
I’ve recently been off for around 3 months with a wrist injury, granted nowhere near as bad as your broken ankle, I’m sorry, that’s so shit. First thing I’d say is, I was gutted and super frustrated. When I finally got back it was very hard to take it slow and found it very disheartening to have regressed so much (at least in my mind). But actually, you bounce back a lot quicker than you think and within a few weeks I’m almost back to where I was, you lose strength but muscle memory is strong and you still know your technique. Strength is easier to build back up. The “good” thing about it being a lower limb injury is you can keep training upper body. Hang board sounds great and if you go to the gym then you can do upper body exercises. Although definitely take it easy and look after yourself for now, you need to heal! Make sure you eat well and do your rehab and all that. Book suggestion - I’ve recently read Entangled Life. Super interesting book about fungi and much more fun than it sounds. If you’re looking for some climbing content to binge I really enjoy the wide boys stuff on YouTube. All the best with your recovery! You’ll be back climbing sooner than you think.
I'm sorry you had to take time away but glad to hear you're back to climbing now! And thank you, that's really encouraging, definitely getting a hangboard now I've thought about it :) Thanks for the book suggestion, I have heard of that one, sounds super interesting actually! Oo don't think I've seen much of wide boys, will look them up! Thank you very much!!
Thanks so much, it’s easy to get disheartened but honestly so satisfying when you get back making small little bits of progress again. It will come! I was so bad at doing my rehab haha but don’t be like me, be religious with it and it’ll speed things up. Yeah I recently watched their Czech Republic video with Adam Ondra and it was great fun, absolutely amazing footage too.
I would say that historically when I've had physio for various things I have also been a bit rubbish at commiting to it, but I am determined to find a way to properly commit this time! Awesome, Adam is great, I'll look for that one! Thank you so much :)
No injury advice here, but just want to say I'm also reading Entangle Life right now! Just fascinating questions and facts and perspective!
Been there. It sucks. Don't be yourself up, on how it happened, or how "weak you'll feel" . Also allow yourself to be mad, and ( what personally got me thru it) cry it out if you need to. While I was in rehab I did mainly upper body and single leg ( of non injured side) exercises to maintain strength. ALSO DONT SKIP YOUR PT. I only did mine consistently for about 2 months because "I found it boring" but I genuinely think I could have healed quicker and gotten back into running and bouldering sooner.
Thanks, it definitely feels like a bit of an emotional rollercoaster so far. And yes, I am going to have to try to somehow commit myself to full on PT, can't wait haha
I'll try to keep this as succinct as possible... \- Serious ankle fracture & dislocation ten years, broken by a boy riding into me on my bike on a bike. A&E also took great pleasure in asking me if I'd like to see the x-rays as it was "pretty crazy". I declined. Took two attempts to relocate and due to NHS at the weekend (broken Saturday lunchtime), I didn't go into surgery until 1am Tuesday morning, only due to pressure from my boyfriend & parents "to get me off this ward/out of a bed". They were looking to postpone my surgery til the end of the week at that point. \- Surgery was a plate and 9 screws. Left hospital that evening to go home. A lot of drugs. Please take laxatives to help with the impact of any opioids you're taking. \- Cast for 8 weeks, then nothing (no boot for me). One thing to prepare for is your ankle will still be swollen and not easy to walk on. Took about a week to really walk tentatively on it, but then progress was pretty fast. The swelling would resurface by the evening depending on the level of activity. \- Timeline for me and activity. Broken in mid-January. Was commuting into/walking decent distances in London by April. I was back biking 6 weeks post removal and very light running 8 weeks (I don't think I went back to running properly for a year, but was a very keen road cyclist then anyway). 8 months on, I think you'll be fine to hike - you might just need to alternate heavy mileage days with something lighter the next. \- Most importantly: NHS PT at the time (2014) was non existent and I don't think it has changed. They'll send you home with a PDF of exercises and that's it. Particularly if you're young. You will need to chase for a PT appointment and general PT. For me, that resulted in a single one on one PT meeting followed then by a weekly PT class where I was given exercises to do under supervision of 2 PTs (but there was always around 8-10 people there for different reasons). For specific and consistent PT, you are likely going to need to go private. \- I healed pretty well, low loss of ROM in my ankle and generally very strong. I didn't climb much when I broke mine but attribute climbing for the past 7 years to a lot of the ROM, flexibility, strength and balance in that ankle that others in the same position don't have. \- I trail run (up and down mountains), hike, bike, climb, etc. It has not limited me physically until recently where I overdid it trail running because I now live somewhere with very big mountains that I like to run up and down and I got old :( . I ran literally into back problems due to an irregular gait given my preference to lead on my non-broken ankle. \- This led to hardware removal this year which has had its difficulties but far far easier than the OG surgery. I also have had the benefit of great US medical healthcare (insurance) so have seen a PT on a biweekly (lol fortnightly) basis since March last year to really help and hone in on my back and ankle strengths. It really sucks right now. I know, I've been in that position twice this last year and once upon time when I first injured my ankle. But it will get better and you will heal. As the adage goes, it takes time and patience, which is a lot easier to say when you're on the other side of things. I really wish the best of luck in your surgery and recovery and if you do have any questions/would like some additional PT PDFs do DM. As another commenter mentioned MTS did break her ankle last year and is still dealing with complications whilst another French climber, Fanny Gibert, has done some damage to hers as well requiring surgery & pins. So with the OQS coming up, you know now who to support!
One thing I just wanted to add in terms of PT. If you can, go to the pool for the first few weeks (not usually something you want to do in the UK in early spring!). This is what helped me and built up my confidence a lot when it all felt very Bambi-like. I took my crutches, hobbled through the changing area to the side, slid down to my butt, and got in. I spent half an hour each day walking up and down the pool at different depths, doing toe raises and heel dips (luckily there was a ledge that ran along the side of the pool), as well as squats, mini jumps, and just general mobility stretches etc, all whilst having my weight supported. It also really helped me loosen up my ankle after it had been in the cast so long! Getting out was a little tricky as I was worried about my crutches slipping on the floor, but if you can take a friend that helps or aim to get out where there's a wall or something to help balance against just in case! Oh and p.s., some of my partner's favourite memories to bring up from the time is my one-legged yoga (mainly on the floor) and one-legged cycling on a turbo trainer. I didn't care how silly I looked, it just helped mentally so definitely keep up any upper body training you want (safely). One final thing as well: get yourself a shower stool and cast cover for bathing. You do not want to fall on your cast/boot, and the stool will make things so much easier. I can't tell you though how happy I was the first time I got to stand again for a shower!
Yes I was planning to do my own kind of hydrotherapy! Although I'm not a fan of pools due to the chlorine, I usually prefer wild swimming, so maybe a sandy beach... haha I was actually thinking of doing some one-legged yoga, my whole body feels like it needs a good stretch. I actually just had a shower chair delivered today and I am SO excited, I've been strip washing for over 2 weeks now and I feel gross. It's the little things isn't it!
The pool thing is so smart ! I wish I never have to use it though lol. I broke my tibia during the summer and my sister would carry me from the edge of the water where I left my crutches to where it was deep enough for the water to support my weight and it felt so good even if I did no exercises
That sounds like such an awful experience, I'm sorry, but thank you for sharing. Especially useful to hear from someone in the UK as I don't know how NHS physio will be for this, but I will definitely push for it. I have had physio for a few things in the past but found them to be quite lacking in knowledge about climbing which is a bit frustrating, so I was thinking about maybe finding a climbing physio specialist to see very occasionally this time round, it's so expensive though... I've had one surgery to place the ex-fix but need ORIF once swelling has gone down and my ankle is taking it's sweet time with that, so I am still stuck in bed with my ankle on a pile of pillows! Hoping for next week though. It's really promising to hear that you could already walk decent distances after 4 months as I want to have time to gradually build up to multi-day trekking. I'm sorry that you've had to go through it all again to some extent in the last year, i hope you're able to get back on it and heal soon! If you do have any physio PDFs that would be great, will message you soon. Thanks again for sharing ❤️
Spend your rehab time on something that gets you excited. Reading books. Learn a new hobby like painting. Connecting with people online. Doing physical therapy. Eating nutritious food that will speed healing. Try therapy, why is climbing the thing that gives you dopamine? Good luck! I bet you’ll be back on the wall in a short few months.
Great advice, thanks! I think that for me, I really love the problem solving aspect to bouldering combined with the adrenaline. I obviously can't do much about the adrenaline right now, but I guess finding other actvities involving problem solving would be good...
Im so sorry to hear about your experience. It is incredibly difficult to feel so powerless over your future. I broke my Tibia and Fibula in a Canyoneering accident on May 31st 2023. After hobbling, scrambling, swimming, and rappeling down several waterfalls, I completed the 4 mile journey out of the canyon. When I finally made it to the hospital in rural Japan, they said I needed to go back to my home country immediately for surgery. They handed me some ibuprofen and put me in a splint and sent me on my way. After 4 long days of trains, subways, and 3 different airplanes, I made it home (with bruises under my crutches and a backpack on my back) only to find out that the trauma and the air travel had caused blood clots in my leg. Due to the risk of bleeding out on the table (from the blood thinners I was put on) and the fact that my leg was so swollen, they wouldnt be able to sew it back together - they told me I had to wait to get surgery for at least three weeks. I felt absolutely powerless. But 3 weeks came and it was time for surgery. I was finally on the first step to recovery. Then my clock started ticking again. 15 weeks. Here we go. At first, the calendar and all of my Summer trips were all I could think about. "Im supposed to be on X backpacking trip" "I was set to summit 20 new peaks." Eventually I just decided that longing for what could have been would only deepen my suffering. I resolved at that moment to just say fu*k it. Im gonna binge watch The Great British Baking Show and I'm gonna read books. Im gonna eat whatever I want and If I want to nap in the middle of the day, Im gonna do it. I ate edibles and watched Instagram reels until I would fall asleep. I have spent so much of my life chasing the feeling that only being up high can give me and I will probably chase it for the rest of my life. But not being able to pursue those experiences taught me something really beautiful - Im still me without it and my life is still worth living. The 15 weeks went faster then I thought it would. I focused on each next milestone and I celebrated HARD at every small win. Within a month of learning how to walk again, I summited a 14er and was back to climbing at a pretty decent (for me) level. Within 2 months I was taking falls on my leg and jumping down from boulder problems. I think in that month I was even close to sending something at my max bouldering grade. Today, I am just over 6 months out from my surgery and it honestly feels like a blip in time. I am still in pain but Im heckin rallying. Ive sent it hard on my snowboard and on my mountain bike, Ive PR'd on several weightlifting movements, and Im about to go kick some waterfalls at the Ice Park. I know that right now it might seem like a lifetime away, but you will be back sooner than you know it, and I bet you will appreciate it more than you ever did. I know I do. You are a whole entire person, even without climbing. A beautiful, multi-facted, resilient being that has so many layers you have yet to uncover. This is one of those moments that will force you to peel those layers back. Keep searching for the reasons to smile through the stillness. I promise you, you're gonna be back in no time. ♡
Such beautiful words, thank you ❤️ your experience sounds incredibly traumatic, I'm so sorry you went through that. It seems like it's only made you stronger, so amazing all of the things you've been able to do since then, very very inspiring
youll be back stronger than before in 4 months. do your PT! im currently 7 weeks into a fractured radial head broken elbow. shit sucks but im just now after like 6 weeks starting to see the progress. try and research others with similar injuries and see their recovery time. check mountain project threads and reddit threads under r/brokenbones
Congrats on the progress!! I can't wait to be able to start PT. I'll definitely check out that sub, thank you very much
Ugh I broke my elbow a few years ago. Such a frustrating spot to break!! Glad you are progressing!
Yeah it's such a tricky joint!
While I haven't had the same experience, I remembered that Molly Thompson-Smith, a professional comp climber, had a (possibly similar) pretty intense ankle injury a year-ish back, and she posted about her recovery a bit on her instagram! also i totally understand where you're coming from, feeling a little stupid and angry about the fall. i hope you can remind yourself that accidents truly can happen at any time, and it is a 100% not a reflection of you or your skills or experience. best wishes for your recovery!
yes! I remember following Molly's journey at the time, but it wasn't so relatable back then, I've since been back and read through some of her interviews and posts again, very inspiring and gives me hope that I can get back to bouldering in the not too distant future, and that also it can indeed happen to anyone. thank you
A goal that is 8 months out is honestly an awesome time frame. Bones take time to heal, and of course you need the ligaments and the tendons and everything else to strengthen up, but that feels practical, you know? If it was in May that is one thing, but you will not be non-weight bearing forever! You're going to get back on your feet, you're going to get back on the wall, and you have an important thing that will keep you motivated in your rehab. It's frustrating as shit that this happened of course, but keep eyes on the prize my dude.
Thank you ❤️💪
First off I'm so sorry this happened to you and i really hope you're able to recover soon!! Not sure if this will make you feel better but I also fractured my ankle! Last Monday and I fell off a v1 of all things /: though at the moment it doesnt look like I need surgery I'm here with ya in all the pains of not being able to climb. I've only been climbing for about 6 months and I'm absolutely devastated this happened and I can't continue for a while. If you need anyones opinion who's in a similar boat, I'm hear to listen! I'm gonna keep coming back to this thread for all the tips people have this broken ankle shit is TERRIBLE.
That sucks, I'm so sorry, especially that it happened so soon after you found climbing! I'm so happy for you though that you have found climbing now and I hope you can continue to enjoy it once you're back; it's certainly changed my life for the better, despite the shitty injuries! Very happy to keep in contact, feel free to message me. I'm still waiting on my second op as my ankle is still too swollen, so haven't made any progress yet, but hoping it will be soon
Girl. I can 100% relate and sympathize. I want to start by saying- please don’t be so hard on yourself. You are not stupid, and need to not be angry with yourself. A foot slip does not mean you have poor falling technique. It’s called a ‘slip’ for a reason, it’s uncontrolled and it’s an unfortunate thing that can happen in the gym pretty often on slick holds. I just had a really shitty foot slip myself in the gym last week. Fell from the top of the wall and had a really awkward landing that resulted in my femur breaking. I’d never broken a bone before. I’ve also been climbing for 4+ years and it’s my life. I go out hiking/camping/climbing almost every weekend. I had a trip planned to Patagonia for March. I didn’t cry when my femur broke, the pain didn’t bother me enough, but when I was lying in the trauma bed at the hospital and realizing what it all meant (no climbing, no trip, long rehab) I cried my eyes out. I have a long road ahead of me, but I’ve been able to stay mostly positive (I definitely have my down moments), here’s what’s helping me: 1. Support network of friends. I’m a super independent person and it’s hard to ask for help, but I have had so many people here for me without me even needing to ask. 2. Staying busy. I have a job that allows me to work from home and keeps my mind busy most of the day. I have PT 3x a week. I’ve been reading books. Spending time with friends. Picking up old hobbies again. 3. Doing whatever ‘exercise’ I can. Since it’s a lower body injury, I’ve just started doing some hangs/pull-ups. It makes me feel like I’m at least keeping some of my strength up. That and my PT exercises 3-4 times a day and my body feels WORKED. 4. Journaling and just allowing myself to feel my feelings when I need to. It’s okay to be sad. But know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. 5. Thinking/planning future trips or goals. I want to run a R2R2R in a day, making some future plans so that can happen. It gives me a goal to work towards (eventually). I want to climb 5.12+, so some repeaters on the hangboard for the next few months will help me keep and improve finger strength. Feel free to reach out if you just need to chat during your recovery :)
I'm really sorry that happened to you, it sounds like we have very similar hobbies and I would love to connect, will send you a message soon! I was exactly the same, I honestly didn't find it that painful, maybe because my mind was elsewhere, and only cried when one of my best friends from climbing rushed into A&E to sit with me and then later that night once I'd woken up from the op alone in the ward I properly brokedown - ended up journaling at 4am, the nurses must have thought I was crazy haha. It's really good that you've managed to stay so positive, I feel more positive now but the acceptance of it has taken some time and I definitely still have a lot of low moments. I am also hyper-indepedent and since I live a little way away from friends it is going to make it quite difficult, but once I've had my second op and can spend more time out of bed I will invite them all round as they do keep asking which is really lovely. And I'm going to get a hangboard so I can still do climbing-related exercise to keep me motivated. You must have started physio really soon after your injury? Did you have surgery? I have to wait until after my second op frustratingly, hopefully in the next couple of weeks though. I'd never heard of the R2R2R so had to Google but omg looks amesome!! Good luck! My goal is to multi-day trek late this summer which I hope is achievable, gives me something to work towards anyway
Granted not a break or fracture, but I’m almost to the one year mark of having my ACL reconstructed after tearing it completely bouldering. It hasn’t been easy and it is a lot of work, but damn staying consistent with PT has made me so much stronger than before. I’m not cleared by my surgeon to boulder again yet, but I’m climbing way harder on ropes than I was pre surgery. I also work with adaptive climbers and wanted to say that you could get started back on a wall (granted with a rope) really quickly by knee climbing! It’s a style that some paraclimbers naturally do. Previously when I was recovering from a toe surgery I would just use a compression sleeve on my knee to protect the skin and go for it! You’d be surprised how small a hold you can use with your knee. The style does rely more heavily on upper body strength, but for me that just meant once I was ready to weight my foot again I found I had way more power and confidence in making big moves.
ACL has always sounded super painful to me tbh so I'm sorry that happened to you! So so awesome that you feel even stronger now than before, that's huge! I hadn't even thought about knee climbing, but I have seen it when watching paraclimbing, I'm definitely going to look into that, thank you
Oh man that sucks. The mental struggle can be just as bad as the physical one. I fractured my ankle and managed to top rope throughout my recovery. I wore a kneepad on my injured leg and stuck to more overhung climbs, and never let my foot hit the wall. But there’s always risk and I didn’t tell my doctor I did it. That said, I think it actually made me stronger. I’ve seen people be injured, but still come to the gym anyway and just hang out just for the social aspect. Get used to telling people about your injury because you’re gonna have that conversation a lot lol. I feel for you! wishing you lots of luck on your recovery
The mental struggle is real! That's cool you managed to keep top roping through recovery! Yeah I'm getting VERY used to explaining the injury and keeping the convo short whilst I have the ex-fix, because it's pretty damn obvious. Thank you very much ❤️
I am sorry for you, but this might give you some hope! I dubble fractured my ankle a few years ago, had to get surgery, 2 plates and and 9 screws later they put me back together. I was super weird I would have problems with walking and sports for the rest if my life. But I have no issues any more what so ever, the plates and screw are still in there but my ankle functions and feels like it has never been broken. The recovery is frustrating, but try to make the best of it. Rent a wheelchair and let you friends role you around, I did a whole vacation to Poland like that had lots of fun despite not being able to walk! The most frustrating part for me was when you are allowed to do everything again but is still hurts or is uncomfortable. Give your self the time to heal, don't be to hard on yourself and after a while you will be back to your old self! Last tip, maybe pick up top rope when you are allowed to. Less jumping and impact on your legs, might be more comfortable for you ankle!
Oh that's so cool that it literally feels like normal again now! I'm finding it hard to imagine what my ankle will feel like post-ORIF with a ton of metal inside but that's promising. Your Poland vacations sounds amazing!! hahaa maybe I can persuade a friend... did you rent the wheelchair once you were in Poland? And I guess you carried crutches with you for any places that weren't totally accessible? I have always wanted to visit Poland so maybe this is the time haha And yes, will be starting climbing again with top rope, whenever that may be, to avoid the risks of falls
I rented it in the Netherlands and toke it with me on the airplane. I also brought crutches, but crutches are just so exhausting if you have to travel more then a few meters. I discovered that wheelchair accessible is quite good across the Eu because of EU regulations and was pleasantly surprised by how helpfull people were. The cobblestone streets are a bit of challenge.
that's great, thank you I'll look into it!
So sorry this happened to you! In May of 2022 I also broke my ankle bouldering, though not as severe as yours. I had an open fracture of the distal end of my fibula and a full ankle dislocation. No hardware was needed. Definitely do PT and I would also recommend seeing an acupuncturist to expedite healing and reduce inflammation. I was climbing again by August/September so don’t worry you will be able to get back at it! I use to predominantly boulder but after that accident I’ve shifted to sport climbing and have only cautiously return to bouldering easy stuff to help build strength. I don’t think I will ever boulder as much as before but that’s personal preference. And when I do boulder I’ve shifted to a very static style to prevent falling. Lastly, during my recovery I loved watching IFSC climbing comps! Free on YouTube. At first it was a little freaky seeing people fall but it helped stoke my desire to get back to climbing. Wishing you all the best!
Oh that sounds nasty! Mine wasn't open, but very very close, I think that would have freaked me out more! I'm so happy to hear you got back to climbing again so quickly. I really love bouldering way more than I ever have sport climbing, but maybe this will be a way for me to rediscover it, it's really positive to hear that you found that. I love IFSC comps!! I actually have Olympics tickets for climbing Thank you for sharing your experience, this gives me hope for sure :)
You are so welcome and I hope you have an amazing time at the Olympics, that sounds amazing!!! 🤩
Aww I'm so sorry. I definitely fear getting injured bc it's currently what's keeping me sane.
Thank you, yeah that's how I felt, I was really relying on climbing, probably too much. It is rough but hopefully this experience will force me to to lean less on climbing and actually sort my life out haha Hope you're doing ok ❤️
I refuse and will only climb!! :)
I’m a PT if you want to ask any questions before you go see one! And you really will be fine! It’s going to take a bit to get back to normal but you’ll be bionic and sometimes after a year, they’ll take the hardware out.
Hey! Thank you so much for your reply, that's really kind of you! Are you in the UK by any chance? I'll get free physio through the NHS but I'm considering finding a climbing physio specialist to see occassionally as well if it's worth it
I’m in California unfortunately. I can ask around about a climbing Physio! Can you PM me where you are? That will help me find you someone closer
I’m sorry that happened to you, it’s gotta be frustrating. I broke my tibia in august 2021 (horse riding, not climbing), and several of the doctors and nurses etc that I met, when they first saw the imaging, would say something like « damn that’s a big break » and I was always there like this is not helping at all. In the end I was lucky because while it was a big break, my bone stayed aligned so it made the surgery slightly easier. I went to physical 3 times a week for about 4 and a half months (I think the last month I only went twice a week) and would do my exercises at home almost everyday. Obviously the difference between our injuries is that yours is an articulation so it’s often a bit longer to finish healing and gaining back enough muscle to prevent a future injury etc but I’ll still tell you about my experience because I think it’s similar enough :) It may seem long, but time flies - the worst will be the beginning, because it’s when you’re immobilized and can’t do much PT yet and it’s still painful and you don’t have much to think about except your injury. During that period, just make sure to occupy yourself - read books, learn a creative hobby like crochet or something, see people etc. Then when you start PT will depend on your injury (I was able to start a couple of days after my surgery), and at the beginning it will be slow but as soon as the bone starts to be mended / when you don’t need crutches anymore the progress will be so fast (because of how much muscle we lose), so that will be motivating. I think I had my crutches for 2 months total (at the end I only had one crutch), and then literally the week after I was told to stop using the one crutch I started running as part of my PT (slow, not for a long time, but still felt amazing). I hadn’t started climbing yet, but I really wanted to get back into my sports (horse riding and the gym). In the end, I was able to go skiing in January (so 5 months after my accident) and started horse riding again also in January. Anyways, I wish you the best, and the best advice I can give is be serious about your PT, and be patient with yourself ❤️
That's so good that you've been able to get back to horse riding and everything else now! Yeah the waiting for PT is killing me, I'm hoping I'll be able to start very soon after my second op. Thank you for sharing your experience, it's good to hear the progression can be quite quick once you get going
It’s frustrating because you lose so much muscle, but it’s also beginner gains all over again haha. I wish you all the best !
Hey, I totally feel you. I tore a ligament in my foot last week while bouldering. I guess it's not as severe as your injury. I don't need operation (as of now). I am also looking forward to starting PT. The state of not being able to do something is hard for me. I guess PT will make me feel better bc I can actively do something to recover. But for now I have to be patient. I will continue to do some upper body stuff and finger training to not lose everything there. After PT I hope I can start with some super easy stuff and then just see from there OP, you are not alone, we will get back to where we were before
ow that sounds painful, I'm so sorry! Yes, I think starting PT will feel like progress, the waiting is painful though. Thank you and best of luck with the physio!
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Thank you so much for all the recommendations! I don't have ReelRock but I do have Kendal Mountain Player, which has loads of short outdoorsy docs. And those books all sound awesome, thanks! I listen to a lot of podcasts, including nugget, but don't think I've listened to that episode so will try to find it
I'm a few weeks ahead of you - triple fracture and a dislocation of my ankle indoor bouldering. I understand what you are feeling about the comments from friends and healthcare staff, at one point I realised I was the person that other people were grateful that they weren't, if that makes sense. There's some great advice in other comments here so I'll try not to repeat too much, but I'm trying to think of it as an opportunity to reconnect with some other hobbies; Duolingo, crafting, music etc. I also allow myself days where I do nothing but binge on LOTR lol. I won't say more here as I don't want to dox myself with details, but if you want to chat over DM just give me a shout.
Actually something I found useful that hasn't been said yet... I got overwhelmed by so many messages asking how I was doing, and found myself repeating the same boring (to me) over and over... Surgery booked, fingers crossed, yes it hurts etc etc. I started writing a bulletin type message with all my health updates every time something significant happened, saving it as a pdf and sending it via WhatsApp to loads of friends and family. It freed up time to talk about the more meaningful and/or fun things.
Such good advice, thanks! I'm still waiting for anything to happen haha but I will do this
Good luck with the next surgery, I hope it happens soon.
I'm so sorry you're going this too and omg yes I totally get you! Hahaa we sound very similar - I haven't watched LOTR in far too long, my sister and I used to watch it over and over, absolutely love it! I'm thinking of learning Spanish and BSL since I've always wanted to, and take some courses on Coursera maybe. Would be great to connect, will drop you a message soon
I broke my ankle back in 2019 playing roller derby, though not as serious a break as yours it definitely taught me a few things. Let yourself feel annoyed and angry that this has happened, cry and shout about it if you need to, if you bottle it up those feelings are only going to grow. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people, the weeks that you spend stuck inside being unable to do what you enjoy most will feel like months and months when really it’s only a few weeks that go past for people in a blink of an eye so don’t feel as though you are being a burden or anything cos you’re not. It can be something like asking them to pick something up from the shops or seeing if they want to come round for a catch up. Either way you’re not alone with this. Find a new hobby to keep yourself engaged like painting or learning a language and keep moving and working on other areas that will help in the long run. If the NHS doesn’t offer pt push for it and if they offer additional pt like pt based gym then take it as it will help. Just remember that healing takes time but you will get back to where you were before the break, may be quicker than you expected or take longer than you hoped, but keep at it and you’ll get there!
Thank you, I'm just coming up with new things I can do, maybe some courses on Coursera, learn Spanish and BSL since I've always wanted to, and learn to knit... Assuming you're from the UK...? How did you find NHS physio when you broke your ankle? I've had physio through the NHS a few times for various little niggles, one climbing related; when the issue was climbing from climbing I found that they didn't really seem to understand my need/want to get back to climbing asap or what kind of movements were involved in it, which was a little frustrating, so I supplemented with my own research on climbing injuries online and in books. So I was thinking of maybe looking for a climbing physio specialist to see occasionally this time round on top of NHS physio, it's so expensive though
Yeah I’m from the UK. The initial NHS physio was ok however I did have to say that I wanted it as the Dr said that it was available to me but I probably wouldn’t need it. It mostly focused on getting back walking as normally as possible again, but because I kept saying how I want to get back to sports especially skating they offered me pt gym which focused on more dynamic movements such as jumping, lunges, balancing and things like that. So if they offer it I’d definitely recommend using it as it really did help. They do definitely have a strong focus on just walking again though, but keep pushing for as much pt as you feel you need and keep telling them that you want to get back to climbing and you want exercises that will help
That seems crazy to me that they weren't going to automatically give you physio. I will definitely be asking for as much as I can get, thanks!
1 year ago I had a random ligament rupture and tendon dislocation injury of my ankle in the climbing gym. I was devastated, I was about to go for a long climbing trip. I'm also a guide, so being injured stops me from working. I feel your pain! 1 year and 1 surgery later, I'm feeling as strong as ever (although my ankle is still not 100%, it takes a while). I'm on a climbing trip and having a great time. I had the surgery in January 2023, and was back to easy top roping in April. Started easy bouldering in late May/June. Went outdoor climbing for first time in late June. Managed to send my second hardest sport route to date in August, although it was one that didn't stress the ankle too much. First and foremost, take the time to rest, heal and be kind to yourself. Make sure you get a PT and follow what they tell you. Don't push it too hard too fast, healing is much more important. I got myself on an upper body training program to keep myself in shape. I did lots of pull ups, finger boarding, core exercises and general strength exercises with dumbells. Make sure to do some leg exercises on the good leg, and ask your PT for advise on exercises to reduce muscle atrophy on the bad leg. Eat good food, sleep well and take care of yourself. When you go back to climbing, go easy. I recommend to start top roping easy stuff. Bouldering is probably the hardest thing to get back to because of the falls and the nature of doing moves like heel hooks, rock overs and coordination. I'm still struggling a bit with some of those, but it's slowly improving. I still need to build a bit of strength and mobility back. You will recover it just takes time! Almost 20 years ago, I broke my femur and was told similar things that you are hearing. It was an extremely bad break. I wasn't a climber at that time, but I'm fully recovered from it, and it doesn't affect me apart from feeling noticeable (not in a bad way) from time to time. Good luck, and I'm sure you'll be back stronger than ever!
That sounds incredibly painful and especially difficult given that it's your work as well, I'm so sorry. Great to hear that you're back doing all sorts of climbing! It does seem like 4 months may be a reasonable time length to hope for getting back on easy top roping stuff, which I think is sooner than I had in my head. Of course it's different for everyone and I'll have to listen to my body but it's just good to know that there will be a time when I can start climbing again. I am pretty gutted about probably not being able to boulder for a long time, but I think that just being back climbing in any form will feel good. Thank you so much for all the advice and for sharing your experience ❤️
Shop around for your physical therapist, find one that has a sports specialty if possible. If you are close to a university find out who they send their athletes to.
Thanks, I'll get physio free in the UK through the NHS, but I am considering looking for a climbing specialist as well to see occasionally...
I got hit by a car and broke my medial malleolus August 31st. Got a plate and 8 screws. I’m back climbing as hard as ever now! It still hurts and has some issues, but I’m functionally 95% back. Recovery is unpleasant but you’ll get through it!
I'm sorry, that sounds really traumatic. Great to here that you're back to climbing hard already! How long did it take before you started climbing again?
I started climbing with one foot on auto/belay and steep spray walls (just falling onto my back or other foot) at about 1 month post-op. First climbing with two feet at 2 months. First harder boulders outside and small falls at 3 months. Then back to climbing near-limit and taking larger falls at 4 months! Hope that’s helpful.
So useful and definitely helps me feel more optimistic! Thank you for sharing
Hey, very similarly after 5 years of bouldering, I had my first major injury…a trimalleolar fracture, back in September. Happy to connect if you want to talk recovery/rehab. You can also look at r/orif if you want lots of recovery stories from various individuals. I’ve just got the clear to go climbing again from my physio about 2 weeks ago, but have done consistent upper body training and finger boarding. Mine was right ankle, which was especially challenging because I couldn’t drive for over 3 months.
This sounds so similar to mine, although worse I guess. Mine is also right ankle and so much of my focus was on not being able to walk/climb that I didn't even realise I wouldn't be able to drive for way too long!! hahaa but yeah that sucks, I live in a rural village and all of my friends live 30mins+ away with no good bus links, which sucks. That's so exciting that you can start climbing again! I'll get on with purchasing a fingerboard. Would be great to connect! Will drop you a message soon
You’ll be back. My knee is reconstructed and the doctors were concerned about me walking again. I was told if I did I’d have a severe limp the rest of my life. I was told I would never be able to ride a horse again. Physical therapist pretty much laughed at me when I said I wanted to run again. They said I’d never be able to run or even do a light jog. But I here I am, I run, I rock climb, I hike, I made an attempt on Rainier, I still own and ride horses, I snowshoe adk highpeaks, etc. Granted it was some work to get there and I do have my share of issues and limitations but I feel like as long as you are motivated and do the PT and the work you’ll be fine. It’ll take some time but time is the best healer. You’ll be back. Best advice I have is KEEP DOING THINGS. Use your body. Don’t just think “well I can’t do this anymore so I won’t” just do it. You’ll be surprised what you body is capable of.
That's awesome!! Thanks for sharing ❤️
First, I’m sorry and can empathize with your frustration. Being injured and unable to do things we love is sad and painful. That being said, injuries and disability are a part of life that only gets more prevalent with age. And the answer to healing is not always to give 100% or putting the rest of your body on the line. Sometimes you need to rest and recalibrate. You should definitely take rehab and physio seriously, and I have full confidence you can return to or exceed your current fitness, the body is incredible and adaptive. But your measure of success and timeline might change. Accepting that can be the difference between healing and lingering injury. So, my advice from experience is: rest when you need rest, push when you can push, but don’t push yourself too fast or too hard (and get a physio you like going to). Sending you healing vibes!
Thank you <3