# Impact of broken ankle on cycling?



## rincewind (Apr 30, 2005)

Hi folks -
I used to cycle a lot in my teens, but for various reasons (laziness/lack of time) fell out of it.

A couple of years ago, I broke my right ankle pretty badly - tri-malleolar fracture involving the joint surface. I have 8 or so pins in there and a plate holding everything in place. I haven't done any serious exercise since my recovery and am wondering if cycling will aggravate matters, and if so what steps to take to limit this.

My recovery has been pretty complete, I have virtually full range of motion in the ankle and the hardware doesn't tend to bother me unless I wrench the ankle in a direction it doesn't normally bend.

Thoughts? Advice? I figure it's pretty safe due to the nature of the riding motion, but figured I'd ask.

Cheers,
Peter


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## Hardy Cyclamens (Mar 21, 2005)

Three words: 

Ask your doctor. 

Even if we had an orthopedic surgeon in this group, that doctor would be in no position to offer medical advice about sports and the resolution of your injury. Your doctor has the X-rays, your medical history, and is in a position to evaluate your inquiry and provide useful medical advice. 

Do I think it's possible? Yeah . . . I have a friend whose daughter broke an ankle in hurdles. The daughter is a state champion runner -- and mom is a pro coach. The daughter is running again, but it took some work and close medical supervision from her doctor. 

Little impact on the ankle in cycling, but lots and lots of articulation in all sorts of directions. Your doctor would be able to offer advice. I'd not listen to any advice from this group -- except that you should ask your doc.


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## rincewind (Apr 30, 2005)

Hardy -
I plan to, but it's often worthwhile getting the wisdom of a group that actually does this day-in, day-out.

Thanks,
Peter



Hardy Cyclamens said:


> Three words:
> 
> Ask your doctor.
> 
> ...


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## bikebum (Apr 28, 2005)

*Know thyself*

Asking your doctor is good advice, but if your orthopedist is like mine, he's so busy that just getting him on the phone is impossible. A better source of advice might be your physical therapist, as this is probably who you've have the most contact with since your injury, and knows your limitations.

I shattered my radius and ulna on my left wrist last May when I was hit by a car. 2 weeks after surgery, I was back on the bike. I too have lots of hardware - plates, pins, and screws, and they do limit my range of motion, even today. But I think the sooner you use it, the better your recovery will be.

Another suggestion: try swimming, especially kicking. Ankle flexibility is very important in swimming, and a great way to stretch those ankle muscles.


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## bikebum (Apr 28, 2005)

*Know thyself*

Asking your doctor is good advice, but if your orthopedist is like mine, he's so busy that just getting him on the phone is impossible. A better source of advice might be your physical therapist, as this is probably who you've have the most contact with since your injury, and knows your limitations.

I shattered my radius and ulna on my left wrist last May when I was hit by a car. 2 weeks after surgery, I was back on the bike. I too have lots of hardware - plates, pins, and screws, and they do limit my range of motion, even today. But I think the sooner you use it, the better your recovery will be.

Another suggestion: try swimming, especially kicking. Ankle flexibility is very important in swimming, and a great way to stretch those ankle muscles.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Sounds good*

As others said, check with the doc, but your description sounds like there should be no barriers. The advantage to cycling is that your motions are in a constrained plane, so there's little twisting motions. You may have some difficulties with twisting out of the pedals, but that will depend on your detailed situation.


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## Americano_a_Roma (Feb 10, 2005)

FWIW, I had a similarly nasty ankle break to my right ankle, due to a soccer injury, when I was 15; my medial malliolus had to be re-attached with pins, though they have since been removed. I too have recovered well, and have no trouble on the bike; as you increase your milage, I would recommend paying attention to pedal and shoe choice, with an eye to correcting or adapting for any alignment discrepancies. I found that, initially, my right heel tended to turn in as I pedaled, due to a residual weakness in that calf that I unconciously corrected for as I walked and ran; setting my pedal float to prevent this has actually helped me fully recover strength in a way that years of competitve running, skiing and soccer did not. As others have said, though, check with a doc.


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## rincewind (Apr 30, 2005)

Americano:
Thanks for the insight. I know that my right calf is slightly weaker and I have a tendency to walk with that foot pointed outward more than it should be - so maybe that will help too.

Out of curiosity, how was the pin removal? I've been considering it, but since they don't bother me unduly I haven't thought it worth the risk of another surgery.

Cheers,
Peter


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## Americano_a_Roma (Feb 10, 2005)

rincewind said:


> Americano:
> Thanks for the insight. I know that my right calf is slightly weaker and I have a tendency to walk with that foot pointed outward more than it should be - so maybe that will help too.
> 
> Out of curiosity, how was the pin removal? I've been considering it, but since they don't bother me unduly I haven't thought it worth the risk of another surgery.
> ...


Actually, the pin removal was painless but extremely freaky; the pins were made to be removed, which means that they left them sticking out of my skin during the original surgery, then applied a dressing and cast, which I kept on for 6 week or so; I then went back to the doctor, who took the cast off, revealing the heads of the pins protruding from the inside of my ankle (I had no idea they were there during the time I had the cast on). He then took me into an exam room, pulled out a pair of Craftsman needlenose pliers, and proceeded you yank the pins out, with not so much as an asprin to dull the pain. It actually didn't hurt (the pins were perfectly smooth surgical steel), but seeing these 2 inch long pins being pulled out of my leg with pliers was kind of creepy. I doubt this is much help to you, but I thought I'd share.

As for your original question, just keep in mind that you are now not perfectly biomechanically symmetrical, and that the more time you spend on the bike the more likely you are to have issues stemming from this; these can often manifest themselves in ways you wouldn't expect, like soreness in the knee or back. You may also consider custom insoles; I have found that I place slightly more weight on the outside of the foot that I broke, and that to align my pedal stroke properly I need a bit more arch support there. As I said before, I have found cycling to be a very effecient tool for complete rehabilitation, because it is easy to precisely check and adjust your body position and alignment in a way that is difficult when walking or running. I use, and recommend, Speedplay Zero pedals; the fact that they allow such a wide degree of float adjustment has allowed me to slowly dial my ankle back into alignment over time, while simultaniously re-developing the weak muscles that were causing the imbalance in my right calf. Check with a doc to make sure you won't do any damage riding, but then check with a good bike fitter to get your setup and foot alignment right, and concentrate on developing a smooth, symmetircal pedal stroke, which can take some time. Good luck!


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