If you can't stand on your legs, it will be difficult to train them. Maybe it won't be that bad. But if you can train unhindered now, why do you need the surgery?
Member
Ankle suregery and lower body training
Hey Rip,
I'm going to have an ankle surgery (anterior ankle impingement and ligament reconstruction) in May. It's still quite a while until then and for now I can train relatively unhindered. Still I'm already trying to think of how to train when they put my ankle into a cask for 6 weeks. I can think of quite some stuff for the uppper body like seated press, benching with legs up, pull/chin-ups, l-sits, etc.
Is there any way though to adequately train my lower body minus the lower leg? Or is it better to not train lower body at all, as it would possibly mess up technique and symmetry?
TMPHBITEU
If you can't stand on your legs, it will be difficult to train them. Maybe it won't be that bad. But if you can train unhindered now, why do you need the surgery?
Member
I had an ankle reconstruction about 10 years ago. 9 months after surgery, I was jogging across a field, stepped in a hole, and sprained my ankle severely. I've since sprained it 9 or 10 times. I scheduled a surgery last year but could never get much comfort that the results would be anything but disappointing.Originally Posted by Goldmund
I brace it with an Aso Brace if I'm doing anything marginally risky and have to conscious of it at all times. It sucks, but surgery and rehab really suck and to have gone through it with no benefit really made me think twice.
Best of luck.
Member
It will be 6 weeks of non-weight baring and then walking boot for some time after that. I can anticipate your opinion on leg extension and leg curls, but wouldn't that be better than doing nothing?! Also I was thinking that I might be able to do glute ham raises or hyper extensions - assuming it's possible for someone or something to anchor my legs down without putting stress on the ankle.
Mainly because of the impingement. On the x-rays you can clearly see a bony knob at the end of my left shin bone, where it should just be round and smooth. This must've formed after a super bad sprain 7 years ago. This knob presses down on the ankle bone everytime I go into dorsiflexion - thus creating the impingement. This is painful at times, at other times I don't notice it as much. It does wear down both bones slowly though and prevents me from closing the ankle joint fully. I have my shit together everywhere else so I can actually even snatch in good position, but like I said eventually it will get worse.
The surgeon let me do an MRT also when we decided to get that knob outta there and then found out the rest of the ankle could use some love (2 torn outside ligaments, 1 half torn from that old injury). The plan is to take some of the ankle preiosteum and attach it on the outside of the ankle for it to act as ligaments. This is supposed to make the ankle more stable. At the moment I am even in danger of rolling my ankle when I step on a pebble. And repeated rolling of the ankle will fuck it eventually as well.
Member
Don't do the surgery unless you need to. I am of the opinion that unless you need it the surgery has high chances of not helping or screwing things up. And it will be certain to annoy you and cause pain.
TMPHBITEU
You don't know what you'll be able to do until you get there.
If it was my ankle, I'd just have the osteophyte removed, and leave that other shit alone, because this is exactly the kind of surgery that doesn't turn out well. If it was my ankle.Mainly because of the impingement. On the x-rays you can clearly see a bony knob at the end of my left shin bone, where it should just be round and smooth. This must've formed after a super bad sprain 7 years ago. This knob presses down on the ankle bone everytime I go into dorsiflexion - thus creating the impingement. This is painful at times, at other times I don't notice it as much. It does wear down both bones slowly though and prevents me from closing the ankle joint fully. I have my shit together everywhere else so I can actually even snatch in good position, but like I said eventually it will get worse.
The surgeon let me do an MRT also when we decided to get that knob outta there and then found out the rest of the ankle could use some love (2 torn outside ligaments, 1 half torn from that old injury). The plan is to take some of the ankle preiosteum and attach it on the outside of the ankle for it to act as ligaments. This is supposed to make the ankle more stable. At the moment I am even in danger of rolling my ankle when I step on a pebble. And repeated rolling of the ankle will fuck it eventually as well.
Member
This is what I was about to write.
Member
Thanks for weighing in with your opinions everyone!
Just to clarify how I got into thinking the band reconstruction would be a good idea:
I was told by the doc - and also read that in a study that was done with 50 professional athletes in 2009 - that this sort of band reconstruction sucessfully stabilizes the ankle in 90-95% of the cases and brings it close to or to the actual functionality before the injury. Without this stability I most likely will damge my cartilage in the ankle over time as well (doc supposedly knows this from 30 years of experience with pro soccer players with the same issues). So, I'll give it a shot. Worst case scenario is that I don't gain the desired stability, that I don't have now anyway, and just get the osteophyte successfully removed. Which means I would've been about 4 weeks longer in a cask than I had to, because with the osteophyte removal you can put weight on it once the wound has healed (1-2 weeks). I'm happy to take that risk though, if chances are that I'll be much better off in the long run. The paper also said that reaching full capacity can take up to a year, which is obviously pretty annoying as well. Well, I'm only 22 and don't compete in any sports, so I'm not actually in a rush.
I'll probably be back on the board once I had the surgery and then you can tell me "I told you so" if things go awry or give me some advice on how to sculpt my biceps best
I know the hassle of maintaining an online forum with yourself being the go to person that has to deal with all the repetitive bs. So, special thanks again to you Rip for SS and giving adive out online like this.
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