I have fucked up my ankles. What to do now?

[TimWeis75]

Month or so ago I had to drop 320lbs of barbell on the rack catches while squatting. It was not going back up no matter how much I willed it to do so. I leaned forward to put the bar down. I did what I could to keep my heels on the floor. That may have been a mistake. My right ankle hated me.

I took a week off. I got back in the saddle and attempted 285, too much weight, the ankle screamed. I rolled it all the way back to 225. I've since worked it back up to 240

I've deadlifted 295 and 305 since then, bringing it down from 330.

Now my left ankle hates me. Ibuprofen worked as a temporary fix, though the motion of getting in and out of the car sends shooting pain. I've had a slight limp all day.

What can I do to rehab my ankles? I really don't want to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair.

I wear Adidas powerlift 2 shoes if it helps.

[carson]

You may wish to see a Doctor. It may be a sprain and will heal. It may be a break and may need more. It could just be arthritis. Go see a Doctor.

Are you carefully following the book? Do you consult face to face with a Starting Strength coach from time to time.

Aches and pains are part of life but this sounds like it may be more.

[melody]

See a doctor. A sprain will hurt for quite a while.

[Christopher Anderson]

Def see a doctor to get it looked at and maybe get a boot to just walk in for a few days. Good luck!

[Fiddler]

FWIW, I've had all kinds of ankle sprains and pains, from rock climbing falls / jumps and playing ball, mostly. All I ever did was tape them up tight and keep on playing. Never missed a workout that I can recall. A coworker broke a bone in his ankle and they put a walking cast on it. That was pretty uncomfortable and took a long time to heal.

Grade 1 sprains heal pretty fast, IME. If you can walk on it, it's probably not broken. Try taping it, and if that doesn't help, see a trainer or doc.

What you don't want to do is to make it worse so don't baby it, but pay attention.

If I were you, I'd give some attention to you safeties and learning to bail on squats. It will come up again, if you keep on lifting.

[TimWeis75]

The swelling isn't as bad and it has been 8 hours since my last dose of ibuprofen. Only mild discomfort. More ice is needed. Might try taping it.