I was lucky enough to have a top sports physio as a friend, who races. He gave me exercises to do, which didn’t involve my foot (in a boot), core and leg mobility exercises. My suggestion is to seek a sports physio and ask for mobility exercises, to strengthen areas which may be over looked otherwise, core, arms, hip flexors, etc. This may not help with fitness, but will improve your returning to the bike with over all strength. And the mental side, that you are doing exercising. Which is a very important factor.
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Right now I’m working on moving around with crutches and climbing up and down the stairs (master bedroom is upstairs in my house).
I did have a big milestone last night…slept the whole night without taking any pain killers!
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I was non-weight-bearing for long enough that getting a knee scooter made sense, and in hindsight was one of best things I did. Not just for mobility, but simple things like using both of your hands while in the kitchen, etc. Plus it was kind of fun 
I got a scooter Friday and yeah it’s a lot of fun. Now the problem I have is my bad leg gets tired and sore. Its amazing how quickly the muscles atrophy.
Did you have any problems with nerve pain? I get pins and needles on the top of my foot that comes and goes.
I had a follow up with my orthopedic surgeon yesterday where they took me out of my splint, removed stiches, and placed me in a plaster cast.
I admit I was scared to lift my foot out of the splint once the nurse cut it all open, but I was able to lift it without any pain. I went in a wheelchair to x-ray without any support on my ankle, moved around for them to take pictures and everything was fine. The doctor did a few exercises with me to move my foot up and down and still no pain. X-rays look good and the doctor said I will make a full recovery. He said I should be able to ski this winter too.
My ankle is still swollen, and the top of my foot is very sensitive. The doctor said that’s normal and will go away once the swelling goes down. I’m in the cast for 2 weeks, then I get a boot but still no weight bearing for a few weeks after that. Hopefully I will be able to do “Dans” by November.
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Another update.
My cast was removed last Thursday and now I’m in an air cast type walking boot. Still another two weeks before I can start weight bearing, but at least now I can take my foot out in the evenings and start moving it again. PT starts tomorrow for them to help me gain my mobility back.
Biggest issue right now is the numbness on the top of my foot. My ankle is still pretty swollen and the doctor says that it will lessen over time. I feel an improvement every day, but the going is slow.
Other things I’ve noticed is my appetite is still pretty high even though I’m not training and I just can’t get enough sleep. I notice a big difference on days where I go into the office vs. working from home because I’m up earlier due to the commute. To me this is another data point on how sleep impacts recovery.
That’s great news and has prompted me to give another update.
I did another ramp test this week. This was 12 weeks since getting out of a moon boot and about 5 months since my accident and broken ankle.
I tested at 273w (3.4w/kg)This was a breakthrough as it was 53 watts higher than where I tested after getting out of the moon boot and more importantly - HIGHER - than my pre accident FTP.
All thanks to being forced to do structured indoor training!
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You can take your foot out, that’s great news, you could try and pedal softly. That’s what I did out of the moon boot. I couldn’t walk, but could pedal. it also helped a lot with stiffness. My ankle was jacked all tight. And still not quite right 7 months since snapping the achillies. The numbness is probably (I’m no Dr) from nerves being damaged, which do heal over time.
Do you like eggs? When your hungry eat a hard boiled egg, good fats and protein and fills you up. or drink more soda water.
I figure I’ll chime in since I am also in the process of recovering from a tib/fib break and associated ligament damage, which required surgery/bolts/pins/plates. My girlfriend was struck by a car on her road bike and suffered a pilon fracture 2 weeks before I broke mine, so we have been healing and recovering together. Her recovery has been very similar to mine described below, despite her injury being much more severe and requiring 4 surgeries. (mine only 1)
My background: I am 49 yo lifelong bike racer, BMX as a kid and road as an adult with some mtn bike and cyclocross sprinkled in. Cat 2 for life, still mostly race with the young guns. Many crashes, many fractures, but nothing below the waist before this.
My accident (mtn bike crash) was August 10, so approximately 10 weeks ago. Dr’s orders suggest that I should still be in aircast and non-weight bearing, but doing “self PT” (working the ankle to improve flexibility/mobility). Regular PT will be prescribed after my next visit (this week).
I began doing core and upper body gym work after about 4 weeks, and was on the indoor trainer doing light bike workouts in 5 1/2 weeks 3 times a week.
By the end of week 6, I increased a couple of my rides to +1 hour and 4 times a week and continue to work in the gym 3 times a week.
Week 8 I did my first ride outside for an hour (once I was comfortable clipping out while riding outside). It was quite painful, mostly because of the road vibration.
Week 10, I have been outside 5 times on the bike, with one 2 hour ride, then the others an hour to an hour and 1/2. I stopped wearing the aircast completely at week 8, and can now walk unassisted, with a limp, for short distances, but still use crutches much of the time. (On the crutches it is easier to try to use full motion of the foot/ankle.)
I also began doing weight bearing exercises during my gym days, nothing crazy, light weights on the leg press, dead lifts, and light weight squats, but slightly increasing the weight every week.
I feel like I have definitely pushed the envelope on what the Dr told me I should be doing/not doing. However, I read a lot about this injury on other forums, and many outside the US scoff at our conservative, one-size-fits-all, approach to such injuries. I tend to agree, but have listened to my body.
I have my next visit in a couple of days, and I will update honestly whether it is determined that I have pushed too hard or if “things look great”.
I do not anticipate being back to full fitness for some time, but I feel like I am a lot closer in a relatively short period of time because I pushed it a little. And to be clear, I am not training to my pre-crash FTP, but about 75% of that. most of my rides are trying to build my aerobic system back. Some have short threshold intervals.
Anyway, if people read this with similar injuries, please feel free to ask me questions about my recovery process. I am in no way advocating that you push beyond your Dr’s recommendations. I just felt that I was able to smartly, and feel like it has quickened my recovery process considerably.
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Last week (October 24) I went to the surgeon for the follow-up. He did x-rays and gave me the OK for weight bearing. I was amazed how quickly I was able to transition away from the crutches. By Sunday I was walking around the house.
I’m getting more comfortable walking around and my physical therapist is very happy with my progress. I’m going to be allowed to walk with my ankle brace at the end of next week. I’m looking forward to it because it’s very difficult to walk around wearing what feels like a ski boot all the time.
I’m going to try doing “Dans” tomorrow and see how that goes. My plan is to do 10-15 minutes with very low watts. Assuming all goes well, I plan to do two “Dans” next week. My goal is to build up to 30 minutes, then slowly work on increasing the resistance.
My plan is to start sweet spot base mid December, my doctor thinks that will work.
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The Bledsoe boot is a great boot to walk around in. I’ve spent over a year in one (actually, two. Wore out the first).
It’s got a cam shaped sole, and has the same rise as an average running shoe.
It’s been a while since my last update…
I have been walking without the boot for a couple of weeks now but in this brace the doctor gave me:
I started indoor training using “Dans” on my old FTP but lowered the intensity down to 50%. I did that a couple of times, then increased the intensity to 75% then to 100%. I’m not ready to do a Ramp test, so on Monday I used my heartrate zone and RPE from the “Dans” workouts to estimate my FTP down to 200 instead of 254 before the crash. My workout calendar over the next few weeks consist of a combination of West Vidette, Baxter, and Dans. I feel this way I get good aerobic conditioning without overdoing my ankle joint or my legs.
I’m doing physical therapy 2x a week and am slowly getting more flexibility in my ankle and strength in my left leg. I have a follow up with the surgeon on Monday to see how I’m progressing. My physical therapist thinks that I will get the OK for working without the ankle brace. That’s my hope as well. It’s funny how my ankle/foot doesn’t hurt when I’m on the bike.
My plan is to start Sweet Spot base the week of December 9th. I think I will be ready for that level workouts by then including doing a Ramp Test.
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I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in my metatarsal (big toe) in early September.
I’ve been non-weight bearing and in a boot as above since diagnosis.
I think it’s 9 weeks now. Back at consultant today…
Anyway, I’ve been doing a mixture of Dans, Taku-1 and Lazy Mountain- with the boot on!
I doubt there’s any training benefit, but it’s keeping me sane and keeping my legs turning.
(Also been going swimming with a pull buoy)
Ooh… it’s a pity! I feel sorry for you:sleepy:
I am lucky, as I have never broken something)
Sounds like everyone here is making great progress. I wanted to add another positive update.
Yesterday, just under 7 months after my accident and four months out of the moonboot, I got a podium in a C grade criterium (Cat3/4 equivalent)! Also had a 1 min power PR on the last lap.
Very happy with that return to fitness.
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Great topic. Sharing my story and asking for suggestions.
Last week I broke my Tibia/Fibula as a pilon fracture (very similar to @dbf story), mine was in a skiing accident. Prior to that, I had my best season in 2019, with around 20 races usually finishing on the podium, and best off season doing the HV SSB plans 1 and 2 and the HV Build Plan. No doubt I was the most fit that I have ever been at age 36
My Surgeon tells me that after surgery happens this week, it will be 3 months before I can put weight on my leg. I should be able to do some very light spinning on the trainer around that time. Eight-ish months before I can do an out door ride, I assume this is because of clipping in/out and because of vibration, but this seems like a long time.
After reading some of the other posts, it looks like 12-18 months post injury, and the other bloggers still aren’t at 100%. My biggest struggle is the fact that I’m getting older and may not ever see my numbers get back to where they were at. Competition is 90% of the reason I ride my bike…coffee rides don’t do it for me.
Here is my plan:
- Keep my original mountain bike A race on the calendar in early October 2020. I will have expectations for the race, I just don’t know what they are yet.
- Once cleared to start spinning, I will do so as much as tolerated.
- I have a “life coach”, who is an MD and Tri-athlete, that is going help build my overall plan (goal setting, pt appointments, strength, cycling plans, psychological well being). This will help bring accountability and ensure that I’m not doing too much/too little, also to keep my head straight, I see there being just as many failures as wins.
- Find a physical therapist that has cycling knowledge.
- I don’t know how I will build out my plan with in TR but probably just do a lot of zone 2 work for the first month or two.
My questions are more on the psychological side:
- How do I get over the mental hurdles of being “not as good as I once was” and possibly never will be?
- Failed workouts or drops in FTP used to wreck my day, I see a lot of failures in my future. Mentally, how do I overcome these failures and turn them into small wins or motivation?
Thanks all, I’m looking forward to any advise.
I had a spiral fracture of the tib and fib which had additional complications from an existing knee injury
Whilst your focused i would suggest you take a step back and look at the big picture
Recovery is a marathon and not a sprint. Your body will consume substantial calories in repairing itself and you’ll need increased rest to minimise your recovery time.
Focus on immediate next steps in your recovery journey there are no failure points in your recovery, it’s nature taking it’s time.
And recovery is unique to you, Whilst you can do as much as you can to aid your recovery you can’t rush your body.
What I’m trying to say is don’t sweat what you can’t control, focus on what you can control and use the downtime productively to keep your mind active and busy. It all helps shift focus away from FTP.
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That was a great note. I’m curious how long it was before you were able to spin on a trainer after your accident. Doctors are telling me that it will be three months. Seems very long.
I started as soon as I was weight-bearing (about six weeks)
Hey David,
I hope you are doing alright now! I am actually part of a group of Babson College students developing a smart orthopedic boot (ww.footsense.net). We know how frustrating it can be to not understand doctors instructions and, on the other hand, for clinicians to not know if the patients are following their instructions right. We aim to provide transparency in the rebahibilitation process and empower patients to take full control of their recovery.
We wanted to get your feedback whether you would have liked something like this! Please share with us your thoughts and ideas!
Best,
The FootSense Team