Exactly three weeks after the incident where I nearly broke my ankle (exaggerated for effect), I returned to the Ultimate field at Tanjung Aru yesterday. Without my ankle guard, which I mysteriously lost.
I started my birthday-month with a bang on the first of March. Actually, it was more of a crack, because that’s the noise my ankle made as I twisted it after successfully skying Joel. Never has victory been this painful.
Julia rushed to pile ice on it, Bryan recommended sleeping with it elevated (which I did), and I cleverly bandaged it up tight for two weeks afterwards. These action, according to the experts on the Internet, minimised the impact of the ankle injury and cut down my recovery time considerably.
Ankle Rehab
Ever since the pain subsided and I regained painless movement of the ankle, I’ve been doing light rolls and other exercises to keep the ankle nimble and strengthen it again. I couldn’t walk on it for about 10 days after the accident. After two weeks I felt confident enough to not wrap it up any more and I tested it as I took it easy going up the steps to see how tough it was. It held up just fine.
On Friday I had an easy-going Ultimate game on the beach, but played only a short while before I called it quits, not wanting to tire out the ankle. I was wearing the ankle guard that Julia got me, so my foot felt well supported, but I was playing it safe. After the game I swear I put the guard in the bag, but looking for it on Sunday it was nowhere to be found. Disappointment all around.
Before the Sunday game I did a few hops, skips and jumps and had no feelings of pain in or around my ankle and decided to brave a full on game of Ultimate with cleats. Taking it easy still, letting my right foot do all the breaking and accelerating, I managed a whole game injury free. My ankle also hasn’t felt pain or discomfort since and I think I’m well on the way to a full recovery.
My throwing arm and legs, however, wasn’t so fortunate, because they certainly feel like I haven’t used them in the 3 weeks since my last Ultimate game.
Thank goodness for healed ankles, because now I can get my exercise regime back on track. My previously dissolved love handles have been clawing their way back again and we can’t have that, now can we?