[butterworthtom]

So I managed to break myself last week at Froggat and successfully screwed both my ankles involving multiple damaged ligaments and some crunchy cartilage. Which is awesome.
Anyway, I saw a physio today and it looks like I'm going to be out of climbing for 6 weeks, give or take a few weeks depending on how recovery goes. She suggested that I (god forbid) join the gym to help rehab my ankles on an exercise bike (Supposedly an actual bike isn't that good for this). So I figured since I managed to screw my ankle last year, and came back to climbing:
 a) weak
 and b) scared of jumping off from more than half a metre in case I screwed it again
 I should make the most of this gym time to maintain / improve strength and help rebalance some of this bizarre muscles I have developed...

Does anyone have suggestions for ankle-safe resistance machines, or things I could be doing and some kind of short term training program for someone with very little previous gym experience? It would be awesome to come back to climbing stronger, and better prepared to prevent injury?
A "personal trainer" is going to see me tomorrow with suggestions, but I will probably spend my induction session wanting to punch his smug face with his stupid whitened teeth, wet look gelled quiff and talk of aerobic capacity (Kind of sounds like Alex Barrows...?  ) rather than actually listening to him. Also I reckon with all you wad's on here I can probably get much better advice on't tinterweb.

Now turn me into some kind of perma tanned, ripped god. I'll buy the accapi.

[Paul B]

I went to the gym with my frame on and apart from having to pick a dumbell up with one leg (as to not weight the damaged one), then roll it towards a bench before hobbling after it (with and without crutches), it was fine. There were a few free exercises that I couldn't do (one armed dumbell row [ouch] and complexes etc.) but most involving a bench or bar were fine.

I'd gauge the personal trainer (which Gym is it?), some know a lot, some merely read the technogym instruction booklet once, perhaps. I think a lot of people are 'given' training plans that revolve around the machines that they have available but these lock you into a fairly prescribed range of motion and stabilisers simply don't have to work as hard as with free weights. Just find the lateral raise machine if you want to see how akward these can be compared to their relatively simple free-weight relatives.

If you can convince him/her to spend the time educating you about proper form for free weights I think it'd likely be more useful. Complex lifts are good (arguably the best?) but with buggered ankles they're a non-starter.

This probably isn't what you want to hear but I'm still to be convinced how much gym work actually helped with my climbing. It helped me balance out a non-existent chest and gave me something to do whilst injured or lacking psych but my body returns to its non-chest-based form when I solely concentrate on improving my climbing and the imbalances suddenly re-appear. Also a period spent getting strong barely involving fingers seems to leave you (IMO) fairly ripe for finger problems as soon as you begin pulling on anything other than a bar.

I certainly think my time would have been better spent deadhanging as the pull-up based facilities at the gym I joined were poor (how do you do a one-armer on a bar that doesn't have a middle?)...

How many times a week do you intend on going?

at the end of the day 6 weeks isn't TOO bad.

[Oldmanmatt]

Fingerboard with harness and line/couple of quickdraws. Just use a step to get up and make sure the line is too short to hit the deck...
I have also arranged a top rope on a campus board before and top roping in general works.
Mind you, if you've done both legs; I don't know...

[Nibile]

I'd go for fingerboarding and machines at the beginning, fingerboard and free weights as you feel more confident.
I was also given many exercises to do with a wobble board.
am still scared to fall from more than one meter, mind.

oh and Matt... top roped campusing. that's pure genius.

[abarro81]

Now turn me into some kind of perma tanned, ripped god.

I thought you didn't want to be like me?


I guess fingerboarding is out for the moment given your difficulties with walking, but once it's feasible this would presumably be the best thing to focus on as far as climbing strength goes. Foot on campusing for PE should be realistic before climbing is on the agenda too.

I've not been to a gym for many a year, but off the top of my head:
Finger curls with a dumbell? (Didn't Haston used to advocate this for getting stacked forearms?)
Bicep curls whilst sat down?
Lat pull down stuff?
Bench?
Tricep stuff?
Core work on the floor (can show you a few things I do if you want), progressing onto stuff on a bar as the ankles get a bit better


I can show you my method of doing aerocap with foot-on campusing if you want to be as boring cool as me. Bob and Tash in particular have a lot of respect for people who do this.

[Oldmanmatt]

You do swing a bit when you come off...
And the belayer has got to be on the ball!

[Paul B]

Next time you're at the Foundry, take a look at the beam above the campus board; assisted campussing!

Obviously that's not what I recommend, it really hurts when you land.

[Oldmanmatt]

I can show you my method of doing aerocap with foot-on campusing if you want to be as boring cool as me. Bob and Tash in particular have a lot of respect for people who do this.

Is that just foot on, up and down the campus board?
What's the advantage over, say, up and down a systems board?
(serious question, not taking the piss).
I've lost the access to a campus board, so I've been campusing on a board (using holds). I find it alot harder than using the campus board. Even though the holds are jugs (compared to campus rungs), the variety of angles/shapes makes it tough. (the board is set with symetrical, opposite handed, routes).
Off topic, but...

[abarro81]

Is that just foot on, up and down the campus board?
What's the advantage over, say, up and down a systems board?

Yes at the works, since they have some jug rungs, though I was throwing in some time on the undercuts, some time on the less juggy rungs and some traverses across the undercut rail to the big holds on the fingerboard on the side.
At the Foundry the rungs aren't big enough so I do 1 minute on the rungs, then 1 minute either undercutting the board, matched on the side of the board or on the jugs below the board.
It's advantage over a systems board is that I don't have a systems board. It has no advantage over doing it by climbing except for the fact that you can often do it when the rest of the wall is too busy to use for aerocap.

[Ged]

I've just been through the exact same thing.  Buggered my ligaments falling off at Cavallers at the start of a 4 week trip.  A bit irritating.  I pretty much rested it for the first three weeks, and just enjoyed having some downtime.  But then found there's plenty to keep you busy.  Firstly, if you want to make a full recovery, work really hard at your ankle physio, and this takes time.  I found I could fingerboard pretty much straight away, as long as you can safely step off onto one leg.  I also found I could go toproping, even if just using 1 foot, pretty soon.  SO you can absolutely make some huge gains in your strength and endurance, and then really concentrate on technique and movement once you're back properly.  Also, spend lots of time doing all those things you're suppposed to always do, like core work, shoulder stability exercises etc, and get your whole body all nice and sorted.

Basically, there's loads of things that climbers often ignore because they're busy going climbing.  Do them all now while you have chance.

[ali k]

I've just been through the exact same thing.  Buggered my ligaments falling off at Cavallers at the start of a 4 week trip.  A bit irritating.

Bouldering or routing? What happened? I was wondering how your trip went!

[butterworthtom]

So I managed to break myself last week at Froggat and successfully screwed both my ankles involving multiple damaged ligaments and some crunchy cartilage. Which is awesome.

Bad luck Tom.  Is there a good story behind the injury or just an embarrassing one?

It was pretty stupid to be honest. My friends were roping up for oedipus ring your mother, I couldn't see the point and set off before anyone had the time to say anything. Did the route and got to the break. Realised that the fun wasn't quite over, and so people started shouting instructions at me, and I just kept getting more and more panicky. So I decided to try and down climb the route, I managed to reverse the crux and then got myself into an awkward body position. Decided I should jump, wasn't actually that high, my feet were probably about 4-5m off the deck, but I was in a fairly awkward body position. I turned round as I jumped and managed to roll both my ankles upon landing.

Pretty annoying considering that the route felt very easy and I could have landed perfectly well from such a height. It really shouldn't have happened. Can I blame having a hazy head from the previous nights events?
Adam Bailes carried me out 

[tj]

Hi. I dislocated my sub-talar joint (joint just below the actual ankle joint) a month ago, which sprained alot of the ligaments around my ankle joint. I'm also a physio.

First up, I think you need an accurate diagnosis which'll allow you to manage the injury appropriately. I was lucky in that I have access to private healthcare through work, so was able to have a quick orthopaedic consultation/CT scan/posh removeable air-splint boot to protect the joint without potting it. I've worked in the NHS and I think it does alot of things fantastically; however the management of my injury was undoubtedly helped significantly by my private cover.

So, sprained ligaments is one thing, but I would be a little concerned by 'crunchy cartilage'- this may require an orthopaedic opinion? Apologies for the negative tone, and it might not even be relevant, but I would want to know that this will settle conservatively.

The usual caveats apply- internet management of injury has significant limitations! So the above isn't to say that you're not being managed correctly!

In respect to actual stuff to keep yourself sane- firstly, I'd echo want Paul B said- if indeed it's a 6 week lay-off, that's not too bad. I've treated patients who've fallen less distance and had the best part of a year off.

I borrowed a turbo-trainer off a friend so I could do 30 minute sessions on my bike (initially with the boot on)- this helped me feel less blobby and I think that gentle activity that increases blood flow to the area (once the initial inflammation has subsided) can only be a good thing. Boring as hell, though.

Now's the time to borrow all those box-sets that you've not watched 'cause you've been doing something more meaningful with your life than watching the google-box. I also meant to learn French/how to swim front-crawl efficently but didn't quite get around to it... Lie-ins are nice at this time of year though.

I'm sure your physio will give you appropriate exercises for a given stage of recovery. Initially I spend alot of time working on swelling reduction (elevation & ice & the compression of the boot/ then cold-water baths) and range-of-movement. As pain settled, I gradually increased weight-bearing and started balance/proprioceptive work (i.e. standing on one foot to start with!).

I also borrowed a trampette off a friend (who got it off Freecycle to rehab an ankle injury...) and have started using that in the last 4 days, which is helping restore control, strength and perhaps most importantly, confidence. Gently does it though...

Climbing-wise, I could also finger-board with my boot on (that'll be tricky with 2 spannered ankles...)- and I'm still using the boot now for boarding, although it's becoming a bit redundant. I don't want to slip off and tweak things though, and it provides a degree of protection. You may need to discipline yourself to not pulling hard on it, and risking coming off unexpectedly.

And as Ged said, lots of extra exercises for all those 'neglected' areas- core/rotator cuff particularly for me. I'm gonna start top-roping this week.

Each injury is different, and guidelines for recovery times are at best, an educated guess. So far, I'm ahead of where I expected to be, but I think it'll be another couple of months before I can jump off from any kind of height. It's something to progress to, intially through small controlled drops.

Keep your chin up, it's frustrating at times, but with a positive approach, life is still good. I have got quite alot of satisfaction through the continuing improvements made with my ankle and also the fingerboard (tragic).

All the best!

[battery]

I've been struggling with an ankle injury for nearly 6 months now. I was advised to do 'as little as possible' including even walking. Finger boarding is all very well but I found my cardio fitness was rapidly declining.

I bought a float that goes between your legs and a pair of goggles and went for a swim. Not using the larger muscles in your legs means you the work out is huge, it's working all the right muscles for climbing and really gets the heart and breathing going. Also, I got an ego boost as the strength I have from climbing means that even without my legs I was one of the fastest swimmers there! Added bonus of a jacuzzi at the end and everyone's a winner! 

[butterworthtom]

My ankles are getting better very quickly actually, the physio was amazed at how quickly they were improving. I am now very good at walking!

Props to tj for the in depth response. There has been so much good advice posted on this thread, so cheers.
 

[tj]

Good stuff. Went to Kendal wall this weekend, and shocked myself by top-roping several routes at only a grade or 2 off my normal O/S lead grade... Not expected on a 25m overhanging wall! And I haven't tied only in nearly 3 months!

So it would seem that as long as you don't completely forget how to move, a combination of fingerboarding & core-work can transfer surprisingly well. Actually made me realise how weak my fingers/core were, but I suppose weaknesses are individual.

I think the trick now is not getting carried away and pushing my luck too far, too soon. Had a slightly risky go at indoor bouldering t'other day (not summat I'd recommend to my patients, but there we go...) and it felt fine when falling off in control, but unsurprisingly didn't feel like I could risk anything slightly more out of control. Which is pretty limiting when bouldering...