Hiking this morning, twisted my ankle. Went to the doctor, pain and tenderness on the lateral side right at and above the distal end of the fibula. X-rays showed no bone damage. Was given a gel splint and wasn’t really given any instruction other than look at physical therapy in some time. Being that I don’t know the extent of the sprain, how do I judge when I can get back to lifting? And can/should I lift during this time. Squatting will probably be the hardest but can I still press and deadlift since those don’t really require dorsal flexion but still put weight on the ankel?
Hey, sorry to hear about the recent ankle sprain. This is likely a high ankle sprain. Typically I recommend a person is allowed to complete exercise that isn’t loading the area in the initial stages (1-2 weeks). Usually the person should begin weight bearing to tolerance as soon as possible (meaning putting the foot on the ground and with tolerance trying to shift weight over to the leg) but this doesn’t need to be done constantly throughout the day so as to not over-stress the area while it heals. I also typically recommend while at rest a few times each day (3 or so) trying to write the alphabet with your foot - just introducing movement to tolerance to the area. Once you feel capable to shift a decent amount of your weight to the ankle while trying to walk then it’s likely ok to begin attempting squatting bodyweight. I’d keep intensity low and slowly increasing as the weeks progress.
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Yep, that sounds like a logical progression.