Recovering from broken ankle, can't get heels down

[mydogs]

I broke my ankle a few years ago and did about a 1-2 years of PT. I’m capable of doing normal day to day activities and can even run on even ground (definitely not uneven ground), but I cannot get my heels down like I used to before the injury. My ankle used to be rather flexible and was able to point it forward and to whatever I needed. But now, my heels pop up and when I try to put my heels down, there is a tight stretch along the outside and then some discomfort on the inside of my ankle.

My PT said that I had some scar tissue in my ankle (I had screws inserted and then removed a year later). So, how does some work to improve their range of motion in their ankle with scar tissues? Daily stretching?

[Ridinwyoming]

I broke my ankle back in 2012 and still have difficulties keeping my heel down. Stretching helps, especially when I get in the saddle I stand in my stirrups for the first few minutes of my ride (at the walk) and get a good stretch.

[Inclinedtowhisper]

Here’s a good exercise my old trainer had me do when I came off an injury to get back into riding.
In order to bring your heels down the top and bottom of your foot muscles need to be strong enough to “over ride” whatever issue you had before, the lower calf muscles must be strong as well.

My trainer had me stand straight with my feet at shoulder width apart, with your toes facing forward. Slowly raise yourself up on your tip toes, hold for a moment and lower yourself back down. Do several reps a few times a day. This movement stretches the muscles in the back of your ankle, as well as strengthens the muscles around the sides of your ankle, the bottom of your foot, top of your foot and lower calf.

Once you’ve been doing these for a while and it stops resisting, increase the intensity by spreading your feet a bit farther apart.
Also, stretch and roll your ankles before riding. And during a ride, when you are letting your horse rest a moment, pop your feet out of the stirrups and flex your feet and roll your ankles around. It’ll keep you from getting stiff and sore ankles

[imissvixen]

I had a broken ankle and surgery. After years of pt I still can’t put my heel down. It kind of throws me off a bit in the tack. But I don’t believe at this point it is fixable. One thing that my pt did have me do was to crank the treadmill to a very high angle and walk on it for half an hour. You may try that.

[SugarRush]

I broke my tib/fib as a ten year old when I was bucked off a pony. Tibula was broken just above the ankle, and I had 4 external pins (2 for each bone) for three months to repair them. Fast forward 17 years, and I still can’t flex my scarred ankle nearly as well as the good one, and at this point have just accepted that I will always be asymmetrical. I do heel stretches on a staircase and use a tennis ball (actually a trigger point therapy ball) to make the outside of my ankle less stiff and painful. When I first get on my horses I do a lap around the ring just standing in my stirrups to get a good stretch. Having accepted the asymmetry, I find it more comfortable to ride with my more flexible ankle a full stirrup hole shorter (refused to do it for years, but now that I have? I feel fantastic). Good luck to you

[Coreene]

Stand facing forward on a step, and sink down in the heels.

[flypony74]

I would suggest a consult with your surgeon. He may determine that a minor arthroscopic procedure to clean up scar tissue and other debris would be beneficial, if he didn’t do that already when he removed our screws.

I’ve had it done twice…the first time it helped TREMENDOUSLY, the second time ended up bring more of a reconstruction (doc discovered on a pre-op MRI that my ATL was torn, but when he went in there was nothing left of it), and I’m scheduled for another one this winter to clean up an old fracture and other debris. Normally a “clean up” lasts about 5 years according to my doc, but I’m 11 years post-injury and running out of options…facing a replacement or fusion within the next couple of years if not sooner.

As far as riding, I will never be able to achieve the ROM that I had before the injury, but I ride and event and seem to make it work. I like to find a small ledge (edge of concrete sidewalk in the front yard, etc) that is a maybe 3" high and stretch like that. I’ll put the balls of my feet on the edge and stretch my heels down. I also stand in my stirrups for several minutes at the beginning of each ride, stretching my weight into my heels as best I can.