Sprained ankle, when to get back on the ice?

[skatingpasty]

Yesterday I skated 3 1/2 hours on freestyle ice and improved my cannonball and change camel spin greatly, then last night I got off the trampoline and landed on two feet but my right ankle twisted and clicked.
I went to the doctors this morning and was told that I'd badly sprained it.

I can't put much pressure on it so can barely walk, I have a lesson on thursday and sunday which I don't think i'll be able to do because of my foot. How long should I stay off the ice for, what is the usual healing time for a sprain? I can't bend my ankle as it is very painful so when I do get back on the ice how can I do sit spins again (i'm a clockwise skater and my right foot is my main spinning foot)

Thanks

[FigureSpins]

DD sprained her ankle doing cartwheels.  We took her to the doctor and it was diagnosed as a bad sprain.

She had to take ibuprofen around the clock for a week and wear an inflatable brace for two weeks.  It took 7-10 days before the ankle healed enough so the skates didn't hurt, but we kept her off for the full two weeks, until walking wasn't painful.

It's really important to rest and elevate, but you also have to wear proper footwear until it's fully healed.  You want to avoid tendenitis - that's even more painful.

[skatingpasty]

Thanks for the advice, was your DD able to skate again as normal after the sprain had healed or did she need to adjust again...I really just want to get back on the ice and skate again as soon as the pain goes

[sarahspins]

I would wait until it's no longer hurting you to walk on it... and no one can be certain how long that will take.  It could be 2 weeks, or it could be 6 weeks.

[skatingpasty]

I hope it's not six weeks I can walk on it a bit better now but still with a slight limp, doesn't hurt as much to put weight on now so i'm hoping it'll be fine by the end of the week

[kiwiskater]

Don't rush back, make sure that your ankle is as close to normal as possible. In fact if you aren't seeing a physio go sign up with one let them assess the fitness of your ankle.

When I hurt my wrist last year I was desperate to get back on the ice - I was gutted to be sidelined for 11 weeks, the tested my class without me BUT I fell on my first day back & I can tell you it would have been very bad if I had gone back any earlier, my physio said I had to have a minimum of 2 pain free weeks before being allowed back.

[LilJen]

Rest, elevate, ice, and COMPRESS to keep the swelling down. It may take several weeks, and you really, really should take that time to let it heal (I know, I've been there, and it drove me nuts to be off the ice!). It's also a good idea to do some strengthening exercises (as you feel able) to prevent future injury (if you have good health insurance, you might see if your dr would send you for a few PT sessions to give you some guidance).

[turnip]

Don't rush back onto the ice, wait until you can walk without pain, and then just go gently. Don't jump and spin on it straight away. Ice it regularly. You may find a support actually hurts more when you skate then not skating (there's a reason for this but i forgot  ) so just wear it the rest of the time if thats the case.

I say this, but I have ligament damage and have been skating on it, sometimes in pain, for about a month now  I am however, not jumping or spinning as these hurt a LOT!

[skatingpasty]

My ankle is pretty much back to normal now, I can walk on it no bother and the swelling has gone down - there's still slight bruising but it's not painful. I was on the trampoline last night and tonight and had no pain.

I'm going to my lesson on Sunday (4 hour practise) but just going to work on footwork and gentle spins incase my foot goes I've again.
Thanks for the advice everyone

[LilJen]

How did it go? Hope the ankle is not screaming at you. I continue to recommend any off-ice strengthening exercises you can think of. I still do some of mine, 1 year post-minor fracture.