Has anyone else doing c25k broken their ankle mid way?

[Runningwithhoney]

just wondering if any users have broken their ankle on plan, how long it took to heal, how long it took to return to running and anything you did to ease back in?

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

I'm sure there are folk here who may have had this...but each case will be different...ouch!The advice we give is, listen to your GP or the experts at the fracture clinic ...although folk will tell you their experiences...your recovery and return to running will very much be guided by those experts treating you.

Hopefully, that will not be too long and we will see you back here posting!

Heal soon!

[Mummycav Administrator Graduate]

oh no?! Like Oldfloss says, I’m sure there are people in here who have broken things during the programme…main thing is to make sure it’s completely healed before you do any exercise at all…

I hope you heal quickly and get back to what you love

[ZingPoppo]

Having just broken a bone myself I feel your pain! Can’t say how long the healing will take but wish you all the best for a speedy recovery!

[JoP61 Graduate]

Very sorry to hear about your injury. I broke a metatarsal bone in my foot (not through running!), and spent a short time in the "big boot". The fracture docs encouraged me to keep walking on it as much as possible but it was 12 weeks until I could run again.

Obviously your ankle could take longer or less time to heal, but I guess it could be months. It's worth mentioning to the doctors that you want to get back to running - the doc at the fracture clinic got me in for an extra X-ray just to double check everything was completely mended before giving me the OK to run. I did C25K again and haven't had any trouble with the foot since.

Good luck with your recovery! 🤞

[grumpyoldgirl Graduate]

I second the advice that you let them know you want to run. I broke my ankle during the first COVID lockdown. The bones healed fast enough, it's the ligament damage that takes longer to repair. For me it meant a few months of physio with a brilliant NHS physio. (The fracture clinic referred me).She definitely took my running into account. I can't swear to it but I got the feeling I was taken a bit further and for a bit longer to be sure the joint was strong enough. Lots of balance work too.

My own advice is to keep the exercises going after you've been signed off. I've had several injuries to that foot since, there was a residual weakness and the best thing you can do is keep the joint as strong as possible going forward.

Commiserations, it's deeply frustrating but you will get back out there.

Meanwhile have a look at some chair based exercises you can be getting on with as soon as you're up to it. (Don't rush, healing a broken bone takes a lot of your energy, you'll be really tired at first.)

[Trailslogg Graduate]

My only experience with a bone fracture is a broken wrist 2 decades ago. Main takeaways from that experience:

1. My goodness, it's insane how quickly you lose muscle if you don't use it! By the time the cast came off (after a couple of weeks, though I honestly don't remember how many!) it was loose around my arm, because my arm was completely shriveled up. Bone and skin. Scary.

2. Obviously to get back to even just normal function after that required physical therapy (again, I don't remember for how long - definitely more than just a couple of weeks though). Not just building muscle back, but also practicing range of motion.

3. At least in my case, it never got completely back to normal: to this day, I have noticeably less strength in my left wrist than in my right. (Though that might also be because the bones weren't set correctly but at a bit of an angle). If I need to carry a full plate in one hand, it better not be my left because the food will be sliding off since I don't have the strength to keep it horizontal!

So it might be a slow road ahead; take your time and work your way back to where you were before a little step (literally!) at a time. Best of luck!!

[drl212 Graduate]

I agree with folks here. This advice needs to come from your healthcare provider whether it's a GP or physio. I developed a stress fracture back in September and I'm now running intervals of walking/running to bring myself gently back to where I was. This is under advice from fracture clinic and physio...

All the best.