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Broken Ankle and ski boots

crosscountry

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Anyone who had broken ankle before? How long before you can fit into ski boots again?

People I talked to say broken ankle hurts quite a long time even after it heals. Doctor/PT are not willing to predict, but they say it can be as long as a year and a half! :(

I broke mine middle of last season. It's now well enough that I can walk normally just fine. But it still hurts quite a bit around the bony part of the ankle, especially if I happened to bump into a chair's leg etc. So the thought of jamming it into ski boots and controlling skis on uneven surfaces brings chills down my spine!

Doctor & PT said there's nothing medical to prevent me from skiing. But if it's going to hurt like that for a year or more, I can't see myself skiing much next season. This weekend is the deadline I either renew my Epic pass or let it go (including the credit carried over from previous year due to the injury). I'm inclined not to renew it, as I don't have a "out" if I end up not able to get into my boots without pain.
 

Seldomski

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My ankle was sensitive to cold and changes in weather for several years after I broke it (I did not break it while skiing). I was skiing in rental boots at the time and usually had advil in morning and afternoon to dull the pain. Not ideal, but was sustainable for skiing 3-4 days at a time separated by weeks. Eventually the cold and weather sensitivity went away - maybe 10 years after breaking it? I broke it while young and still growing, so YMMV.

Are you renting boots or do you own boots?

If you don't own boots, then this may be a good year to get a pair. I still had some pain in my feet from skiing until I got my own boots, customized to create space around all the bones/pressure points on my feet.

If you already have boots, then you may need to see a bootfitter to modify your boots after the injury - depends on how bad the break was. There may be changes to the shape of your foot. You can also test at home now, putting your boots on and seeing how it feels.
 
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Philpug

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About 20 years ago I broke my ankle snowboarding and I have skied 70-100 days a season since. How is the range of the ankle, is it more limited than it was prior? If more limited, you might eaitehr consider a stiffer and/or more upright boot. A good fittler can work with the discomfort in the areas with the use of different materials and even blowing out the shell. Very well you might be starting on green and blue trails till you get the confidence in the ankle back.
 

cantunamunch

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Anyone who had broken ankle before? How long before you can fit into ski boots again?

People I talked to say broken ankle hurts quite a long time even after it heals. Doctor/PT are not willing to predict, but they say it can be as long as a year and a half! :(

I broke mine middle of last season. It's now well enough that I can walk normally just fine. But it still hurts quite a bit around the bony part of the ankle, especially if I happened to bump into a chair's leg etc. So the thought of jamming it into ski boots and controlling skis on uneven surfaces brings chills down my spine!

I can relate to everything you've written here - my ankle swells up if I sit on my work chair wrong, too long. I was theoretically cleared to walk (in ortho shoes, because I also had toe bones broken) in April but that didn't work out terribly well, with considerable, painful swelling after 1-2 hours. In August I switched to normalish footwear and the ankle swelling has been decreasing since. In a Foghorn Leghorn way, with notable setbacks.

I am definitely going to new alpine boot shells and aftermarket liners. I've already hacked my XC boots to fit my new normal.
 
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I can relate to everything you've written here - my ankle swells up if I sit on my work chair wrong, too long. I was theoretically cleared to walk (in ortho shoes, because I also had toe bones broken) in April but that didn't work out terribly well, with considerable, painful swelling after 1-2 hours. In August I switched to normalish footwear and the ankle swelling has been decreasing since. In a Foghorn Leghorn way, with notable setbacks.
In my case, the ankle is pretty much back to "normal" if I were a non-skier. I even managed a couple of hour long hikes on uneven trails. I can't run too well yet. But even that is coming back slowly... fingers crossed.

Although there's various discomfort and restrictions, they're all quite minor. Except the excruciating pain around the bony part of the ankle!

If only I don't have to decide on the season pass now. Losing both the 20% discount and the 20% credit carried over from previous season, I know in my heart that if my ankle is painless by December, I'd be too pissed to bother with a pass.

So I really would love to hear from people who tried to ski within a year. Success or failure?
 
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depends on how bad the break was. There may be changes to the shape of your foot.
It's a non-displaced fracture. So should be no change in the shape.

However, I can't tell if there's residual swelling that might masquerade as change of shape.

You can also test at home now, putting your boots on and seeing how it feels.
Deosn't feel well. :(

But this is only September. It may improve by December... except the need to make a decision on the season pass...NOW.

had advil in morning and afternoon to dull the pain. Not ideal, but was sustainable for skiing 3-4 days at a time separated by weeks.
I'm not that tough. I'd rather not ski if I had to take Advil everyday.

Sounds like I might be better off saying good bye to the Epic pass for next year...
 
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Philpug

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Sounds like I might be better off saying good bye to the Epic pass for next year...
Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater just yet. Just knowing that you can just put the boot on is a big step. It is amazing what can be done with different densities of foam.
 

cantunamunch

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Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater just yet. Just knowing that you can just put the boot on is a big step. It is amazing what can be done with different densities of foam.

^This. If your ankle isn't swelling out just from use, having the right material in the right shape can be amazing.
 
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crosscountry

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I see this thread got moved to the "Boots" section?

But there's nothing wrong with my boots. It fit well before the injury. Why shouldn't it fit now? The injury will pass. I don't want to change the boot just for a temporary condition. What's going to happen when it's fully recovered? Whatever the change, can it be changed back??

I really prefer to just hear from others who had similar injuries on how long it takes for the pain to subside. If it takes more than one year, I'm just going to wait. NOT change my boots for a worse result the next year.

I see where this is going down the wrong path. "throwing out the baby with the bath water" looks to be where this thread is heading... The baby got moved to the bath water. :(
 
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jmeb

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I see this thread got moved to the "Boots" section?

But there's nothing wrong with my boots. It fit well before the injury. Why shouldn't it fit now? The injury will pass. I don't want to change the boot just for a temporary condition. What's going to happen when it's fully recovered? Whatever the change, can it be changed back??

I really prefer to just hear from others who had similar injuries on how long it takes for the pain to subside. If it takes more than one year, I'm just going to wait. NOT change my boots for a worse result the next year.

I see where this is going down the wrong path. "throwing out the baby with the bath water" looks to be where this thread is heading... The baby got moved to the bath water. :(

Ankles and feet are insanely complex. And the most essential bit of our bodies when it comes to skiing I suspect. Predicting your future based on others I think is a tough game.

My own story: I (non-displaced) fractured my "ankle" 2 autumns ago. On a backpacking trip (lets not talk about walking out 7mi and 3000' downhill on it.). "Ankle" in quotes because what you fractured matters -- in my case it was lower fibula. But there are lots of other bits of your "ankle" you can fracture. Within 3 months I was back on skis. I had to switch boots because of loss of flexibility meant I couldn't get into prior boots. But that season I skied hard...60 days including 30 days of pulling loaded toboggans down double black terrain. No real pain. Ski boots are a pretty good cast.

While it felt OK at the time I ended up with a new neuroma as my foot failed to flex and compensate like it used to. And two years -- 2000+ miles of running (1000+ on trails), 90 ski days, 150mi of backpacking -- I'm still dealing with what is a now likely a permanent condition. It'll always require attention, PT, and recovery. And I'm not exactly young or old at 35. Sitting here rolling out my lower leg tendons, flexing my plantar fascia.

My point is -- no one can really tell you how your own ankle is going to evolve. You need to take it step by step. Listen to your body. Listen to a PT. and listen to a bootfitter if need be. In my case I got back into an overlap boot, but loss of dorsiflexion means I now ski with slight heel lifts to ensure proper biomechanics.

IMHO -- boot changes are worth a ski season. But I only have another 50 years of skiing left so most anything less than 2000$ is worth skiing for a season.
 

François Pugh

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Every injury and every patient is different. Nobody can tell you how you will heal. I have broken a few bones, none in the ankle as far as I know though. A couple in my foot, a humerus, a scaphoid, a clavicle, a radius, a capitate, a few ribs, a few toes, maybe a couple of fingers, but none in the ankle. However the few in my wrist, taught me that swelling is a tricky thing, too much activity and it swells up, not enough movement and it swells up worse - you need to promote good circulation.

The shoulder injuries taught me one thing I can definitely say will be true for you too. Your healing will be faster and better with better physiotherapy. Your mission should be to find the best physiotherapist you can and make use of them. Money well spent.

Don't let your injury get you depressed!
 

VickieH

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This weekend is the deadline I either renew my Epic pass or let it go (including the credit carried over from previous year due to the injury). I'm inclined not to renew it, as I don't have a "out" if I end up not able to get into my boots without pain.
Have you tried on your boots?

Things I would consider:

Age of boots, as in, how close would I be to replacing them anyway. If they are close to end-of-life, an adjustment to make them usable this season may not be a big deal.

Actual dollars: Money forfeited if I didn't renew the pass this year (20% of $979?). Additional cost to renew the pass this year. Any reduction in cost I might get for renewal next year vs. new purchase. [I don't know the details here. If you don't renew this year, do you forfeit all credit you have on the books (approx $200)? And are you required to renew the pass you had last season or can you apply the credit to something else?]

Where my skiing satisfaction comes from. Do I have to ski the hardest terrain plus powder plus bumps bell-to-bell in order to enjoy skiing, or am I willing to dial it back?

If I don't downhill ski, what will I do this winter? [Does your username "crosscountry" refer to skiing?]

Is there a compromise available on the pass? For instance, if the credit is use-or-lose for this season, I might consider a 3-day pass for $249 or a Keystone pass for $311 or whatever other location would be local to me. With a couple hundred dollars of credit, those passes are really low-cost. Maybe it doesn't have to be all-or-nothing.
 

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I broke my right ankle skiing 3 years ago at age 60. It was a simple fracture of the fibula near the ankle, although the torque definitely affected my knee as well, but with no breaks or ligament tears. I skied the next year with no problem, but I still deal with swelling in that ankle similar to others posting above. Strangely, mosquito bites also cause it to swell (apparently I have delicious blood as they all attack me and leave my wife alone). The pain in my case subsided faster than yours and by summer I was hiking in the Green Mountains with a removable ankle brace under my hiking boots. I did have to work up to that hiking in our hills near our house. A year later I developed plantar fasciitis in that foot.

I had 8 months for the ankle to recover before I tried to get it back into my boots (Lange RS 130). I was not looking forward to it as that ankle now has less mobility than the left. I don't have a lot of dorsiflexion anyway, so this boot works great for me (hats off to the bootfitters I've worked with). It was surprisingly easier than I expected although I have to take greater care to get the overlap open to get my foot inside. At the time I definitely would have considered a new boot if it would have aided in getting a normal ski season. I was thinking about three piece designs (Full Tilt, Dalbello) as they are apparently much easier to get into. Another option if you prefer to keep your current boots: last season I went to a lace up Intuition liner to replace the packed out Lange. This has made it much easier to get my feet into my boots. Perhaps these are some things you could at least try out at your local shop. I would give these a try ASAP before deciding about your pass.
 
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Things I would consider:

Where my skiing satisfaction comes from. Do I have to ski the hardest terrain plus powder plus bumps bell-to-bell in order to enjoy skiing, or am I willing to dial it back?

If I don't downhill ski, what will I do this winter? [Does your username "crosscountry" refer to skiing?]
Thank you very much for understanding my concern 100%.:) It takes a woman to consider things overall instead of hyper focusing on the technical aspect of modifying the boots. ;)

Yes, "crosscountry" does refer to cross country skiing! :) Though that part maybe even harder to get back than alpine skiing. As it requires a full recovery of all 100% of the ankle's functionality. I don't have a huge hope of skiing well the coming season. Only viewing it as "advance rehab".

As for terrain, I found that doesn't related to boot comfort. I guess I don't just ride the ski on the base. So whether I'm on groomer or bumps, it's always exerting pressure on the boot (and my feet).

Have you tried on your boots?

Age of boots, as in, how close would I be to replacing them anyway. If they are close to end-of-life, an adjustment to make them usable this season may not be a big deal.
Yes, I tried on the boot. It's painful to get in (but it went in). The pain from the "getting in" process made it rather painful to subsequently trying the movement resembling skiing. So it's not clear whether I would have pain skiing IF I could get in without excessive pain.

Boot is only 1 year old (right before the pandemic shut me down, in the middle of getting it "dialed in". Though I'd say it's 98% fit. So no, I'd rather not fiddle with it while my ankle is... "temporary abnormal". Only to have it not fitting well the rest of its useful lifespan!


Actual dollars: Money forfeited if I didn't renew the pass this year (20% of $979?). Additional cost to renew the pass this year. Any reduction in cost I might get for renewal next year vs. new purchase. [I don't know the details here. If you don't renew this year, do you forfeit all credit you have on the books (approx $200)? And are you required to renew the pass you had last season or can you apply the credit to something else?

Is there a compromise available on the pass? For instance, if the credit is use-or-lose for this season, I might consider a 3-day pass for $249 or a Keystone pass for $311 or whatever other location would be local to me. With a couple hundred dollars of credit, those passes are really low-cost. Maybe it doesn't have to be all-or-nothing
The credit+discount is more like $400! :( (~40%)

So yes, that's a thought to buy a lower level pass as a compromise. But I'm in the northeast. The local version of the pass felt very limiting due to typically so-so condition and crowds. I've had enough skiing locally for one season (last season, only half of it). Not feeling very motivating to buy a local version again. Feeling more like skipping the season rather than getting more frustrated instead.
 

cantunamunch

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Thank you very much for understanding my concern 100%.:) It takes a woman to consider things overall instead of hyper focusing on the technical aspect of modifying the boots. ;)

Yes, "crosscountry" does refer to cross country skiing! :) Though that part maybe even harder to get back than alpine skiing. As it requires a full recovery of all 100% of the ankle's functionality.

Sorry, you guys lose me there.

Sometimes focus on the technical aspect can be truly rewarding. And the demonstration is - by ordering new skate boots and hacking them to pieces, then putting together pads of foam, gel and leather around the braces, I was able to piece together 6 days of cross country skiing ~3hrs each, during a time I wasn't even allowed to drive a car or climb stairs.

Would I want to do it again? No. Was it painful? Yes. Did my doctor wash her hands of it? Yes. Was it worth sacrificing a new pair of plain jane skate boots and some $50 of poron, motorcycle seat gel, leather and glue? Absolutely.

Am I advocating risky re-injury? No. But if pain and fit are the primary problems, don't undersell the technically possible. It can totally change overall focus.

Here is what my broken-ankle-and-wired-toes winter looked like:
IMG_20210119_144310.jpg

IMG_20201227_113843.jpg
IMG_20210130_133144.jpg

1630685443428.png
 
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oldschoolskier

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No ankles yet.....hope never to go there. But :nono: have broken several other bones (back included). The only thing I can add is sometimes you have to pay when you play (painfully sometimes).
 

VickieH

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So yes, that's a thought to buy a lower level pass as a compromise. But I'm in the northeast. The local version of the pass felt very limiting due to typically so-so condition and crowds. I've had enough skiing locally for one season (last season, only half of it). Not feeling very motivating to buy a local version again. Feeling more like skipping the season rather than getting more frustrated instead.
I do hear you about the frustration. But. If that's $400 real dollars of credit, I would at least get the Northeast Midweek Pass (essentially free) and keep it in my back pocket. Or an x-day Epic pass and plan a trip with friends and make the most of whatever my ankle would allow me to do.

Two reasons:

1) There's a lot of time and additional healing that can happen between now and the end of ski season. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of the season and wonder "what if". And I wouldn't want to be in this same position a year from now with no experience to base a decision on for the '22/23 season.

2) If Epic offers a discount to returning customers, I would want to preserve that for the '22/23 season.

But keep in mind, the only thing that happens next week is the prices go up. If that credit is available to you until the end of this season, it's free money that you can spend in November or December when you might have a better idea of how your ankle is doing.
 

neonorchid

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@crosscountry, I may have missed this in your post but, given the injury which cut short your ski season may not be headed enough for you to return to Skiing '21/'22, did or could you contact EPIC and ask about the possibility of your credit being deferred to the '22/'23 season?
Or ask if in the event you find skiing to exacerbate the year old ankle injury, would the ankle injury be considered a preexisting condition that would disqualify you from EPIC COVERAGE on a '21/'22 pass?


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Life is full of unexpected events. That's why we include Epic Coverage with every pass. So, if a covered event holds you back from your ski and ride season, you may be eligible to receive a refund for the days you missed. Plan your 2021/22 season with peace of mind.

WHAT QUALIFIES FOR EPIC COVERAGE?
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