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Daphne
Trad climber
Black Rock City
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Frozen, check your email
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Daphne
Trad climber
Northern California
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Ick. Bad memories.
And I still hurt every day.
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Lorenzo
Trad climber
Portland Oregon
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Falling Parameters
Height in meters 8
Mass in kg 80
Speed at impact:12.52 m/s or45.08 km/h
Time until impact: 1.28 s
Energy at impact: 6272.00 joules
You were in a 28 mile per hour crash. It was always gonna hurt.
How's your back? I'd be more concerned about compression there. Ask me how I know.
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dkny
Trad climber
Irvine, CA
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Hey folks, thanks for sharing your experiences on this thread. I fractured both of my heels in January. I've been trad climbing for nearly 20 years and fractured my heels bouldering of all things. It's been 10 months and I'm still in disbelief.
My left was an extra-articular fracture (outside the joint). My right was intra-articular and basically shattered into several pieces. I spent 2 months in a wheelchair and was non-weight bearing on my right for a total of 3 months. Now after 3 surgeries, lots of PT and exercise, I'm about 75%. Walking, not quite jogging yet.
I'm really happy with my progress, but wonder about people's experience at this later stage of recovery. Were there particular exercises that you found useful? I'm constantly tinkering with different exercises and have a pt and trainer.
Here are some I'm finding particularly helpful:
1. Stairmaster: I try to imagine I'm on a approach hike in the Sierra. Also like this for the ability to objectively measure improvement. (80 flights in 20 minutes, etc). I find it is really good for strength in the quads and glutes, but somewhat limited in terms of range of motion.
2. One leg bend overs on a Bosu ball: Stand on the flat side with one leg. Bend over and touch the opposite hand to the edge of the flat surface or a cone on the ground. Great for regaining balance and proprioception. Advance to pistol squats or use the rounded side for added challenge.
3. Toe walking: I hate this one, so I know I should be doing it more. Basically not much more to it than what's in the title. But really humbling when you can't do it.
Hope this is helpful and interested in hearing more experiences from others. Thanks. - Dennis
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ruppell
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 4, 2015 - 11:11am PT
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Lorenzo
I don't know whether that was directed at Daphne or me but I'll give you the 4 year 5 month post injury report from my fall.
I'm climbing harder then ever and still highball. It's raining in Bishop right now and my ankle has no idea. It's at 100% and has been for the past 2 years or so. Range of motion and packing heavy loads on uneven terrain is not a problem. The only time I ever even notice it anymore is when hiking sideways along a slab. That rolls the heel just enough to remind me that it was broken at some point. Not painful, just a weird sensation in the heel.
As far as my back goes, I'm a 41 year old white male who's worked construction most of my adult life. Everyone in my field regardless of ankle injury has a sore back every once in a while. Add my chosen profession to the fact that I boulder a lot and the old back can hurt. Nothing a few minutes of stretching in the morning can't take care of.
I feel pretty fortunate that I took the path I did to come back strong. That path involved pushing the injury as hard as I could as soon as I could. It may not be the best idea for others but I'm convinced it made a huge difference in my recovery to 100%. Days after the injury sitting on the couch I was already rubbing, prodding and poking the ankle and heel. Weeks after I started weight bearing. Like splint wrapped in duct tape, put in hiking boots with the laces reefed tight. Then some more duct tape over the boot. Then go fishing up at South Lake. I must have been a pretty funny sight to see back then.
So, that's where I'm at man. Now, what's your story?
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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Shattered calcaneus left foot:
Hurt like hell for 6-8 weeks afterwards. Classic elephant foot. After 3 months it didn't hurt so much. After about a year, I could walk a mile with a stiff ankle, but climbing was a joke. Even at 2 years I was taping my ankle to give it some support, but I was climbing again even if 3rd class approaches with a pack were difficult. Third year things were more or less okay, but the left leg was still weaker than the right.
Since your heel isn't shattered in hundreds of pieces like mine, you should "heal up" quicker baring complications.
Patience.
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Lorenzo
Trad climber
Portland Oregon
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So, that's where I'm at man. Now, what's your story?
Since you asked, I'm male and 68. I also worked in the construction industry for 40 years.
I had injuries to both ankles and both knees playing Lacrosse and Football in college back when joint surgeries were pretty primitive. Folks looked like slaughterhouse accidents after surgery. I elected not to have the surgeries then and I think it was a wise choice. I still have a couple bone spurs from that, but the pain is either minimal or I have a high pain threshold. If I move carefully, there isn't really pain. Running ended for me in my mid 20's. That's why I took up climbing.
I have had three climbing injuries, a reinjury to one ankle at about age 30 from clipping a ledge on a short fall ( 6 months recovery) , a shoulder dislocation at age 40 which required surgery and about 18 months of rehab. Recovery from that was mostly total until arthritis set in, which was always a danger, my surgeon told me then. I have lost a bit of flexibility over the years.
Also knee that got cut wide open from popping a nubbin and hitting a flake and exposing my patellar tendon on a 15 footer in tuolomne a year ago. First real fall in 28 years. $14K of surgery and lots of rehab. That's mostly healed, but there are funny clicking noises still when I do knee bends. ( yeah, I know. Don't do them) MRI shows mostly soft tissue scarring. Not sure I will do anything more about it. We'll see. I can still hike (slower) but steady.
Worse injuries were construction related. At age 45 or so, I walked off the end of a scaffold and fell about 4' carrying a beam. Crushed cartilage in my lower back and bent the fingers back on my left hand. That hand has limited flexibility now., strength is OK. The back means my heavy lifting days are over ( I reinjured it lifting a granite slab. still managed Salathe at 48)
The real problem was as I got older. Arthritis ( and stenosis) have set in on most of those injury sites, so I retired ten years ago and and am paying for the abuses my body took years before. It remains to be seen how much climbing is in me. Climbing will be with other old men, I expect. The days of hiking in someplace with heavy loads are over.
I hope it doesn't happen to you, but there is payback in later years for your old injuries sometimes. Getting old ain't for sissies.
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bixquite
Social climber
humboldt nation
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i shattered my calcaneus about 8 years ago. best thing ever cause a byproduct of my physical
therapy was my son Tasman now 7. I keep climbing and surfing, building and gardening but
often feel a restricted range of motion and mornings after hard days can be slow. I got some
cannibus infused salve that i rub on and it seems to help loosen those tight joints. no pun intended.
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Paul Martzen
Trad climber
Fresno
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Great thread. Very informative. I am 61 years old and 17 months out from falling 8 feet off a ladder onto my right heel. Fractured the heel but not enough to need surgery. In a cast for two months and in a walking boot for one month.
Swelling, soft tissue and tendon issues were the worst. The tendon that runs behind the outside ankle would "pop" out of place during certain movements and the pain was excruciating. That has dissipated.
In the morning when I get out of bed, I need slippers or shoes, else I can barely walk on it. Once I get the foot moving and warmed up it isn't too bad and I can even walk barefoot on hardwood floors. For a long time, it felt like I had bonespurs on the bottom of my foot which were very painful. That seems to be less the case now.
I can climb fine in the gym and pretty well outside, but I do have reduced range of motion and reduced strength. I really notice the limitations in movement when climbing outside, but range and strength are still improving.
I have been hiking and extending my hiking range, but still unsure about hiking more than 4 miles or so. At some distance the foot and the rest of my leg is just exhausted. Climbed Tenaya Peak last week and felt fine on that, so I am optimistic that I can climb stuff further from the road.
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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To increase blood supply to the area, get two buckets of water; one as hot as is comfortable, and the other ice water. Put it in the hot water for five minutes, then the ice water for 30 seconds; repeat this at least seven times, do it 2-4 times a day. It will heal faster with the increased blood supply.
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