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marky
climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 1, 2007 - 06:23pm PT
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I walked this off yesterday but today I'm hobbing around in a lot of pain. I can't imagine it's broken (but maybe it is). I do imagine that landing hard on the heel is a fairly frequent injury, so maybe someone could tell me about how long it took to get up and running, so to speak, after this kind of injury.
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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marky, if it's a bruise...take it e.z. for a long time. Bone bruises are extremely painful, can be point tender and feel like broken bones. They can progress into a fracture if misused. Not too likely of a fracture if you landed on a pad. Did you twist the ankle? And is the pain on the bottom of the heel or further up? One quick check is to grab the heel with one hand and gently, progressing to harder squeezing of the heel bone or calcaneous. If this brings about pain other than the bottom of the heel, you might consider further evaluation. Heel bruises are nasty injuries, padding the heel in a shoe can help, but usually minimally. Try not to stress it too much. Even if it is a fracture, unless in is unstable there isn't too much you can do for it, except take it e.z.. If you did twist the ankle in the fall, could be a ligament or such. Said you walked it off yesterday? Good sign, in that things tightened up last night and hurt like hell today. Fractures don't "walk off". Good luck, hopefully some other people have some good info for you.
Peace
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paganmonkeyboy
Trad climber
the blighted lands of hatu
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do you have insurance ? and how do you feel about acupuncture ?
i decked and gave myself plantar fasciitis once, but that might not be what you have. in my case it was almost a year of conventional treatment and not really getting better, then one visit to the chiro for acupuncture and the bruise came out after 11 months - was back to 80% the next day...
that sucks g - good luck with it. ice, compression, rest, elevation at the very least...
tom
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WBraun
climber
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ron gomez sounds right.
I've had those heal bruises and man they hurt like sh't. You just have to suck it up man and go with it.
It will heal ...........
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scuffy b
climber
The town that Nature forgot to hate
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Did you experience nausea after the fall?
When I gave myself a hairline fracture in 80 there was nausea
associated. It took a few weeks to be good.
A similar impact in 88 had no nausea associated with it.
I could climb a week later.
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ZAllen
Social climber
the dirty south
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Happened to a friend of mine and turned into plantar faschitis (sp??) His doc gave him a brace that helped, like a walking cast.
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golsen
Social climber
kennewick, wa
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One of the dumbest things I did was to solo a climb then realize that people rapp off. Duh. It was a bit too spice to down solo so I opted for the back side. I had to nail a sloping landing onto a boulder from about 9 feet up. I nailed it alright.
Like ZAllen said, I tore the plantar fascia(?) ligaments in the bottom of the foot. First doc said itd be better in a week. 6 weeks later I was off crutches
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Jarhead City, CA
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Ok, I recently (early Dec) broke my heel jumping a gap on a descent...5-6' drop max.
The frature wasn't bad, basically a tiny stress fracture in the calcaneal bone (heel). It wasn't really tender on the pad of the heel, but if you squeezed on the sides...YOW!
I kept climbing on it for about 3 weeks, then sat on my azz walking no farther than couch to fridge for a little over 2 weeks (this was right after I got diagnosed by a ortho), then gradually started walking more and heading out to run laps on the Gunsmoke. After a total of about 6 weeks, I was pain free. It feels 100% fine now. Didn't do anything other than stay off it and drink alot of milk.
Good luck, go see a doc if you can.
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T2
climber
Cardiff by the sea
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Back when bouldering pads were becoming popular, I was leery of them, thinking who wants to lug that big thing around to the boulders when all you really needed was your shoes and chalkbag maybe a toothbrush and had refused to use them for a long while. I had been woking on kind of a high ball problem out at the Gun Smoke (High Noon maybe?)and my friend dave convinced me to use his bouldering pad. Relunctant at first then deciding why not, I had been jumping off the top of this problem alot and figured what could it hurt. I lined the thing up started the problem, got to the crux, threw for the blind hold, missed it again and fell to what I thought would be a padded landing. What had actually happend was I landed half on the pad and half off. Both my heels hit the dirt, I caught the edge of the pad right across arch of my foot. I brused the hell out of both heels, it was the most painful injury. I took weeks for them to heal properly. I cursed and blamed that damn pad for my injurys. That was my first experience with a bouldering pad. I can relate to the brused heel, it sucks.
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the museum
Trad climber
Rapid City, SD
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Be careful all
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marky
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 2, 2007 - 02:09pm PT
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it's been 48 hours since the impact and still no improvement. I've been keeping off the foot as much as I can, but I'm reticent to go to the doctor out of habit and, well, because I don't have health insurance. Is there a point--a week out, two weeks out--after which if it's still painful/difficult to walk I really should see a doctor?
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G_Gnome
Boulder climber
Sick Midget Land
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If you actually broke the calcaneus or talus bones and they got displaced at all then you are truly f#cked. There is no way to go but into surgery or you will be in pain forever and have restricted motion in the ankle. At least go get it xrayed so you know what the problem is. If it looks bad then you need to start figuring out how to get surgery with as little expense as possible. Of course then the physical therapy is going to bankrupt you anyway because you will need somebody willing to torture you to stretch all the tendons and ligaments back out after you heal. Good luck man!
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paganmonkeyboy
Trad climber
the blighted lands of hatu
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is it fine when you first wake up, then hurt as soon as you weight it ? still swollen a lot ? can you press on it and feel anything obvious, or is that too much at this point ?
the plantar f will feel fine until you weight it, then the band stretches and it starts screaming. a deep bruise is only going to just beginning to get going at this point too though i think... 48 hours sounds like still inflamed and might not be easy to diagnose anything...
that sucks dude. i'm so sorry...
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SuperSpud
Trad climber
Cayucos, CA
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I fractured my calcaneus when I missed my bouldering pad and hit a small rock. Hurt like hell and I could barely walk. Had it x-rayed and the crack was barely discernable. Went to two orthopedic surgeons, both advised 2 weeks in bed and six weeks with sore armpits or risk a lifetime of grief. I elected to spend the time on my back and with the crutches.
I would rate it worse than a broken ankle (done that twice) but not as bad as a serious sprain (two times also).
And yeah you bet I went out and got the biggest bouldering pad I could find.
Jeff Rininger
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Wild Bill
climber
Ca
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As mentioned up-thread, the ankle/foot is so complex that it could be any number of things. For instance (although it doesn't sound likely) your achilles tendon could be partially torn.
A quick check: kneel on a bed or soft chair with your foot hangin over the edge, and have someone squeeze the sides of your calf, about 2/3 of the way up towards the knee. Each squeeze should cause a reaction, consisting of your toes moving fore and aft. If it's painful down at the heel, it might be the tendon attachment point at the base of the heel that is torn. If your toes don't move at all, the achilles is completely torn. Been there, done that, have the bedsores and shrunken calf to show for it.
A more straightforward check of the achilles: can you stand and raise up on your toes? A torn achilles will not allow it, and a partial tear will be painful.
What sort of bruising has emerged now after two days?
I hope this works out for you. In the meantime stay off it and stay away from the things that hurt.
Bill
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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Patients Marky, heel bruises will take weeks if not months (depending on the severity) to heal to the point of "comfort". Any visible swelling in the ankle and/or heel area? Did you squeeze the shitters out of it? Pain? Werner said these things hurt like shitz and shitz pain don't go away in a day or two. Pain should be point tender and limited to the bottom of the heel. Try a "donut pad" on the heel with the hole cut out to fit the bruised area, if you can use a high density foam so you don't completely bottom it out once weighted. Maybe Werner could share some insight?? If possible stretch the gastroc and plantar fascia, BUT don't irritate the bruise (if that's what it is). Ice may help with pain symptoms temporarily, ice cups work well for this so you's don't have to stick the whole foot in an ice bucket!!! You thought the bruised heel hurt,, try that, you'll forget all about the heel. Good luck and PATIENTS
Peace
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tonym
climber
Oklahoma
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Hey Marky,
A few years back I took a short fall on a sport route no biggy but the draw came off the bolt sending me onto the slab below with tremendous force. Since I was making the moves over a small roof and the rock below was not quite vertical it made for a bad fall situation. The first bolt kept me from decking just barely but when the rope came tight my left foot took the impact; my wife who was belaying me said it sounded like a gunshot when my foot made contact with the rock After getting lowered to the ground my foot ballooned up in a matter of minutes it was a mess to say the least.
The ER doc took some x-rays and said I had fractured my calcaneus (heel) but doubted that I needed surgery. The next day I went to the orthopedic dr. who said it was one of worst calcaneus fractures he had seen. After two surgeries twelve screws and a plate, 4 months on crutches and a year of constant burning in my foot I have been back climbing with no problems.
Bottom line foot injuries suck big time and take forever to heal so be patient (I was not). Get a good doctor and have some x-rays taken just to be sure. If you damaged your Achilles it needs to be fixed pronto.
Good luck man!
TM
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