UKH

After a nasty compound fracture and ankle dislocation in May, i finally had my cast off on Friday. 

Except this (predictably, in retrospect) turned out to be a big false dawn. It was an obvious milestone to aim for, but of course the reality is that nothing substantial has changed. I’m in a moon boot and can start physio, but I can’t go any sort of distance, and still can’t drive, so I’m basically trapped in my apartment where I’ve been for most of the days since March. And this is probably the lowest I’ve felt since the week of the accident. 

What I really need right now are inspirational stories of climbing recovery, to get me back into a positive state of mind. Any offers?

I feel your pain Paul. 4 years ago on a greasy July evening I dropped the second to top move on crescent arete and ended up with a bimaliolar fracture and ruptured everything except my Achilles tendon. It was a bit of a mess according to my surgeon. It's still full of plates and screws but I'm back to pretty much full strength these days, I have some loss of movement due to the metalwork but it doesn't usually  cause any issues. 

I'm back to falling off E1s in a punterish way and gibbering about over anything resembling a mid height top out when bouldering but all is good really. Last weekend I cycled 115 miles along the trans pennine trail from Sheffield to Hornsea with some mates with no training rides, my ankle was totally fine, my backside on the other hand!!!

I have had miserable spells over the last 4 years when I though things like "what the bloody hell was I doing, I'm a bloody cripple now, idiot" and "I should just give up on climbing, I'm obviously rubbish at it, only an idiot would fall off crescent arete and break their ankle, idiot." These thoughts tend to disappear as soon as I'm on a bit of rock and the good days out number the bad these days by a very long way.

I really struggled to keep up with my physio regime partly due to running my own business and partly down to laziness. Persevere, it gets easier and don't be put off by lack of progress. It seems to come in waves, big progress immediately followed by a long plateau then smaller increments of progress. Don't be shocked by the muscle wastage, it takes a lot of work to get the tone and mass back. 4 years on I still have trouble with high right foot rockovers. I have to have a bit of momentum to get going. It also feels "funny" when I swim. I think it's the odd pressure put on it by the surrounding water but that is improving too.

 Basically stick with it, it's going to get better. If you need a belay when you want to start climbing loads of easy stuff don't hesitate to drop me a message. I'm Sheffield based. 

In reply to elliott92:

Thanks. I plan on doing exactly this on the 25th!

Thanks! It sounds like your injury was worse than mine so if you can come back that strong that’s really heartening. 

I know what you mean about the muscle wasting away - my left calf is about half the size and density of my right! It’s crazy. But the exercise bike arrives tomorrow...

I had a big accident four years ago when I was taken out by a rucksack size block of rock, luckily I was wearing a helmet, without it I would be dead. I was rescued by mountain rescue and lifted out by helicopter then transferred by an air ambulance to hospital where they found I had nine fractured vertebrae, a shattered scapula, broken ribs and a broken clavicle. I spent a few months in a spinal brace, the doctors and the consultant said I’d never climb again. However with physiotherapy and a positive mental attitude I managed to prove them wrong. Although I’m not climbing as hard as I used to I’m grateful that I’m still climbing and thoroughly enjoying it. Good luck with your recovery Paul  and keep positive.

Chris

I don't know if it's inspirational as such, but I broke my leg mid-February 2018. April was mostly spent limping fifteen minutes each way to the Tube station to go to work - firstly on crutches, then one crutch, then a crutch just in case. By mid-May I was able to go for a walk from Hathersage to Froggatt and back, only taking crutches 'in case' but not needing them. Ankle was a bit crunchy, but no real problems. By mid-June I was limping across the Glacier Blanc in crampons and climbing very easy rock on toprope, by mid-July I was back on rock properly in the Peak, leading low grades and seconding pretty much anything I could have before, and including some accidental and tentative foot jamming. All good, no problems At the beginning of August I walked the West Highland Way (and a bit extra to get my partner back to the ferry when he needed to bail south of Inveranan) in six days fully self-sufficiently, heavy bag and all. You guessed it - all good, no problems.

I'm now climbing better than I ever have before, and I feel much stronger, more confident and more consistent mentally. Whether they are related I have no idea, but I'll take it regardless.

Six weeks seemed like an eternity in the beginning, but once I was able to do something - anything - other than lie on the sofa bored out of my brain, the time flew by. Being too stubborn to sit still and do nothing was a big help though.

Two great stories, thanks - and tehmarks, from where I'm sitting that is most definitely inspirational!

About 30 years ago I decked off the crux of Rat Race (E4 6a), snapping a carabiner in the peg, resulting in a compound heel fracture, and 8 days in PRI (last time I ever pulled a sickie to go climbing!).

The doctors told me I would never run again, never go hill-walking again, never climb again.

I was able to climb on rock reasonably quickly, although walk-ins were a problem for years. I climbed harder after my accident than before - regularly leading E3/4 on sight, and sometimes harder.

Running was more of a problem - my ankle still limits my running. It was 2 years before I could jog 100m, and it took years to build distance. I can't run on road (more than 1 or 2km) but I discovered a love of trail-running, ending with running Ultras - I completed the Tor des Geants in 2016.

Maybe most importantly of all, a friend (who I'd lost contact with) saw me walking down a street in Plymouth, and recognised my limp! That led to being reintroduced to friend from University, who I ended up marrying. So you never know!

Paul - it will get better. It may be slow for a long time, but it will get better. Do what you can, and enjoy the things you can do. The envelop will expand over time.

Good luck! Stay strong

Steve

In December 2015, I jumped about 6 feet off a climb onto what I thought was a flat grassy landing. I cracked my heelbone in two. Had an operation to screw it back together. I was climbing E1 the year before.

2 months in a moonboot. Took me six months to walk to the end of the street and back with sticks, (big celebration) and 12 months to walk off-road without sticks.

After 2 years, in 2017 I tried a moderate on Stanage, failed, toes didn't work, (the surgery not only screwed up my heel, it screwed up my whole foot, tendons, nerves etc) couldn't exert pressure with them, could not stand on edges, could not balance on that foot. 2018 I tried climbing in big boots, (old fashioned Mescalitos) managed to second the moderate, very painful.

Decided to focus on Alpinism, started a heavy fitness regime for an Alps season in 2019. In February that year, I was diagnosed with heart disease, put on statins, and advised to 'be careful'. Went to the Alps, started with terrifying valley walks, stopping every 50 yards to check my pulse, gradually going higher and higher, and finally managed an (easy) 4000m peak. Best achievement for years.

So now, after 5 and a half years, and self-isolating because of my heart, I still walk most days, cycle 2 or 3 times a week - in a face mask, doing scrambles, soloing the odd diff, trying to increase fitness, (difficult at 65).

Time may be running out for me, but when its safe, I shall be back in the Alps, and I shall try some via-ferrata, if not this year, definitely next year. I shall keep trying rock climbing, the rack is still in the porch.

You have 33 years on me, I wish I had that, so be patient. Make plans, do the physio, structure your plans, be patient, do the physio, work on your upper body, keep the weight down, do the physio, lift weights and be patient. And do the physio. You'll be fine.

Hi Paul, in June 2002 I fell the height of Burbage Edge.  Suffered a displaced fracture of my right talus, right fibula, right femur (into lots and lots of pieces), pelvis, left radius and right radius.  Also dislocated my right ankle, right shoulder and both elbows.  Lots of units of blood, lots of surgery, lots of hospital food, lots of wheelchairs and lots of physio.  I have been left with quite a significantly reduced functionality in a couple of my limbs.

I have slowly made my way back though, through cycling, walking, hill-walking, winter walking and in the last couple of years I have resumed climbing.  I am not very good at all and am struggling to overcome my fear, which means that when I lead I am very wary of performing moves which are anything less than very secure.  However, the pleasure that I get and the sense of achievement is just as much as I ever got.  The pleasure of being in our beautiful countryside and being physically active is not related to the standard at which you climb.

In the very early days, even hobbling along by a reservoir with my crutches was sufficient, as it was an improvement on being pushed around a supermarket in a wheelchair.  As my capability grew, so I could slowly extend the scope of my activities.  Each new step was a pleasure and an achievement.

Becoming used to a significant injury is a grieving process.  The despondency does gradually become replaced with a growing acceptance and then an optimism that maybe there will be fulfilling activities which you will be able to carry out.

My advice would be to divide your recovery up into small chunks and think about weekly progress rather than how soon can you climb E4 (or whatever).  In time it will be surprising how far you have come.  The other advice is to never ever neglect your physio.  Doctors do have a habit of telling you how badly injured you are and how you will never be able to do x,y and z again (I suspect so that when you CAN do x, y or z you then throw yourself at their feet in adoration).  Nurses, physios AND YOU put in the hard yards at getting you better.

I have had a few accidents in my time. The first and worst was falling about 600ft while descending down the side of Carn Mor Dearg in a snowstorm on Easter Day 1978. I was helicoptered to Belford Hospital in Fort William. I had a minor skull fracture, badly broken nose, broken tibia and fractured lumbar (4th?) vertebra. I lost the sense of pain on the inside of my right calf muscle and right knee reflex (not serious). I spent five weeks lying flat on my back in a hospital bed. The physio was a proper "Take no nonsense"  guy and had me doing exercises constantly in bed. As a result, I was able to mobilize quite quickly once I could get out of bed. In fact, I managed to get as far as the nearest pub on day two after getting out of bed.

I just remembered that somebody brought me in a few cans of beer and on seeing this the consultant prescribed me two bottles of Guinness per day. Try getting that on the NHS today! It took me about a year to get properly fit and back into climbing.

Serious accident number two was falling off the top of Pulcherrime at Burbage and shattering my left calcaneum. Hopping into the Hallamshire the receptionist suggested I go and see my GP. Luckily I was accompanied by an orthopaedic surgeon, who soon sorted her out. Since I hadn't displaced any bits they decided not to pin it. I could semi weight bear after about three weeks (I don't think Moon Boots were a thing then). A couple of weeks later I managed to hobble up and climb Outside Edge in North Wales wearing Koflachs and using one crutch as a walking stick. I still haven't got full mobility in my left heel, but it's been like that for so long that I don't notice it now.

After falling and decking on a route (Head Tennis (7c+)), he goes back and climbs it!! Gotta be vaguely inspirational. Over to you Mr G.

Splendid, thanks all!

The exercise bike has arrived and been assembled. I'm now going to see if my emaciated left calf can manage of 30 mins of the easy setting, albeit with moon boot support...

Also, the thread above has been good for reminding me that, all in all, things could be so much worse. My injury really isn't that bad, all things considered - and that's a good antidote to self-pity!

Hi Paul - I found that you just got to keep at it and be positive.  I fractured my tibia plateau, not descending from a snowy south american peak, but flying power kites (bad idea).

Four pins to put back together, two weeks in hospital, a further six months on crutches, then lots of physio to rebuild muscle mass.  To start with climbing felt very weird and i was concerned about landing on my leg.  Over time your body re-learns and you get more confident.  19 years later I'm still climbing trad, sport and boulder - never enters my head to "favour" my injured leg.  Though it took time to build up to it have run ultra marathons.

For me following the physio, swimming in the early days (low impact), listening to my bodies feedback and calibrating what i did to not push it too far was what worked - but we're all different!

Good luck with the rehab

Just to add something a little different, rather than tell you that I fell, got carted off on a spinal board and then recovered physically, overcame some mental anxiety and enjoyed a climbing comeback, how about using your time to research the many stories of sporting comebacks in other sports? Dan Carter (All Black ) has just been featured on Sky Documentaries for example. Follow Chris Froome maybe? Play your own head games but most of all, plot your progress and remember that most people go from 'I'm just glad that I'm alive', through 'I just want to be able to play with my kids', then 'I'll settle for the odd VDiff' to eventually get greedy and 'want to come back better than before'.  All through your frustrations there will be things that you CAN DO and that is what you must focus on. Good luck. 

Thanks everybody - this thread cheered me up a lot. 

30 years ago a good friend of mine folded his femur so that his foot was behind his head. He pulled it straight with his ice axe and spent 14 hours on Orion Face before getting to the Belford where they refilled him with blood. He spent the next few months having his leg reconstructed. 

At the weekend just past he completely burned me off while carrying 100m of thick static rope that we were shifting off An Teallach. 

He is made of rock though. 

Talus fracture in a pitifully unspectacular "fall" (barely more than a slump....er except some gear ripped, but still it wasn't the kind of thing that you'd expect to cause injury) in 2005. I'd had a fallow 2004, due to the distractions of househunting, and was slowly building up my lead grade again, to the heady heights of low-end VS. 
Obviously out of action again for a while with the ankle. 
I forget all the timings but post-recovery, after wasting some time on gearless polished rounded super-low grade gritstone horror shows, I skipped the whole Severe grade and straight on to HS which, in the Peak, at least tends to have holds and gear Quick consolidation and then became what I consider solid on VS. 
My weakened ankle has never affected the ability to try any climbing move at my level. I have subsequently climbed some higher grades but not a lot, when I look back! 6 or 7 HVS onsight, and E1 and E2 headpoint. But I am not super-keen like you. The point is, the ankle hasn't been the hold-up. 

Also post-injury I decided to take up something that is 100% unaffected by the ankle, and I would advise anyone (injury or not) to do similar. In my case it was freediving. Some might choose kayaking or something. It's a nice feeling, knowing that if an injury flares up somehow, you at least have some other gnarly activity for bragging rights  

And I guess quite a lot of titanium

Hi Paul, I took a lead fall in August 2018 and my ankle exploded on impact. I basically smashed the tib and fib into dust and unfortunately it was a intra -articular fracture, meaning I also smashed up all the cartilage. My fracture was called a pilon fracture, which is about as bad as it gets.  It was a pretty gloomy prognosis.  I was told I'd never walk properly again, and in fact at first I was told I might lose my leg.  Anyway, I had a load of surgery, I now have three plates and dozens of screws and they hoovered out all the dust and fixed the bones, and like you I was in plaster for months and then a boot for more months.  I was pretty down about it all.  However, here I am almost two years later, my leg is almost normal.  I can climb, do yoga, cycle, hike everything.  I can't run far that is the only difference. I can do a couple of miles but no more, which is a shame, but honestly other than this I'm pretty much back to how I was before. My surgeon was shocked by my progress.  But, I think most climbers are really motivated. We aren't used to just thinking I can't do it so I won't try, in fact, we are the opposite.  I don't think my surgeon was expecting my recovery because he wasn't expecting me to put as much effort into proving him wrong!  I got a really good private physio, which cost me most of my savings, but was worth every penny. As soon as I was allowed to weight bear I got in a swimming pool every day and walked and walked, crab walks, walk backwards, on tip toes, on your heels, etc. You'll have lost a lot of muscle and that is depressing but it comes back.  Buy yourself a bosu ball (a cheap one is fine) and work on your balance.  Just stick at it. Never let anyone limit you. The hospitals prepare you for the worst.  If you want a recommendation of a brilliant physio, mine is Ryz at Matrix Physio in Manchester. He has some very useful rehab videos on his social media, worth scrolling through.  If you want some inspiration, check out Majo Srnik, a ultra-,marathon runner in Canada who ran the Ultra Mont Blanc race within a year of the same ankle injury as me. He was my inspiration!  Good luck.  

Thanks Cheryl, that’s an amazing comeback. Mine was also a compound pilon fracture, but I seem to have gotten ridiculously lucky, only breaking the talus, and although the tibia came out through the skin somehow I didn’t break either leg bone. To hear you came back so strong from a much worse version of the same injury is really heartening. I’ve been doing my physio with full commitment since Saturday and yesterday and today I rode just over 10km in 30 mins on the cheap and cheerful exercise bike I bought online. Still a long way to go but I definitely think you’re right that medical expectations are what Average Joe will likely get back to but as a climber there’s already an in-built drive and past history of overcoming obstacles and that must help in terms of maximising recovery. 

ps I’m working with a really good physio who is an expert in ankle injuries and works with pro athletes and has worked with climbers before - she even asked me what grade I climbed to get a sense of where I want to get back to! Amazingly, she’s charging me less than the places I enquired at before she was recommended to me. So I feel like at least I’m in the best hands possible (and the NHS surgeon who first treated me was also top drawer and seems to have done a brilliant job).

Everything else but -abs like concrete (work up to sets of a hundred or so ?)  - shoulders with daily theraband and dumbbells until your shirts are a bit tight - bicep curls with arms like pistons - gymnastics rings rock - make or find parallel bars and work up to a lot (i once saw a judo person do 100) - hand squeezy spring thing for grip and a stop watch - rolling up and down a wrist roller until your forearms wave a white flag - keep a diary to chart progress (on paper in a little A5 book that you can look back on in years to come ) - get back into climbing by enjoying the movement and not the grade.  Look up ‘inner locus of control’ - when climbing ask yourself is this a pleasure ?

Ps - false dawn was ‘bargaining’ - i.e. denial anger bargaining depression acceptance - it wasn’t the sun coming up it was another step in a journey.  Bargaining dates -‘ it will be fine by ‘or ‘I’ll be ok for’ is a slap when the date comes and goes without the pay off. Made a wrist roller yet ? 

Great news about your physio.  Sounds like you are already en route to a good recovery. Keep on with the physio and the determination and you'll do fine, I'm sure 👍