BLOG #21 SPRAINED ANKLES

                                    
​                              SPRAINED ANKLES

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Today, I would like to discuss a common injury in the mountains.
Yeas ago, I was on a solo hike to the North Twin of the Seven Sisters of the American Selkirks.
As I was descending to Beehive Lake, I twisted my ankle.

I immediately dropped to the ground, and put my foot up as vertical as I could. I used a small Sub-Alpine Fir to hold my leg up.
My leg remained up that tree for nearly an hour.
There was some snow near by, so I collected some for an ice pack. Carry an assortment of ziplock bags.
When my ankle was feeling less pained, I slowly started to lower my leg wrapped in the ice pack.
If the throbbing started again, I put it back up, until it didn’t hurt so much. And lowered it slowly.

Eventually, my foot was able to be on the ground. After treating my ankle with a special essential oils mixture, I re-laced, my boots and very carefully got to my feet. 
My ankle hurt a bit, but I could walk on it, carefully.
By turning your toes outward, it takes the stress off the tendons.
Also, if you walk on the higher part of a trail, you can point your injured foot down slope, as you walk.
That takes the pressure off your tendons.

Over my decades of rambling, I’ve learned that if my foot, ankle, knee, are hurting, there is a way of walking that will reduce my pain, or eliminate it all together.
As soon as you feel a pain, adjust your stride, and angle of your foot to eliminate the pain.
It may take several adjustments to the angle to find a more comfortable stride.

I gathered my gear, and headed down the 4.2 miles to my van.
About two miles from the trailhead, I stepped into a hole and down I went again. This time I was on the ground for 2-3 hours before standing.
The last two miles, took me 4.5 hours to carefully walk, a way that didn’t bend the ankle.
When I got to my van, I propped my leg up, and tried to rest.

A few hours later, I was able to drive down the Pack River towards home.
I took off a few days of work to keep my ankle elevated and iced.
I eventually went back to work.

My take away for you, is simple.
Follow the following instructions, and you may be able to walk away from a twisted ankle.

1. DO NOT STOP YOUR FALL, DROP TO THE GROUND. LAY DOWN IMMEDIATELY WITH YOUR LEG PROPPED UP FOR AT LEAST 30-45 MINUTES.
2. TAKE TWO OTC PILLS FOR PAIN.
3. MESSAGE YOUR LOWER LEG AND ANKLE IF IT DOESN’T BOTHER YOU TOO MUCH
4. WHEN YOU START LOWERING YOUR LEG, AND YOU FEEL A THROBBING PAIN, PUT YOUR LEG BACK UP. PLEASE BE PATIENT.
5. IF OTHERS ARE WITH YOU, HAVE THEM GATHER SOME SNOW FOR ICING YOUR ANKLE.
6. WHEN YOU GET TO THE POINT OF BEING ABLE TO STAND UP, MOVE SLOWLY, AND DON’T HESITATE LAYING BACK DOWN AND RAISE YOUR ANKLE.
7. IF YOUR ANKLE IS TOO SOAR TO BEND WHILE WALKING, PUT YOUR INJURED ANKLE OUT IN FRONT OF YOU.       NOW, BRING YOUR BACK FOOT’S TOES UP TO THE HEEL OF YOUR FRONT FOOT. AND DO IT AGAIN, AND AGAIN. TAKING CARE NOT YO RE-INJURE YOUR ANKLE.  
8. IF YOU ARE ALONE, PULL OUT YOUR WHISTLE AND BLOW THREE BLASTS, PAUSE A FEW SECONDS AND DO TWO MORE BLASTS THREE TIMES.  ANY THREE SOUNDS, GUN SHOTS, ETC, YOU HERE, IS SOMEONE CALLING FOR HELP.

We hope the above will help you walk out on your own, in case of an emergency. I wrap about 8 feet of Gorilla Tape on each hiking pole. 
I have use this tape to make a lower leg support peg, or build a crutch. 
A 50’ length of parachute cord can be used in so many emergency circumstances.

Dollar Tree has Coban bandages that are 5 yards long by 2” wide, for just $1.25.
They are infinitely safer and more effective than Ace Bandages.

InlandNWRoutes.com
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Chic Burge     David Crafton