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So i graduated high school this year and did not take a break between my state meet and the start of summer meets. i felt pain in both of my ankles and what i self diagnosed as a stress fracture. it started becoming apparent in only my left (takeoff) foot so i went to PT to try to avoid something serious. they told me it was anterior ankle impingement which is basically just a tendon issue in the front/top of my foot. that made a lot of sense to me so i continued PT for about two weeks with no improvement in pain. I decided to jump a some summer meet and was attempting 5.10m when my ankle popped so loud that my uncle thought i tore my ACL.. it felt really funny so i iced it and wasnt able to put any pressure on it. i went to the ER thinking i just sprained it.. after they took X-rays they told me my navicular bone (a forefoot bone) looked a little strange, but that it was just something that occurred in "jumpers" often.. then i specifically asked "it's not a stress fracture?" where i was assured it wasn't... a few weeks later i was recovering from what i thought was an ankle sprain when i decided to see a childrens ortho. He took his own xrays and handed me an ankle brace and said to brace it for 2 weeks and i should be good... just so you know i had to miss Junior Nationals due to this injury so it really sucked...

last week i had an MRI done by a foot specialist who works with the NFL. He looked at it and within 25 seconds told me i had a 3rd degree Nonunion navicular fracture. i would put the picture of the MRI up here but i dont have the digital copy.. it's blatantly obvious that my navicular bone is cleaved in two and the guy said without a doubt i did it at the meet i heard the infamous pop.

Long story short i had an open reduction and fixation surgery two days ago. they went in, shaved down both sides of the broken bone, took bone graft from my heel and screwed it between the bone with two screws.. Im in a non weightbearing cast for 6 weeks then im put in a walking boot for another 6 weeks. Ill most likely have to redshirt my indoor season at college next semester..

So this is a WARNING to all the high school athletes that think that vaulting at every meet possible is the way to do things... ITS NOT!! if i could do it again i would have limited myself to vaulting in a meet 2 times in a month out of season.. and around 2 vaulting days a week with a TON OF SPRINTS AND WEIGHTS!!! vaulting a lot to start out is very good, but when you get around the 16 foot range you need to take care of your body!

oh i didnt even put my questions... well i was wondering if anyone else has experienced anything like this and how the dealt with it. any help would be appreciated i just wanna get back to the sport i love!

trayoates wrote:anyone else experiencing bad left ankle pain around the front/outside of their left ankle?? i have normal arches and everything and i wear running shoes specially fitted to my feet, yet the past two weeks i've had really bad ankle pain!

ive been researching it a lot (not saying that WebMD is a credible source), but ive come to the conclusion that it's anterior ankle impingement. which is basically where the soft tissues of the ankle (tendons/ligaments) rub against scar tissue from previous sprains (as in my case) or little growths called bone spurs... it's pretty much just an overuse injury from repetitive jumping/running...

i have a bad problem at being under at takeoff which i think contributes to the injury!

if anyone else has had problems like this just let me know what you did for treatment and more importantly prevention! cause this injury sucks and i dont want it to come back.. i've been icing a lot and using Thera-Bands to strengthen the joint. any other pointers would help!!

PV2020 wrote:Jump at nationals and shut it down....

It sounds like an overuse injury and the only cure is to rest it. I know it is your senior year and you are jumping quite well, so if you are planning on New Balance, suck it up till then and maybe try a wrap or something. Maybe Just jumping every 3 days or something.

Peoples senior year they are always tempted to jump straight through the summer before college. But you need to make sure you give yourself plenty of time to completely rest (over use injuries may need non pounding movements for as much as 6 weeks), and then build back up to getting in shape before you head off to college and start training.

It would really suck to be constantly battling with a hurting ankle through your freshmen year of college.

Advice: Learn to take advice. I continue to tell everyone unless you are pretty much guaranteed to make a USA international team, DO NOT JUMP SUMMER OF SENIOR YEAR! (And even if you are, do it very sparingly) Get in shape, and forget about pole vaulting for two months. You are about to transition to a college coach and the best thing to do is clear your mind and be prepared to do things their way.

As far as the foot. Do EXACTLY what the doctor says, do not try to rush it, do not try and cut corners. Foot and ankle injuries can nag your entire career if they do not heal properly so do not rush anything. If you need 12 weeks before you can start moving it, take 12 weeks, then go through proper PT and progress slowly into training as permitted by doctor. Outdoor is about 7-8 months away, just be prepared to be a monster by then.

On old saying is:

"It's better to be slightly undertrained than slightly overtrained."

Too many athletes think more is better. Injuries can be reduced if an athlete trains accordingly.

Do EXACTLY what the doctor says

Seconded.

Do your prescribed rehab and focus on a clean diet while you're off your feet to maintain body composition and heal as quickly as possible.

That's a tough lesson to learn not to overtrain, but it's an important one. At least you're not likely to make the same mistake again.