Crack climbing after an ankle sprain

Mildly sprained my ankle about a month ago. It’s feeling pretty good finally, but yesterday I was going to try a crack at the gym and I couldn’t commit to cranking my foot into it — too scared of reinjury. Anyone else have experiences to share?

Im a big ankle sprain-er and crack climber. I have a recurring left ankle sprain that I usually injure 1 time per year. I now have an ankle warm up routine I do every time before I get on the wall. Before you hop on the crack, I’d suggest loading the ankle in a controlled manner. If the crack reaches the ground in your gym try partially loading it there but do so slowly. Best to warm it up rather than just hopping on and cranking it. Did you injure it crack climbing?

I do a standing variation of this to warm up and I haven’t tweaked my ankle in a crack since. Could be luck, could be working.

https://youtu.be/l1FEMz2Sdco 

I ruptured my ATFL and sprained most of the other ligaments in my ankle in 2021 and had surgery to repair it late that year. It took a while to get back to crack climbing, especially hand cracks [finger cracks you don't crank on your feet in the same way], but it was totally fine about a year later. I sport climbed for six months before trying to crack climb again and then went with the general principle of letting pain be my guide. I also did a bunch of ankle mobility and strengthening exercises. Good luck!

I sprained my ankle pretty bad at work the day before our semi annual trip to Squamish to climb only perfect cracks. I couldn't let my partner down so we went. We climbed ten straight days about five hundred feet a day with my ankle taped up thick. I ignored the pain as best I could but it was tough. By the end of the trip my whole lower leg was black and blue and I could barely walk but we did it. Took a month for the swelling and bruising to recede and I hobbled for a couple more months after that but then it was fine. I am good at rehab discipline and eat well and all that. Learned to climb more with the other foot and muscle up with the arms more. There were times at a belay ledge where I whimpered from pain.

I have a non-union ankle break, felt with it for 30 years. Taping the ankle can do wonders.

I have a non-union ankle break, felt with it for 30 years. Taping the ankle can do wonders.

YMMV, but depending on how recently my recurring ankle injury has happened, I think crack climbing actually helps stretch it out / recover. If you have acute pain jamming, probably best to lay off it for a bit.