very limited left ankle flexibility due to injury

[daveh]

What I'm talking about is side-to-side flexibility. And stretching is not going to help as it's a structural thing from surgery.

Basically, it prevents me from making a full backswing and/or full follow through. I can turn my left foot in or out to get either full backswing or follow through, but I can't get both.

I'm a puller big time.

Any ideas on how I can compensate my stance/swing etc. for this? I've tried finding a happy medium of turning it in or out, of course. Would a more closed or open stance help to compensate?

Any ideas/advice would be appreciated.

 

[trickyric67]

I had full reconstruction of my left anke in 1989 and the only thing that really helps is a full stretching and flexability program. It took me about 18 months to get 90% of my range of motion back. you can however shorten your backswing and pull your left foot about an inch or two back and flare it open to get through the ball, but a draw will be gone forever.

 

[daveh]

Thanks Tricky. Mine was a full reconstruct too, quite a long time ago. There's no physical way to get 90% of normal, but I can probably get a bit more. I've tried pulling the right back, but not the left. I'll try that.

 

[FloydPT38]

What type of reconstruction?- have you got any metal in there?

 

[daveh]

For me, I just had one pin that was removed. Maybe reconstruction is the wrong term (I don't know medical lingo), but there were a lot of pieces that needed to be put back together. I was lucky to have an excellent surgeon because the first doctor who looked at my x-ray thought I'd never walk even close to normally again. It turned out pretty much all good, but I do have limited range of motion.

 

[trickyric67]

I blew all the ligaments and had to have them fixed or reattached. it sucked and I thank the lord I was only 21 and had the time to go through the recovery.

 

[FloydPT38]

If you don't have any remaining hardware then you can still get some more motion. You can't change the bones but you can affect everything around them. A few easy ones to do would be to

1- work on moving your ankle in circles- clockwise and counterclockwise daily. Use your uninjured foot as a comparison.
2- "write the alphabet" with your toes in the air- pretend to write your name etc- The reason is after a significant injury you lose a bit of your control unless you rehab it.
3- With golf- practice your ankle roll with and without a club- Ankles together drill works well for this- I don't know what Brian thinks about ankles together as a general drill but I believe Nicklaus did it and it's good for your situation. Start slowly

Ideally, you will have someone do some manual work on your ankle to make sure you have gotten all the motion you can get. If your ankle is limited (as compared to the other side) this will affect not just your golf swing but everything you do while standing. At the least feel around on your foot especially around your ankles for any tender areas and rub them (daily). It won't be as good as a pro but it's better than nothing.

Don't settle for less than you can get- it's your body and the only natural ankle you'll get for the rest of your life. People settle physically for MUCH less than they have to- I see it daily.

Good luck
George

 

[BIGBALL]

In addition to what FloydPT said, and he may have actually meant this, find an A.R.T ( ACTIVE RELEASE TECHNIQUE ) guy. Website is Active Release Techniques®: A.R.T.. Really good for breaking up scar tissue, etc. have had this done on some shoulder and tendonitis issues - really good stuff.

 

[FloydPT38]

In addition to what FloydPT said, and he may have actually meant this, find an A.R.T ( ACTIVE RELEASE TECHNIQUE ) guy. Website is Active Release Techniques®: A.R.T.. Really good for breaking up scar tissue, etc. have had this done on some shoulder and tendonitis issues - really good stuff.

Couldn't agree more- Was trained in 2001 and have helped many golfers but you can't always find a practitioner.

 

[daveh]

Thanks for the good information everyone.