A Must-Read: What a Broken Ankle Taught Me

A broken ankle is painful, inconvenient, and even scary. Most broken ankles occur when the ankle twists inward while following a step, causing the bones to crack into pieces that are then forced out of place.

I’ve had never broken anything before in my life - let alone an ankle! My initial thoughts were things like, "Will it ever heal?" How could anyone go on with their day if something as important as mobility was taken away?

I broke my ankle after missing a few steps and falling down a flight of stairs. I was at the mall with my friends. It didn't take long before the broken condition affected my lifestyle: I couldn't go up and down the stairs; I couldn't walk far distances at once because it hurt too much; even sleeping or getting dressed was difficult. My broken ankle forced me into a life like that of an invalid.

As hard as dealing with such a severe injury, I learned many things from this experience. After overcoming those obstacles, understanding those little things we often take for granted became easier.

1. Itching

I found myself itching. And it’s maddening that I couldn’t reach the spot I needed to scratch. One time, I gave in to the temptation and stuck a ruler inside the cast to relieve the itch.

2. Swelling

The swelling was the next difficulty I dealt with. All my joints swelled up and my foot and leg were all puffy. It took a long time for the swelling to subside even after the cast came off because it takes time for the fluid to drain out of one's body.

3. Numbness

I used to take for granted how well I could distinguish between different kinds of textures. While in that state, I found myself incapable of telling different types of textures apart. I often tried to tell silk from cotton or wool when dressing up but did it wrong most of the time.

4. Pain

A broken ankle is extremely painful, especially when it's being cast for the first time. But even after the cast is removed, the pain still lingers for a while because the body needs to adjust back to its normal state. I realized that simple things such as taking a shower suddenly became much more complicated and took more time than I was used to taking.

1. The little things we don't know we take for granted

I never realized how many little things I took for granted. And now that I was unable to do them, they came back to my mind over and over again. Then all of the broken ankle difficulties occurred, which made me appreciate these little moments even more. For example, taking a shower. I didn't realize how much I took my ability to take a shower for granted. It was difficult just having the broken ankle, let alone being unable to shower on that fractured ankle, indeed made me appreciate the little things more. With a broken ankle, it's challenging to take a shower and it's painful. It was impossible to wash my body without feeling constant pain.

2. How dependent we are on our bodies

Not using one's broken ankle for 3 months made me realize how much we depend on our bodies. I realized that life would be very different without it, and I should take better care of myself. Health is something we should never take for granted.

3. Selflessness

For someone else to help you, you have to put yourself in that broken ankle situation. I was forced to rely on others for help which is when I realized how important it is for people to be helpful, especially in that health situation.

4. Appreciation of little things

I realized how much more I appreciated the little things in life and found joy in them once again. Being able to stand on both feet again was incredibly satisfying. I was able to do my everyday activities once again.

5. Time is precious

I didn't have the privilege of being idle after breaking my ankle, which forced me to think of something to do. I realized that I was wasting a lot of time just being sedentary, and it made me less patient because everything took me longer to achieve. The broken ankle taught me how precious time is as well as patience.

6. Self-caring

To take care of someone else, you have to be able to take care of yourself first. I had to rely on other people for help. I learned that it was vital for me to practice self-care after breaking my ankle to assist others better.

7. Strength

I never thought I had an inner strength until I was contained inside our house for 3 months with the fear of not knowing how much longer this would last for me. I realized that everyone has incredible strength inside, and this experience only made me strong.

8. Patience

Patience is a virtue, and it tested my patience. Having to wait for the broken ankle to heal was incredibly challenging because I wanted to do everything again as soon as possible. The broken ankle made me appreciate the little things more. 

9. Pain tolerance

It was hard for me to take a shower or even move around because I couldn't even touch my foot. Seeing how it's painful for me to do everyday activities such as walking, I realized that pain tolerance is essential, and having a broken ankle helped me learn this.

10. Life is what you make it

I always thought life was so much more than just getting through the days and nights after breaking my ankle, but now I truly realized how important every single day is. The broken ankle made me appreciate every day much more because anything can happen at any moment. This helps people understand that life is what they make it and that there's no such thing as a day wasted.

Conclusion

After reading the above article, you should take a lesson from this article and understand why it's essential to take good care of your body. Never take your good health for granted because it can be gone in an instant.

Life is precious. You should also remember to practice self-care, especially after you go through a rather unpleasant experience.