Swing with ankle injury

[ScouseJohnny]

Is there a good way to adapt your swing, to compensate for a right ankle injury in a right-handed golfer?

I rolled over on my ankle falling off a step the other day, and the top of my right foot is swollen like hell. So it's more a foot injury than an ankle injury.

But winter lasted a long time in Virginia this year, and I'm not losing half the remaining season to some irksome minor injury. I'll just have to ride rather than walk for a while.

Tried swinging a 5 iron in the back yard with a wiffle ball and, with my usual swing, the pain was excruciating. Placing my weight on my left foot seemed to result in serious chunking. Moving my hands down the shaft didn't help much - I thought I'd just get a flatter ball flight, but ended up hitting it fat.

When I venture out there this weekend, golf shoe on left foot, loosely-laced New Balance tennis shoe on right foot, are there any strategies for compensating for the foot injury?

 

Edited May 16, 2018 by ScouseJohnny

[DaveP043]

Pain is your body's way of telling you to stop being so stupid!  The problem with compensations in your swing is that they become your normal swing, and then you're really screwed.  In my experience, and I've sprained each ankle, golf puts a little less strain on the rear ankle than on the forward ankle, so you'll be able to swing pretty normally comparatively quickly.  Give it a couple of weeks, let it heal.

[ScouseJohnny]

Fair point. Deep down, I know you're right. But God it's frustrating.

I was due to play in the Sunday medal. Think I might just watch the action on the 18th green from the clubhouse balcony, with some large G&Ts and the promise of a ride to and from the course (being too sore to even drive a car has its compensations).

Edited May 16, 2018 by ScouseJohnny

[Patch]

Best that you let the foot/anke heal up, so as not to cause further injury. 

[billchao]

22 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

Pain is your body's way of telling you to stop being so stupid!  The problem with compensations in your swing is that they become your normal swing, and then you're really screwed.  In my experience, and I've sprained each ankle, golf puts a little less strain on the rear ankle than on the forward ankle, so you'll be able to swing pretty normally comparatively quickly.  Give it a couple of weeks, let it heal.

Pretty much this. If it hurts, lay off it for while. 

Why play bad golf on top of a hurt foot? Talk about adding insult to injury...

[boogielicious]

12 hours ago, DaveP043 said:

Pain is your body's way of telling you to stop being so stupid!  The problem with compensations in your swing is that they become your normal swing, and then you're really screwed.  In my experience, and I've sprained each ankle, golf puts a little less strain on the rear ankle than on the forward ankle, so you'll be able to swing pretty normally comparatively quickly.  Give it a couple of weeks, let it heal.

Exactly! i played on a bad left knee last year until August and I am still trying to get my old swing back. I was flipping badly at impact because my knee couldn't take the strain. 

[RussUK]

As others have said its best to stay off golf till the ankle has healed. All it takes is a slip while swinging or even walking down the course to make it a whole lot worse.

Look on the bright side, the break from golf while your ankle heals will give you time to do other things that golf normally stops.

[iacas]

I just took three weeks off from doing much with golf because of a right ankle injury. It sucked, but it was the smart and right thing to do. The few swings I made were already compromised, and when I started hitting again I could tell that I'd changed some things.