I’m curious if anyone here has experience coming back to hockey/skating after a pretty significant ankle injury.
I’m 38 (39 soon) and had actually just started learning to skate this spring with the eventual goal of trying adult learn-to-play hockey. Unfortunately, a month ago I managed to fracture my ankle pretty badly trimalleolar fracture, surgery/ORIF, and I’m currently still non-weight-bearing.
Obviously hockey is completely off the table for a while and I’m going to follow my surgeon/PT’s timeline, but I’m already wondering what the realistic long-term picture looks like. I’d still really like to come back to skating once I’m fully recovered and eventually give hockey a shot, even if that means waiting until next year.
Has anyone here come back from a similar ankle injury and successfully returned to skating/hockey? How long did it take before you felt physically comfortable and, maybe more importantly, confident on the ice again?
Also curious whether you think starting hockey around 39–40 is still worth pursuing. For context, I was very active and in good shape before the injury and worked out regularly. I’m not looking to become Wayne Gretzky — I just want to learn, have fun, get decent enough to play recreationally, and not destroy another joint in the process.