Man, my stupid ankle still hurts like hell after I tripped chasing my kid last Tuesday. Figured I’d try those fancy NBA player tricks everyone raves about. Started digging around and found some simple stuff real athletes do.
First Up: The RICE Thing Isn’t Enough Anymore
Grabbed frozen peas from my freezer right after the spill. Did the whole Rest-Ice-Compress-Elevate dance for two days straight. Felt okay-ish but still couldn’t walk normal. Then I read modern players barely use ice now. Weird.
Swapped ice for warm baths after day three. Dunked my foot in lukewarm water every morning while chugging coffee. Actually felt less stiff than icing. Go figure.
Eating Like a Giant Baby Bird
Cleared my fridge and shopped like I was feeding Shaq. Loaded up on:
- Cheap canned tuna (ate straight from the can, wife hated it)
- Boring plain yogurt
- Every dark green veggie on sale
- Carton eggs
Stuffed myself every three hours. Felt like a human garbage disposal but damn – my black bruise faded faster.
The Boring Stuff That Actually Works
Stole my kid’s Theraband for resistance moves. Looked up lame ankle exercises on YouTube.
Started slow:
- Spelled alphabet letters with my toes every toilet break
- Standing calf raises while brushing teeth
- Balance practice on one foot during commercials
Hurt like a bitch first week but kept at it. By day 10 I could finally walk without looking drunk.
Biggest Surprise? Sleep Socks
Found some players sleep in compression socks. Dug out my old flight socks and tried sleeping with ’em. Woke up twice thinking my foot got amputated from poor circulation. Had to cut holes for my toes like some medieval torture device. But morning swelling disappeared quicker.
Took me three weeks total to walk normal again. Old me would’ve sat on the couch for a month eating chips. NBA tricks? Mostly common sense stuff wrapped in fancy packaging. But yeah, it worked.