How can I best recover from non-displaced ankle fracture (medial malleolus)?

[strifer11]

I fractured my left ankle while skiing on Saturday. The x-ray revealed a non-displaced fracture of the medial malleolus. A splint was applied at the ED, and I went to the ortho on Monday for a cast to be applied.

I didn't get to see the ortho, but rather the PA-C, who briefly spoke with me about the recovery course, generally. She noted that, after consulting with the orthopedic surgeon, she could say that it looked as if everything had remained in place. She said that typically with this sort of fracture, they were worried about the spacing in some area (I couldn't see where, but it looked like she was pointing to the fibula). I am to return to the ortho next Monday for another x-ray to confirm that it is still not displaced (if it is displaced, it may, of course, require surgery).

Otherwise, the recovery explanation she gave was standard. 4-6 weeks in the cast, then transition to walking boot with PT.

My original question is admittedly vague. But, I'll say that with every gentle tap, I'm afraid of knocking this bone out of place. It's remarkable that it remained in the first place, because after I took my fall at the top of the mountain (binding did not detach), I was unstable, but was able to ski down to the base lodge. The adrenaline must have kept the pain suppressed. Anyway, despite the stress of going down the mountain, it stayed in place, so I imagine my caution is warranted, but perhaps a little too paranoid.

Additionally, I have tried to adjust my diet to include collagen, various minerals, calcium, additional protein, etc. Anything that could conceivably assist recovery. I do have a desk job now, but had planned on changing jobs to one that requires me to be on my feet much of the day.

Any thoughts on how to maintain the non-displaced status, and on how to insure the best conditions for my body to recover? Obviously I'd like to get closer to that 4 week rather than 6 week mark.

What about upper body exercises? I am not a gym rat, but I have a home gym that I use 3x per week. The PA-C said that I could continue to do upper body work, although it would make me sweat (which would make the cast smell). I don't want to lose too much muscle mass in the upper body, but I also don't want to risk taking away resources my body may need to heal the fracture.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!