Well, I fell down a hole whilst walking the dog the other night, turned my ankle and have a sprain. 48 hours of RICE have really helped and it's not too painful now, still a bit swollen and the bruising is coming out. So I am wondering if anyone has any experience of running after a sprain. I had thought waiting 6 weeks would probably be a good idea, but having had a positive response to the first phase of recovery wonder if I might be able to start a bit sooner. It's such a shame as I have been really loving my autumn running
PS. Of course I understand that we are (mainly) not medically trained but just wondered if anyone has experience- thanks!
22 Replies
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I think rest would be the best thing at the moment, use pain relief to like gels etc.
Don't rush and things should turn out OK.
• in reply to
Thanks for this. Yes I am resting at the moment, mobilising a bit now with it strapped up. I'm not using pain relief as I don't want to over do it and prefer to listen to my body. Just thinking about when it is better and I can get back to running....
• in reply to
You will know when it feels right to get going again.
Ouch Helen I feel for you as I sprained my ankle nearly two years ago and it still needs careful monitoring. I didn’t run for two weeks although it bothered me and interfered with my running for months afterwards. Mine was a very slight turn on an old previous ankle sprain that I had before running days. That first one did come back to bite me as it resurrected when I started C25K and I had to take a few months off. So, you really need to take care of it now and don’t return to running too early. At the time of the first sprain I didn’t see a GP or physio and it appears that was a very bad idea. But anyway, here’s what I’ve learned over the years.
1. Don’t run while there’s pain. Rest it as much as you can and elevate it often.
2. If it’s swollen then ice it regularly every day.
3. When pain free do gentle stretching. Just rolling it around is good. Also standing up and down on tiptoes is good.
4. Stretch out your calves a lot. A sprained ankle can cause calves to tighten up so keep these loose and supple. The step rise/fall is probably the best stretch. And use a tennis ball or foam roller for tight calves.
5. As we are now more prone to further sprains we need to strengthen our ankles. One exercise is to stand on one leg on a wobble board in the gym or a pile of cushions building up to a minute, then try closing your eyes.
Another exercise is to stand on one leg and “draw” the alphabet with the other foot.
Check out Youtube for other exercises. I still do these very day.
6. Consider what kind of surface you run on. I try to avoid long grass as you can’t see the bumps and holes where an ankle can get turned easily. Keep an eye on kerbs too as trips over these happen easily. And of course those pesky tree roots 🙀
7. Wear an ankle support if the ankle feels achey. I still wear a support now and again especially on long runs.
8. Keep the faith and keep running (just not yet 😕) The ankle will get stronger if you do the exercises and running itself builds resistance.
I wish you well. Keep posting to let us know how you're getting on.
Thank you so much for the comprehensive and helpful response IP. The knowledge and experience on this site is so valuable. I will follow your advice carefully. I do feel grateful as I think it might have been a lot worse had I not had my runners legs. I will just lie back on the IC with my foot in the air! x
I've got a similar story to Her majesty right down to the neglected earlier injury! When I did finally run again, I started with a five minute run, and built up again from there. I used a compression sock to support the joint and reduce swelling as it was healing. I still wear Cep compression running socks, and use Voltarol gel when I need to. In fact, right now, as soon as I've posted this! 😬 Let us know how you're doing, it's no fun on that couch.
I’ve looked at CEP socks. There are lots of different ones. Which ones in particular have you tried? The ones for ankles are £50! Not sure I’d pay that for socks!
This happened to me a few years ago although I wasn’t running back then. I couldn’t walk properly for around 2-3 weeks. I did lots of ibuprofen gel rubs for the healing and arnica cream for bruising. Also look up NHS exercises for sprains. I hope that helps.
Hi Hidden ...so sorry to hear you're on the I.C...its not fun is it?? I haven't run after a sprain so all I can tell you is rest, rest, rest...but you know that anyway...hope you're back out and about soon x
So sorry to hear about your ankle. So easy to do that on uneven ground 😕. Sounds like you are being very sensible and doing all the right things. I do hope it improves soon.
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