Another Injury 😞

[Mazzy106]

Sorry but I’m here to moan again! I need advice please, as I have a sore and tender left inner ankle bone which hurts when I flex my foot up and down. It happened last Friday while I completing W8R2 so I iced and rested until today where it seemed a lot better, not completely but definitely much improved. I thought I would attempt to complete W8 today but five minutes in my left leg started to ache a lot (right one was fine) then I started feeling some tenderness in the left ankle. It’s now looking a little swollen so I’m sitting here with my foot on a cushion feeling sorry for myself! I’ve Just got rid of weeks of calf pain and now this, I just feel I’m not having a chance to enjoy my running as I’m constantly suffering from injuries.

[mrrun Graduate]

Sorry to read this, I went to something similar and that didn't go down as a bundle of laughter.

Have you done gait analysis and got your shoes recommended by a specialist? Are you following the program and try to run as slowly as possible (for now)? And do you do strengthening exercises during your rest days between the three weekly runs.

Sorry for the barrage of questions, all in good nature! I am asking because l didn't do ANY of it, and on my graduation run l suffered a bad, painful injury that made my foot look like a blown up bread loaf. I ignored all symptoms, discomfort and swelling.

Rest up, don't run if ANY discomfort, put some ice on it and see what happens. If pain still there after you haven't put any pressure on your foot you can either leave it and wait for the flare up to go away (but don't run), or you go and see a specialist (physio or osteopath, not just GP).

Best of luck!

[Mazzy106 in reply to mrrun]

Thank you mrrun....yes I’ve had a gait analysis but I’m not yet confident that I have the right trainers for me as they just don’t feel ‘natural’ and I’ve been wearing them for at least five weeks. It could be because they still have that new feeling but I’m not sure. Yes I’ve been very careful to follow the program, I haven’t been too strict with the exercises on rest days though, this is something to think about. Thank you for the advice...very informative.

[mrrun Graduate in reply to Mazzy106]

The thing with good shoes is, they should feel natural immediately. Both my injuries, knee and ankle, were direct result of inadequate shoes. You shouldn't feel discomfort and by now, you shouldn't get those aches.

In the end, I decided to fork out, visited a sports lab, they assessed me alright, manufactured my own specific insoles, found pairs of great shoes (but not overly expensive) for running as well as walking, and I felt an immediate impact and have been injury free since.

Mind you, the shoes aren't the only guarantee that you will be happy, strong and without injury, you need to run carefully and slowly build up your strength, rest properly, hydrate, eat well - and do appropriate exercises during your rest days.

The end results will be more than rewarding!

Best!

[Hidden]

If you can see a sports physio. Getting a referral on the NHS can be a long process. I have been getting knee problems. Nothing too serious but enough to stop me running for a few days. I have just booked a session with a specialist running physio near my work. Not cheap but worth it if she can tell me why and how to prevent it.

Hope your ankle gets better soon. All @mrrun points are spot on too. But if something keeps happening then I think worth getting it checked out.

[mrrun Graduate]

My referral took seven months. S-e-v-e-n.

And yes, I found the nearest sports physio and paid whatever she wanted. If untreated, knee and ankle injuries are proper buggers in the long run and can easily affect the rest of your body, starting with hips, then going up along the spine to the shoulders. Urghhh, mere memory of my lovely injury experience sends the shivers down.....