Swollen right ankle

[Cdfjay]

So did wk 6 run 3 today which went well. Right ankle has swollen up tonight, not twisted it but it's slightly tender. This is 2nd time in 6 weeks it's happened. Any tips to treat?

[nowster Graduate]

RICE. Rest. Ice (bag of frozen peas). Compression. Elevation.

Don't run on it. Ankle sprains take ages to heal as I can attest.

[mrrun Graduate]

Tender/swollen ankle is the sign that part of the engine has gone off. And that's the second time it's happened to you.

1. Don't run, R.I.C.E.

2. Wait until discomfort/swelling/any possible pain has gone

3. If it doesn't go away after a few days or a week at most, see a physio (GP would ask you to sit at home and feed on anti-inflammatory pills)

3. (crucial) Figure out what happened?

When it happened to me it took 13 weeks to heal, simply because I had to walk and the more you walk the less chance you give it to heal.

The cause of my injury was inadequate shoes. The shoes were alright but not good for my feet. I bought them myself as an inexperienced novice, not knowing that I should go to a specialist shop and take gait analysis test first.

I also needed insoles to support my flat feet. Basically, whatever I could do wrong, I did do wrong.

The problem will go away but unless you tick the right boxes it will come back, each time hitting harder. It's fixable, do it as soon as you can.

[Cdfjay Graduate in reply to mrrun]

Thank you mrrun for the great advice

[Sussex13 Graduate]

As everyone said, rest and ice is best course of action. It happened to me actually around the same run/time in this course. Must be to do with stepping up and body not quite ready.

I rested for 10 days actually as it was so sore I found it difficult walking down the stairs!

Ibuprofen, if you can take it and the above rest and ice/compression.

Also top-tips given to me, which helped: 1. get a golf ball and roll the underside of your foot against it on the floor and it helps with the tension in the tendons.

2. Write the alphabet with your foot/feet to strengthen and flex your ankles before each run. If sore obvs wait until easier but it worked for me and I don’t feel any issue now.

Good luck!

[Sussex13 Graduate in reply to Sussex13]

Also ensure you have very good running shoes! 🏃‍♀️

[Cdfjay Graduate in reply to Sussex13]

Thank you Sussex13

[LottieMW Graduate]

Oh no! Glad you found that window to go in...shame about your ankle. You’ve already had excellent advice here, so fingers crossed you’ll be back soon 🤞🤞🤞

[WeavingWonk Graduate]

Great advice and I can relate! I have arthritis in my right ankle. When I got to week 6 I realized that the running shoes I was wearing were likely causing some of the aches and pains. My progress was routinely interrupted with knee, ankle, or calf issues. I did the best I could and bought some Brooks online. And then added some extra arch support. Instant improvement for my ankles due to a higher level of stability.

I have now moved on to the most stable Hoka style, following a proper fitting. Had first physio appointment to deal with various niggles (including a very sore shoulder) and he established that my right ankle collapses inward. I foresee lots of ankle strengthening in my future!

Long way around of saying "listen to your body. Something isn't right." It may be as simple as upgrading your shoes. It may mean you have strengthening work to do (never a bad thing anyway).

Good luck! Don't let it stop you.

Take a few days off. Rest. Ice. Compression. Consider wearing ankle compression when you start back up as it will give you some support. Run ten minutes for your first run back, or until it hurts, whichever comes first.