Sprained ankle!

[Chewy73]

Can anyone give me any advice please? I badly sprained my ankle many years ago and have had trouble with it over the years as the cold sets in! I can be just walking normal and I can feel it going to give way at any moment. Iv bought an ankle brace, leg warmers and these special socks (from amazon) but I can still feel my ankle going to go! I’m now looking at microwaveable gel pads to stick down my socks! Does anyone know if they will help or am I just wasting my money? Or if there’s a diy I can do to keep it warm and stable?

[mrrun Graduate]

I'd go and see a physio. Ankle injuries cannot be healed 'online'. Mine wasn't, physio and osteopath did it.

[Chewy73 Graduate in reply to mrrun]

Thanks, it’s fine tho when it’s warm it’s just when the cold gets to it

[Hidden]

Chewy73 are you, have you done strengthening exercises? I did my ankle playing squash years back, I was told about the old balancing on a board that was placed on a cushion or similar, it builds the ankle ligaments back up, but that weakness may still remain 😬 it's maybe always going to feel weaker, but as long as you're aware, and mindful of your running terrain......... Just try to run safe 👍.

[grumpyoldgirl Graduate]

Definitely, definitely go to a physio. They will give you ankle, and maybe hip, strengthening exercises to build up the muscles and ligaments around the joint. I've had a dodgy ankle for years and it was only when I saw a physio that I found out I needed to strengthen both ankle and hip. Braces etc won't cure the problem on their own. NHS is very reluctant to help out with things like this but it might be worth a try asking for a physio referral. There's also a possibility you had a fracture all those years ago. The thing is, that once you know what to do, you can do those exercises for the rest of your life to keep the joint strong.

PS I broke my ankle this summer precisely because of an old sprain that was never treated properly.

[Chewy73 Graduate in reply to grumpyoldgirl]

Wow! Thankyou so much

[nowster Graduate in reply to Chewy73]

The other thing is that an ankle injury can also form scar tissue in the ligaments which is not optimally aligned to do its job. A physio will identify this and do massage to break it up, encouraging correct regrowth.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

If you have a recurring issue then you need professional medical advice.