Tight right ankle help needed

[Kjb04]

I wonder wether any one can give me some advice. I’m getting a tight, right ankle during and after my runs. Does that mean I’m favouring my right side? Is there anything I can do to engage my left leg more to take the pressure off the right? Don’t want it to escalate and cause myself an injury! Thanks 😊

[Yesletsgo Graduate]

Not quite sure what you mean by 'tight' :)I had a niggle in my right ankle and ignored it. This led to a strained ligament which stopped me running for weeks. In my case this was because my trainers had worn out so weren't supporting my foot properly.

The ligament which I hurt goes from the outside of the mid foot all the way up the calf. Try and work out where it is and then sort of poke it. If it's absolute agony to do this you probably have a problem with it.

I saw a physio who suggested foam rolling and various ankle exercises. The simplest of these are (1) when sitting down lift and point your toes then write the alphabet with your big toe (2) stand on one leg for a minute, do this for both legs. Calf stretches can help too.

If you google foam rolling for ankles you'll probably get a better description of what it involves than I can give.

The other thing is to check your running shoes. Try and fold the toe towards the ankle. If they bend in half easily you probably need to get new ones. If you haven't already had one a gait analysis might be helpful and take your current running shoes along with you.

Good luck and don't hurt yourself

[Kjb04 Graduate in reply to Yesletsgo]

Thanks for all that advice. I do have a foam roller so I’ll have a go at that. I had a gait analysis a few weeks ago and have new running trainers so it shouldn’t be that.

[Yesletsgo Graduate in reply to Kjb04]

You can never have too many trainers y' know

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Have you only suffered this since you bought your new running shoes?

They might be the cause.

How long have you been running?

It can sometimes take a while and increased training load to show up physical asymmetries, which are remarkably common. You might need a physio to identify the issue.

A good video gait analysis should show any physical asymmetries.

A common cause of asymmetric pain can be running the same routes on cambered paths or roads. What happens if you run in the opposite direction, or turn round half way through?

[Kjb04 Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

I honestly can’t remember if it was happening before the new shoes. I do run the same route and am aware of the camber so try to run in the middle of the lane but obviously not always possible!I run the route both ways out and back which makes no difference.

A physio is a good idea. I had a gait analysis and it identified my feet roll inwards slightly so the shoes should be helping to correct that. Thanks for that advice, things to think about.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to Kjb04]

There is obviously an imbalance at work which needs to be identified, whether it is in your physiology, your running action, or footfall, which could be caused again by physical asymmetries or your footwear.

I have one foot half a size bigger than the other. Many have one leg longer than the other etc. which can be easily rectified, once identified.

You will get there.

[Kjb04 Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Yes an imbalance is what it feels like, I will investigate further.

[nowster Graduate in reply to Kjb04]

A certain amount of rolling inwards (pronation) is actually normal. Having too much or too little of this can be a problem.

And as many folks have found out, even after gait analysis you can still be recommended the wrong shoe for you.

[nowster Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Cant¹ is what got me during my long run in March. I ran for about 2km on a pavement that sloped downwards from right to left without realising the problem at the time. About half way along this stretch I started to get problems in my left hamstring.

The next time I ran that stretch I kept switching between running on the pavement (sloped down to my left) and the road's bike lane (road camber, sloping down to the gutter on my right at that point) facing the traffic. This helped a lot.

___

¹ Camber is a mound-shaped slope, where the fall off is from the raised middle to the sides. Cant is where the slope is one sided from one side to the other. Straight roads have camber to aid drainage; bends on high speed roads tend to be canted to counter cornering forces.

[Kjb04 Graduate in reply to nowster]

Ummm interesting. I think a change of route would be good for me as the lane I use definitely has a camber. I will try the exercises, thanks so much. 👍🏻😊

[Liono Graduate]

I've experienced ankle issues and know exactly what you mean about that 'tight' feeling. Mine started on one side but then also developed on the other. I should have listened and stopped running as I think it was a warning. I ended up on the injury couch for about 5 weeks! I now do daily ankle strengthening exercises (the alphabet one is very quick and easy to do) and always take an extra rest day if I feel any niggles. Slowing down has stopped me over-striding and heel-striking, which I think has helped too.

[Kjb04 Graduate in reply to Liono]

Thank you, that’s reassuring that the exercises help and taking a day off should avoid the ic.

[nowster Graduate]

I've had ankle problems too. Unlike you I didn't recognise the little niggles that were warning signs.

I ended up giving myself a doubly sprained left ankle (both sides of the leg), with two weeks of hobbling, two physio visits and a total of four weeks on the Injury Couch. Then I had to restart C25K from scratch.

Nip it in the bud now and find out what the problem is.

Here are some simple ankle exercises:

foot-pain-explored.com/ankl...

Another good one is to get a thick pillow or cushion, put it on the floor and stand on it with one foot. Try to balance on that one leg for 30 seconds. Repeat with the other leg. The cushion will provide a little instability which you then have to use the muscles that control the ankle to fight against. It's probably a good idea to do this near something you can grab hold of if you feel like you're going to fall over.