ankle-woes

I'm not even sure if this is an injury or really what it is. After 2 years out i started running again. After the first few times i ripped my feet apart with the kind of running shoes which are all about cushion and padding etc. I don't really like running in those sorts of shoes anyway, so i went and bought some New Balance minimal padding shoes which are really nice and flexible. I've had no more foot arch injuries since and running is easier in them....however.  My ankles are really really stiff. They are fine when i am running, they loosen up after about 20 minutes, and i have been warming up etc. A few hours afterwards though i feel like some kind of rigamortis sets into them and i can't walk properly. I've just woken up and literally had to waddle like a penguin when i got out of bed. It doesn't feel like muscle damage or nerve damage, it just simply feels like my body is too heavy for my ankles, but i'm not overweight at all. Can anybody advise what is going on? Should i start drinking more milk?

Comments

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Are you sure it's not your achillies that is hurting.

    It sounds like something that would happen when you change from cushioned to minimal shoes.

    What was your procedure for transitioning between the shoes?

    I don't think that the amount of milk you consume will make a lot of difference.
  • There wasn't a transition really but at the moment i don't run outside, i only run on a treadmill (scared of getting attacked if i run by myself outside). (I don't use a high incline)

    The stiffness dosn't feel like its in my achillies, it stems from either side of my ankles which is why i was wondering if there was a muscle or body part that i wasn't taking into consideration. Basically i feel like my ankle has become a hinge rather than a rotating joint if that makes sense.

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    To change from cushioned to minimalist shoes can take months to do properly.

    You could try going back to your old shoes and then run 1 mile a week with the minimalist ones and then build that up by a mile or so a week.

    It's a whole different set of muscles etc that you are hitting with your new shoes so it will take a while for your body to get used to it.

    Where do you live where it is to scary to go outside?
  • I live in a better area now but used to live in Birmigham. I just feel anxious and vulnerable about being worn out by myself. I'm quite small and feel like a target. The other day i was simply walking down my local high street and some egit purposely veered off his own path straight into my face to intimidate me and then kept walking giggling to himself. I have heard other people say they are worried about running outside too, i assumed it was common?

    I am off to the gym to try and motivate my ankles to move properly. I am sceptical about putting my old shoes on because they literally took all the skin off my foot arch. They never used to do this so i'm assuming they should be retired.

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Ok, if you don't think you can use your old shoes then it may be worth starting from scratch with your minimalist ones and build up a mile at a time.

    Have you thought about joining a club? They should have group runs where you may feel a lot safer. They can also tell you where they go running and not get in to any hassle.
  • That's a really good idea. I think i might look into joining a club so i can get some out door experience. I'm training for a race in October so i do need to find a way to practice outside.

  • Ok, if anybody is still following this. I read up on lots of different ankle problems etc round the forum and there seems to be some advice which says that when you put your legs together then your knees should point forward. My left leg does, but my right knee turns inward slightly (this is the leg with the horrible ankle pain), i'm wondering if that is what is causing me so much pain and if it is, is there anything i can do about that?

     

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Your problem is that you have gone from heel striking to forefoot striking without building up properly so your calves and achillies are hurting . You need to build up v slowly. Do that and you should be fine.

    If you run outside in the road you will also enjoy your running a lot more.
  • erm i'm beigninnig to consider i may go to the drs. I was really good and didnt excercise over the weekend. Yesterday i went to the gym but i was unable to run, as i went to run i felt like my entire leg would shatter in half from the ankle, so i gave up. I did some cycling instead (now i know that sounds a but strange but bare with me), As i began to cycle the pain subsided. I felt less pain cycling than i did standing normally, so i belted out 25 km. After this i got bored and went, had a lie down and the ankle just hurt as much as it normally has done for the last few days. Then a few hours later i went swimming . Again i thought this was ok because it is a weight bearing excercise, i swam 600 metres and again the pain in my ankle subsided, however when i got out of the pool my ankle suddenly swelled up on the right side of the joint and the pain was quite intense. So intense that i pulled a muscle in my left leg trying to compensate while limping because of my right leg.

    =( I know i'm silly for excercising but i really didnt think swimming would be all that bad as they use it to rehabilitate people after injuries.

    Now i have to spend today sitting and its so frustrating. I just want to run =/

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