Question for the runners out there

hopeitworks

Hi all - I sprained my ankle on Oct. 15 at the gym. I was jumping rope when it happened. Boy did I feel foolish. But anyway, I have a question for your runners. I can walk without a limp, and have been able to do some rehab stretching exercises on the ankle (circling the alphabet, toe raises, ankle raises). I was able to ride the exercise bike yesterday with no pain and drove to work this morning. I did have on the air brace that the doctor gave me while doing these things. I still have some tenderness on the ankle bone, but the swelling has subsided and my foot is turning all different shades of purple. What I wanted to know is when do you think it would be safe to start running/jogging on it again? I have my first 5K race coming up on Oct. 31 - not sure if it will happen at this point.

julest25

That really sucks especially when you've been training hard for something. Don't really know the answer, but when I did my ankle in I started gentle walking on the treadmill first to see how that went. By the end of the week I could muster a gentle jog. I'd say let your pain be your guide - if it hurts don't push it.
Good luck

Shannon023

Try a 1/2 mile jog and if it's not sore or doesn't swell up then I'd resume my training.

Good luck on your 5k! :drinker:

Bretto

Oct 15th is just 4 days ago. I would give it at least a week, if not two. Maybe this weekend you can try a slow jog & see how it feels. I would not push it. It is better to miss a race than to reinjure it. The re-injuries always seem to take longer to heal.

If you were trained for your 5k prior to the 15th, and your ankle feels good you should be able to make it thru the race, just at a slower pace. Your body wont lose its fitness in 2 weeks.

Good luck!

Azdak

Hi all - I sprained my ankle on Oct. 15 at the gym. I was jumping rope when it happened. Boy did I feel foolish. But anyway, I have a question for your runners. I can walk without a limp, and have been able to do some rehab stretching exercises on the ankle (circling the alphabet, toe raises, ankle raises). I was able to ride the exercise bike yesterday with no pain and drove to work this morning. I did have on the air brace that the doctor gave me while doing these things. I still have some tenderness on the ankle bone, but the swelling has subsided and my foot is turning all different shades of purple. What I wanted to know is when do you think it would be safe to start running/jogging on it again? I have my first 5K race coming up on Oct. 31 - not sure if it will happen at this point.

Ankle sprains can be tricky for a number of reasons. First of all, there are three ligaments, so you can actually have three different kinds of sprains. Also, my experience is that ankle sprains tend to be very specific to the type of activity that was being performed, or to a specific joint angle or loading sequence--you can feel fine doing one type of activity, but in pain doing something else (e.g. a stairmaster vs an elliptical for example). The concern is that working on an injured ankle that has not completely healed can lead to other injuries up and down the movement chain.

The fact that your symptoms have decreased is a good sign. As others have said, you can probably give it a try and let pain be your guide. The purple discoloration is not a bad thing per se, but it does indicate a more severe grade of sprain, which resulted in some internal bleeding. While you may be able to push through and do your 5K race, I would strongly urge you to continue and completely rehab your ankle. Most people (myself included) tend to stop when the pain goes away, but you should continue to progress through a rehab process, esp the more advanced balancing/plyo/proprioception exercises that are recommended during the final phase.

BMAJK

:happy: I agree with what has been previously posted-take it slow and easy. and you know what? in the end if it ends up that you will not be able to run, there will be other 5k's and don't worry about it. Its better to take the time now and heal then run too early and have an issue with it for good.
I'm not saying don't try by any means I wish you luck and hope you can do the 5k even if it takes double the time and you walk halfway-just don't be hard on yourself if you cant thats all.:flowerforyou:

Good Luck!