Ankle/Foot Soreness questions

notreallychris
notreallychris Posts: 501 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Bit of a long winded one but here goes:

I've got my first ever run this Saturday. I thought I signed up for a 5K, but it's actually a 4 mile run. Anyway, I was running Saturday and my ankle began to hurt. I kept going (because I REALLY wanted to see if I could go the distance), but it's still sore a few days later. Kinda hurts below/behind the ankle bone, and on the arch a little bit. It's not swollen.

Do I need to be icing the foot or using heat? Keeping the foot elevated or not? I got some new running shoes and need to "break them in" a bit. I feel like I could run a little tonight, but maybe should rest. Looking for some opinions or past experiences if you have any. Thanks!

Replies

  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Definitely not a medical professional here, but my opinion is that if it hurts you shouldn't be running on it. The fact that's not swollen doesn't mean that something isn't injured. If it's not swollen ice and/or elevation are probably not going to be very helpful. I'm pretty sure there's no muscle in that area so it's probably a connective tissue injury.
  • notreallychris
    notreallychris Posts: 501 Member
    Sounds pretty smart. No reason to aggravate it more just to break in the new shoes. So you don't think ice was helping, what about heat? I was thinking of trying to tape it for stability, and stay off it for the night.
  • DianneP6772
    DianneP6772 Posts: 272 Member
    Does it hurt on the inside of your foot, under the ankle bone? If so, it could be the posterior tibial tendon. That is the tendon that supports your arch. No, i am not a physician - but i have this problem. It happens more to women with flat feet (which i have always had).

    I wore the boot for almost 2 months and then physical therapy and then 5 sessions of Prolotherapy Don't know if this is what you have or not. I had one Doctor tell me to ice it, and so did a phys. therapist. And another told me to use heat! Mine was never swollen either. It happened while playing too much tennis - repeatedly.

    If i were you - i would lay off the running for a bit (not what you want to hear). I kept playing tennis when it hurt - and ended up tearing the tendon. So - that is my words of wisdom - from experience!

    You might want to check it out with a foot/ankle orthopedic if it persists to prevent you from further injury.

    Best of luck
    PS - i am finally back to a little tennis!
  • qtgonewild
    qtgonewild Posts: 1,930 Member
    well this post caught my attention because I have a torn ATFL in my ankle. most days walking hurts. every damn step. I would need surgery to correct it but I pray I can run some day. good luck. rub some bio freeze on that baby.
  • thayne8681
    thayne8681 Posts: 15
    I would rest it, too. If it is a soft tissue kind of thing, some rest might help. The ice wouldn't hurt, but ice is only good the first 24 hours after an injury or with persistent swelling. After that, heat helps with blood flow, so I would try that now and rest for a couple of days.
    When I got my new shoe, I had shin and foot pain for a few days, but it was more of a soreness and went away, even though I kept running. Good luck.
  • notreallychris
    notreallychris Posts: 501 Member
    Does it hurt on the inside of your foot, under the ankle bone? If so, it could be the posterior tibial tendon. That is the tendon that supports your arch. No, i am not a physician - but i have this problem. It happens more to women with flat feet (which i have always had).

    I wore the boot for almost 2 months and then physical therapy and then 5 sessions of Prolotherapy Don't know if this is what you have or not. I had one Doctor tell me to ice it, and so did a phys. therapist. And another told me to use heat! Mine was never swollen either. It happened while playing too much tennis - repeatedly.

    If i were you - i would lay off the running for a bit (not what you want to hear). I kept playing tennis when it hurt - and ended up tearing the tendon. So - that is my words of wisdom - from experience!

    You might want to check it out with a foot/ankle orthopedic if it persists to prevent you from further injury.

    Best of luck
    PS - i am finally back to a little tennis!
    Thanks for your response and great job on your recovery. At first it hurt on the left side of my left foot, that pain seems to have subsided. Not it's more on the outside of my foot right in the middle.
  • YoBecca
    YoBecca Posts: 167
    Never apply heat to inflammation - RICE is your friend. Try a shorter, slower run and see how it feels. The shoes may be the problem, but most likely it was going to long/too hard without training up to it.
  • TigerBite
    TigerBite Posts: 611 Member
    Does it hurt on the inside of your foot, under the ankle bone? If so, it could be the posterior tibial tendon. That is the tendon that supports your arch. No, i am not a physician - but i have this problem. It happens more to women with flat feet (which i have always had).

    I wore the boot for almost 2 months and then physical therapy and then 5 sessions of Prolotherapy Don't know if this is what you have or not. I had one Doctor tell me to ice it, and so did a phys. therapist. And another told me to use heat! Mine was never swollen either. It happened while playing too much tennis - repeatedly.

    If i were you - i would lay off the running for a bit (not what you want to hear). I kept playing tennis when it hurt - and ended up tearing the tendon. So - that is my words of wisdom - from experience!

    You might want to check it out with a foot/ankle orthopedic if it persists to prevent you from further injury.

    Best of luck
    PS - i am finally back to a little tennis!

    I have this too ... I am a runner ... I went to the podiatrist, she made me orthotics ... I wear the insoles in my running shoes and in my Uggs ... Wear the insoles ... no problems ... go without them for an extended amount of time (days) ... pain ... and it may be swollen, only imperceptibly so ... DON'T RUN ON IT ...
  • notreallychris
    notreallychris Posts: 501 Member
    Thanks for all your responses :)

    It isn't swollen, I've been taking an anti-inflammatory and Tylenol, not that the pain is unbearable, just trying to help it out. I taped it up for the night, hopefully it'll be better tomorrow. I guess I can wear the new shoes around the house to break them in.
  • pennysteed
    pennysteed Posts: 80 Member
    I have to agree with Diane, you need to ice that baby. I too am not a doc, but I spent over a year and three surgeries after tearing my Achilles tendon. I was told by my physical therapist to ice daily. Running is no longer an option for me, for now, and I am working my way to walking more than 2 miles daily without needing narcotics for pain management. Taping your ankle/foot is great, but you also need to massage and ice the area daily. Your foot is not liable to swell, if you have injured the tendon. I would recommend taking it slower with the running and probably just walk until you are out of pain. If you are still in pain, please learn from my mistake and see a doc. I waiting until it was torn to see anyone. Good luck on your 5K.
  • teamAmelia
    teamAmelia Posts: 1,247 Member
    Never apply heat to inflammation - RICE is your friend. Try a shorter, slower run and see how it feels. The shoes may be the problem, but most likely it was going to long/too hard without training up to it.

    If I hadn't read an article on RICE yesterday, I would have been wondering how eating rice could help. :laugh:

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