Experienced runner running through ankle pain?

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  • throoper
    throoper Posts: 351 Member
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    Doctors are generally amazingly savvy at finding out what an injury is, and what it could be caused by. They are also generally decently versed at how to recover.

    ER is inappropriate. If you don't have a GP, urgent care is fine. What you'll probably want is a little physical therapy.

    Yeah, if it doesn't go away with some RICE, I'll see somebody for advice and PT. If money grew on trees or I were European / Canadian / anyone except victim to the ridiculously expensive American health care system, I'd love to see a doctor asap - but you know how it is.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    Sounds like an overuse to me. You can rest and back off the mileage until it goes away, or you can push through it and have miserable runs. I dealt with a similar situation where the insides of my ankle/shin up 1/3 of my leg were tender and painful to the touch, and it took a different kind of shoe to make it go away (was in a very responsive neutral and went to a more cushioned neutral). I also dialed my efforts back while I was getting checked out for stress fractures.

    I'm curious as to what your shoes are, mileage (running AND shoe mileage), strike, and cadence are. Also, do you rotate shoes?
  • SquishyLaughter
    SquishyLaughter Posts: 124 Member
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    I am a beginner runner that experienced the exact same symptoms and my doctor diagnosed it as posterior tibial tendonitis. (this was just about a month ago that it was diagnosed too), I took 3 weeks off running (last week was my first week running again) and followed the RICE. It is now pain free except when I twist the ankle inward, and barely any pain that way anymore.

    Now, I can't say that it is exactly what you have, but definitely take it easy for at least a week.
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
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    How are your shoes?
  • throoper
    throoper Posts: 351 Member
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    Sounds like an overuse to me. You can rest and back off the mileage until it goes away, or you can push through it and have miserable runs. I dealt with a similar situation where the insides of my ankle/shin up 1/3 of my leg were tender and painful to the touch, and it took a different kind of shoe to make it go away (was in a very responsive neutral and went to a more cushioned neutral). I also dialed my efforts back while I was getting checked out for stress fractures.

    I'm curious as to what your shoes are, mileage (running AND shoe mileage), strike, and cadence are. Also, do you rotate shoes?

    Thanks for the input. Yeah I did ramp up my mileage somewhat significantly in the last month or 6 weeks, so it could be overuse. I might have rolled my ankle a bit too... can't remember, but this is a specific but fairly mild pain along the tendon.

    I run on Asic trail shoes that are maybe 3 months old, and I do most of my running on trails with some rocks and uneven surfaces. I've been doing 4-6 miles 3-4 days a week and ~10 miles on the weekend, although I ran a half marathon last week the 21st. Don't know strike and cadence - I've never been tested (embarrassed face). I don't rotate shoes and I do use the trail shoes on street surfaces sometimes....
  • throoper
    throoper Posts: 351 Member
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    I am a beginner runner that experienced the exact same symptoms and my doctor diagnosed it as posterior tibial tendonitis. (this was just about a month ago that it was diagnosed too), I took 3 weeks off running (last week was my first week running again) and followed the RICE. It is now pain free except when I twist the ankle inward, and barely any pain that way anymore.

    Now, I can't say that it is exactly what you have, but definitely take it easy for at least a week.

    Interesting! That's what I'm curious about... all the stuff about tendinitis online is when it's fairly advanced, so it's hard to tell if I'm being paranoid or whether I'm self-diagnosing the beginning stage. Thank you!

    And yeah, to everyone else, thank you for your advice - I'm not going to run or do any high impact / ankle stabilizing activities for at least a week...
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Thanks yall! Appreciate the advice, even the snarky advice :tongue:
    It's a bit of a dumb question.
    But I am going to take the week off from running and see how it feels this weekend. I do love to run and I count on the calorie burn, but not enough to further jack up an important body part.
    That's an excellent course of action. Often times an ounce of prevention pays off. I personally have an odd thing going on with my ankle, and really trying to decide whether or not it's worth a run or squat session... or just rest it a few days. One thing is for sure, I'll find out quite quickly if I make the wrong decision. :)
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    Sounds like an overuse to me. You can rest and back off the mileage until it goes away, or you can push through it and have miserable runs. I dealt with a similar situation where the insides of my ankle/shin up 1/3 of my leg were tender and painful to the touch, and it took a different kind of shoe to make it go away (was in a very responsive neutral and went to a more cushioned neutral). I also dialed my efforts back while I was getting checked out for stress fractures.

    I'm curious as to what your shoes are, mileage (running AND shoe mileage), strike, and cadence are. Also, do you rotate shoes?

    Thanks for the input. Yeah I did ramp up my mileage somewhat significantly in the last month or 6 weeks, so it could be overuse. I might have rolled my ankle a bit too... can't remember, but this is a specific but fairly mild pain along the tendon.

    I run on Asic trail shoes that are maybe 3 months old, and I do most of my running on trails with some rocks and uneven surfaces. I've been doing 4-6 miles 3-4 days a week and ~10 miles on the weekend, although I ran a half marathon last week the 21st. Don't know strike and cadence - I've never been tested (embarrassed face). I don't rotate shoes and I do use the trail shoes on street surfaces sometimes....

    You should know whether or not you're heel or front striking, and I've heard of apps that can help with cadence. I use my Garmin to measure cadence, but understand that a lot of that goes out the window on trails.

    Never run on pavement with trail shoes. For one, you'll wear out the lugs, and two there is a stiff rock plate in it that disperses impact from rocks and other trail junk. Doing so could absolutely be the cause of your pain because that's not their intended use.

    Nothing wrong with primarily running trails, but personally, I would go out and get fitted for a pair of road shoes and mix it up a little. If you really like trails, find a non-technical trail and go on it every now and then. I love trail running, but if I do it more than 2x a week, my feet/ankles feel trashed.

    Hopefully you took some time to rest/recover after your half too.
  • throoper
    throoper Posts: 351 Member
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    Thanks yall! Appreciate the advice, even the snarky advice :tongue:
    It's a bit of a dumb question.

    Didn't you pay attention in kindergarten! There's no such thing as a dumb question.

    Also, I do hope your ankle issue goes away. Go run 20 miles and see if it helps :tongue:
  • throoper
    throoper Posts: 351 Member
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    You should know whether or not you're heel or front striking, and I've heard of apps that can help with cadence. I use my Garmin to measure cadence, but understand that a lot of that goes out the window on trails.

    Never run on pavement with trail shoes. For one, you'll wear out the lugs, and two there is a stiff rock plate in it that disperses impact from rocks and other trail junk. Doing so could absolutely be the cause of your pain because that's not their intended use.

    Nothing wrong with primarily running trails, but personally, I would go out and get fitted for a pair of road shoes and mix it up a little. If you really like trails, find a non-technical trail and go on it every now and then. I love trail running, but if I do it more than 2x a week, my feet/ankles feel trashed.

    Hopefully you took some time to rest/recover after your half too.

    I'll have to pay more attention to my strike. I didn't know that about trail shoes, yikes! Yeah, mixing it up and adding in road running is probably a good idea, and I will definitely get road shoes!!

    I did take ~4 days off after my half, but I think the combo of the fast high-impact downhill half, trail running with all its need for ankle stability, and maybe rolling my ankle a bit at some point (I vaguely recall doing that) has tweaked the tendon. ESPECIALLY because I definitely ran that race 13.1 miles down a paved road with my trail shoes : / Oops. OK, self-imposed break will continue until the pain is gone!

    Thanks again to everyone.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    You should know whether or not you're heel or front striking, and I've heard of apps that can help with cadence. I use my Garmin to measure cadence, but understand that a lot of that goes out the window on trails.

    Never run on pavement with trail shoes. For one, you'll wear out the lugs, and two there is a stiff rock plate in it that disperses impact from rocks and other trail junk. Doing so could absolutely be the cause of your pain because that's not their intended use.

    Nothing wrong with primarily running trails, but personally, I would go out and get fitted for a pair of road shoes and mix it up a little. If you really like trails, find a non-technical trail and go on it every now and then. I love trail running, but if I do it more than 2x a week, my feet/ankles feel trashed.

    Hopefully you took some time to rest/recover after your half too.

    I'll have to pay more attention to my strike. I didn't know that about trail shoes, yikes! Yeah, mixing it up and adding in road running is probably a good idea, and I will definitely get road shoes!!

    I did take ~4 days off after my half, but I think the combo of the fast high-impact downhill half, trail running with all its need for ankle stability, and maybe rolling my ankle a bit at some point (I vaguely recall doing that) has tweaked the tendon. ESPECIALLY because I definitely ran that race 13.1 miles down a paved road with my trail shoes : / Oops. OK, self-imposed break will continue until the pain is gone!

    Thanks again to everyone.

    Welp I found your problem lol. Now my ankles hurt!
  • throoper
    throoper Posts: 351 Member
    Options
    You should know whether or not you're heel or front striking, and I've heard of apps that can help with cadence. I use my Garmin to measure cadence, but understand that a lot of that goes out the window on trails.

    Never run on pavement with trail shoes. For one, you'll wear out the lugs, and two there is a stiff rock plate in it that disperses impact from rocks and other trail junk. Doing so could absolutely be the cause of your pain because that's not their intended use.

    Nothing wrong with primarily running trails, but personally, I would go out and get fitted for a pair of road shoes and mix it up a little. If you really like trails, find a non-technical trail and go on it every now and then. I love trail running, but if I do it more than 2x a week, my feet/ankles feel trashed.

    Hopefully you took some time to rest/recover after your half too.

    I'll have to pay more attention to my strike. I didn't know that about trail shoes, yikes! Yeah, mixing it up and adding in road running is probably a good idea, and I will definitely get road shoes!!

    I did take ~4 days off after my half, but I think the combo of the fast high-impact downhill half, trail running with all its need for ankle stability, and maybe rolling my ankle a bit at some point (I vaguely recall doing that) has tweaked the tendon. ESPECIALLY because I definitely ran that race 13.1 miles down a paved road with my trail shoes : / Oops. OK, self-imposed break will continue until the pain is gone!

    Thanks again to everyone.

    Welp I found your problem lol. Now my ankles hurt!

    Haha right? Thanks yo.
  • BeDawg2
    BeDawg2 Posts: 1
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    Just curious to get an update on your ankle. Sounds like exactly what mine has been doing. Rest seems to help. I was running on Rocky Mtn trail and had a slight inversion sprain back in JUL. Didn't think much of it at the time and have run thru it since, but pain has gotten so bad I walk with a limp the rest of the day after a morning run. Have been resting for 2 weeks, and headed for MRI in 2 days.

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