Sore ankles

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upinthecosmos
upinthecosmos Posts: 149 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been walking a lot since January. I walk 5-10K and up until last Sat haven't had any problems. All of a sudden though I'm now getting these burning aches in my ankles when I start walking and it lasts throughout. I stop to stretch them a little and it just feels like tight muscles or something but they continue to ache. Why is it that this happens all of a sudden when I've had no problem in the past? I used to get the pains when I didn't exercise at all and would try to start so I figured it was because the muscles weren't used to the exercise but I've been doing it for a while so it makes no sense why I've experiencing it now, after I had no problem since Jan.

I want to say they are ankle splints but is there such a thing... other than the brace that people wear when they sprain their ankle that is? :-) I don't think it's shin splints because the pain, or ach, is confined to my ankle area... mainly the outside of my ankle and foot, the inside of the ankles are fine.

Anyone experience this and know what it is, what causes it, how to treat it or what to do about it? Is it just sore muscles that I have to work through or let heal? I have all sorts of 5Ks scheduled to do (my next one is coming up) so do I just not walk until then in hopes that it heals or do I keep walking through it & little by little it will go away?

Anyone, anyone..... Bueller.... Bueller.... LOL! Seriously though, any info would be helpful:-)

Replies

  • upinthecosmos
    upinthecosmos Posts: 149 Member
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    No info from anyone?? Really???
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
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    Have you ever had any ankle injuries in your past? I have the EXACT same ache in my ankle that I broke 14 years ago. I've even had the hardware they put in removed (mostly) and I still get the ache. A friend of mine said it's because of the scar tissue that's built up in my ankle, and I should look into deep tissue massage or another similar thing along with physical therapy. Lacking the money to do that (and no provider nearby for the exact method he suggested), I'm just plugging on. I have a ace bandage sock-like brace I put on during the day before a run, it seems to minimize the pain during my running workout. I take it off just before because it hurts to wear after a while. But it keeps swelling to a minimum during the day!
  • dpowell58
    dpowell58 Posts: 23 Member
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    Sounds like tendonitis in your ankle. I have the same thing. I've read that many injuries, especially in older people (like me) or those who have been not very active, tend to happen in the 8th - 12th week of working out. Mine happened at the end of my 7th week. Started as a burning pain in my left ankle, I kept running and by the end of the week could barely walk. My coach (a fellow teacher) told me to RICE (rest it, ice it, use compression and elevate when possible) I did that for a week and only walked on my usual running days. After 2 weeks I began running again, slower and not as far. It is still sore but doesn't hurt when I run, just when I walk. Time is the the best healer. I would say use the RICE and take it easy for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.
  • upinthecosmos
    upinthecosmos Posts: 149 Member
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    Thanks to both of you. I do have old injuries, my ankles have been sprained many many times and recently so I probably have that plus some tendonitis type stuff going on! I do have some different shoes which help and the rest also does:-)

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