Forums >Running 101>Ankle pain from old injury. Do I need to stop?
Hello all,
This is my first post, but I could really use some advice. I'm a 33 year old male who is a bit overweight (I've dropped 10lbs, but could spare to drop another 15 or 20) and I'm trying to get into running. I've been plagued with repeated injuries to my left ankle (severe sprains) over the last 12 years with the last one being a little over a year ago. About 2 months ago I started walking on my lunch breaks (1 hour) and got pretty ambitious with those walks to the point where I was doing almost 5 miles in an hour. I didn't have any real pain during those walks and decided if I wanted to keep progressing, I'd need to start running. So, 3 weeks ago I downloaded a walk/run program that is supposed to take someone from sedentary (which, aside from the lunch break walks, I am) to a 5k in 8 weeks. Week 1 was 60 second walk/run cycles for 20 minutes, week 2 was 90 seconds running, 60 seconds walking for 25 minutes. Today is the first day of week 3 which is 2 minutes running, 45 seconds walking for a half hour. These routines are done Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
The problem I'm having is pain in my left ankle. It started almost immediately after I started running and I figured it was my body getting used to the more demanding workout. However, it hasn't gone away and has gotten a bit worse. I've been running through it and surviving, but it definitely hurts and leaves me limping even during my rest days.
My question is, with an increasingly difficult running routine, do you think my body will be able to keep up? In other words, will my body get used to the running as fast or faster than the running routine is increasing the demand?
I'm a pretty black and white kind of a person, so this set schedule is good for me to keep me active. I really don't want to take a break because I'm worried I might not get back into it, but at the same time, a 1 week break to let it rest is better than a 2 month break because I seriously injured myself.
So should I just keep running through it in hopes that it'll get better, or do I need to lay off?
an amazing likeness
No, do not try to "run through it". That is an approach which seldom works out, especially for those with little or no running 'base'.
My advice is your miles spent walking, pain free, are the path to running success. Build up miles walking to get time on your feet and strengthen tendons, ligaments & muscles. After time, start running some sections of your walks and see if your ankle can absorb the new work. Let that tell you whether to run more, less, or see a Dr.
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
Rule of thumb on this, if pain remains same keep things the same. Pain worse, ease up. So, no - don't try to run through it. Back off 'til the pain doesn't get worse and then maintain 'til things improve.
Ray
#RunEveryDay
Good advice here already, but let me add this: how old are your shoes? Make sure that you aren't doing this with broken down shoes because that won't help you either. If your shoes are old and worn out, consider replacing them. Wear is not always visible when it's the support inside that's broken down.
You can do this!
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Thank you for the wonderful replies so far. As today was a running day and I posted this question just before my lunch break, I headed out and did my run. My ankle again was hurting (as were my knees and other ankle to a lesser extent) but I made it through, albeit at a slow pace. After stopping, all my joints feel a little tight with my left ankle hurting a bit, but not terribly. Having just come off a weekend (2 days of rest) it'll be interesting to see how it feels on Wednesday. I definitely feel it as I'm coming down with each step. Part of this is due to old injury, but I also know that being out of shape, I am probably landing a lot harder due to lack of muscle strength. 200lbs coming down on asphalt with very little give is going to be punishing.
Regarding my shoes...I honestly don't know. I've had these shoes a long time (I'd guess...10+ years). While some of you probably just spit all over your screen reading that, keep in mind, the majority of that time they just sat in the closet. The insides are pristine, the soles have some wear. I know that doesn't really mean much in regards to support, but I unfortunately don't have a better answer. Aside from the monetary thing, I suppose it couldn't hurt to get new shoes (especially because it turns out these are a little too small on me).
Go to a proper store to be fitted. It will make a difference. Think of it as an investment in a long term activity.
Don't worry about pace or speed. That will come with fitness.
It all depends on what you are used to. I run in Five-Fingers, so no padding or real support from the shoe. I don't land on my heels and have done 3 marathons in 9 months. what if anything does it mean? Not much, only you can know for sure. But, it does take the body a bit of time to adapt to changes. Rule of thumb (I'm doing that a lot here) is that muscles take least amount of time, tendons, ligaments and bones longer in that order. Oh, and the mid-sole on conventional shoes will breakdown over time, so yes age does matter...(which is why I prefer no mid-sole in my shoes
Well, now my knee is giving me issues. It swelled up quite a bit last night and today has been difficult to bend. We'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow but if there isn't significant improvement, I might need to lay off for a week or so, heal up, and then give it another go.
I guess I'm going to be the bearer of bad news. I have a similar story to yours. Years of basketball, trail running, and a particularly bad foot plant on a chunk of ice left me with twists, strains, and sprains of my ankle. Last fall, my left ankle started hurting. I could make it through runs, but it wasn't fun, and there was no way I could train at the level I wanted to with the pain. I backed off, but no luck. It would hurt in the morning when I got up, and it would hurt when I ran.
I went to a foot and ankle doctor. He gave me a couple of things to do to try to heal it. Again, no luck. We did an MRI and determined that all those able injuries had damaged tendons, ligaments, and who knows what else. Surgery was the last option and I took it. Arthroscopic, Brostrom, and probably some other things as well were done in February.
If the pain in the ankle doesn't go away after the break from running, you might want to check with an orthopedic doctor.
There was a point in my life when I ran. Now, I just run.
We are always running for the thrill of it
Always pushing up the hill, searching for the thrill of it
Hi abe_mend,
Thank you for your response. I definitely am open to the idea that my running days might be behind me. That being said, as of about 3 years ago I was running on a regular basis and have only had one serious injury since then. So, while it's possible, I'm thinking this is something else. In addition, the pain in my knees is at about the same level as my ankle and I have not had many serious injuries to those before.
I decided to take a break (especially since at this point I can't walk without a limp) and then come back to things a bit slower after I feel well again. The 8 week C25K may have just been a bit ambitious for me. One thing I did notice was that between my lack of fitness and then later the pain, I was coming down particularly hard on each step. Between sore muscles, lack of strength in those muscles, and not wanting to move the joints as much from the pain, I think I was actually increasing the impact. So, like I said, I'll give it a break and try again and see what happens. If that doesn't work, I'll go back to walking as I wasn't experiencing any pain from that.