ankle problems?

[trayoates]

anyone else experiencing bad left ankle pain around the front/outside of their left ankle?? i have normal arches and everything and i wear running shoes specially fitted to my feet, yet the past two weeks i've had really bad ankle pain!

ive been researching it a lot (not saying that WebMD is a credible source), but ive come to the conclusion that it's anterior ankle impingement. which is basically where the soft tissues of the ankle (tendons/ligaments) rub against scar tissue from previous sprains (as in my case) or little growths called bone spurs... it's pretty much just an overuse injury from repetitive jumping/running...

i have a bad problem at being under at takeoff which i think contributes to the injury!

if anyone else has had problems like this just let me know what you did for treatment and more importantly prevention! cause this injury sucks and i dont want it to come back.. i've been icing a lot and using Thera-Bands to strengthen the joint. any other pointers would help!!

[KirkB]

Ice after (as you're doing), but also make sure you warm up the ankle BEFORE anything strenuous (like full run jumps).

You may not have thought about this ...

Normal warmups don't give your ankle the proper amount of flexion and strain that it will encounter during a 5-metre vault. So you need to warm it up specifically - not just the usual warmup with normal sprints and strides. Include jumping actions, like hopping up (low at first, then higher and higher as your ankle warms up). Don't over-do it, but don't under-do it either.

Finally, make sure you KEEP it warm between jumps. This might mean staying loose with jogs or strides, or a few hops, but it also may mean some application of heat to the ankle area to keep it loose and "ready to go".

Hope this helps.

Kirk

[trayoates]

thanks for the advice!

okay so for instance, saturday i had a meet with a bunch of college guys up at UT with Tim Mack. i made sure to warm up my ankles properly with jumps, ankle circles and static stretches. the opening height was 15'5" so i was one of the first to come in. the down time between my last warm up jump and my first attempt was maybe 8-10 minutes and of course i warmed back up before i began my first attempt. my 3 attempts at 15'5" felt fine (i shouldve cleared on my first..). However the jumps after that at 16' and 16'7" were just excruciating pain in my left ankle. granted my step was on my first couple vaults, i only strayed about 3" under the whole time with the exception of the last jump which was a foot under because i was stretching to compensate for the injury...

i make sure to warm up properly but even with that my ankle still hurts /:

[KirkB]

Stay off any heavy weights or anything else that might strain it even worse (water skiing, skateboarding, any foolish stuff like that) - save the heaviest strains for your vaults. Don't expect it to only hurt when you're under. Done properly, a free takeoff puts a tremendous amount of stress on your takeoff foot/ankle.

Don't walk long distances to school (or anywhere else). Keep it well-rested.

Also, see a trainer, and see your MD and ask for a recommendation to a foot specialist. They can give you professional advice. Don't just assume that "it will go away" or "it doesn't hurt enough to justify going for professional help". Instead, realize that it could get worse and you really WANT/NEED it to improve so that you can VAULT! To be the best you can be this season, err on the side of caution, and see your doctor!

The other question is what caused this in the first place, and could any type of orthotic insoles (custom designed) help? I don't mean on your spikes when you're vaulting, I just mean at all other times of the day, including your training shoes. See your chiropractor or whoever fitted you for your custom runners about that. Maybe he can make an adjustment that will help.

I realize you're in the middle of a fun, important track season, but if all else fails, REST might be the best cure.

Kirk

[PV2020]

Jump at nationals and shut it down....

It sounds like an overuse injury and the only cure is to rest it. I know it is your senior year and you are jumping quite well, so if you are planning on New Balance, suck it up till then and maybe try a wrap or something. Maybe Just jumping every 3 days or something.

Peoples senior year they are always tempted to jump straight through the summer before college. But you need to make sure you give yourself plenty of time to completely rest (over use injuries may need non pounding movements for as much as 6 weeks), and then build back up to getting in shape before you head off to college and start training.

It would really suck to be constantly battling with a hurting ankle through your freshmen year of college.

[trayoates]

UPDATE on the ankle it's feeling a ton better!! I went to the physical therapist yesterday and they confirmed my self diagnosis of anterior ankle impingement. they told me though that the impingement was caused by tightness in my calf muscle and that i needed to stretch it out as well as muscle roll it. any ways, they massaged it and had me do some stretching against the wall... then i had to do some balance strength training for it with my eyes open and closed. then at the end they taped it up, but not a traditional tape job, it was two pieces going from the front of my tibia around to the back.. pretty simple stuff!

so if anyone else is having ankle problems i would recommend checking your calves to make sure they're not tight and work on strengthening the little muscles in your ankle. and obviously icing a ton!