Combat Ankle Pain After Running: Tips from Fisio Sport

Have you ever experienced that annoying ankle pain after running? If you’re part of the vibrant Latin community in the UK and you’re keen to stay in good physical shape, whether it’s by doing laps in the park, stretching at the office, or playing a game of football with friends, you know that this pain can be a real hindrance.

At Fisio Sport, we understand how important it is for you to keep moving, and we want to help you look after your ankles so that you can continue to enjoy your favourite physical activity without suffering, and with the right advice.

Here we’ll provide you with valuable information and practical tips to prevent and treat ankle pain after running, explaining everything in a simple and approachable way because the idea is to advise you as if you were chatting with an old friend.

Video with Exercises to Alleviate Ankle Pain After Running

Here we share an instructive video with highly effective exercises to reduce and strengthen the ankle if you are experiencing discomfort while running or in the normal performance of your daily life.

If you would like to discover more videos with useful content for alleviating pain and taking care of your joints, we invite you to visit our YouTube Channel.

Understanding Ankle Pain After Running

The ankle is one of the most complex and demanded joints in our body, especially when we run or play football. This joint is designed to support our weight and allow us to perform agile movements, but it is also prone to injuries and discomfort.

Common causes of ankle pain after running include sprains, which occur when the ligaments are stretched or torn; tendinitis, an inflammation of the tendons; and stress fractures, small cracks in the bones. In addition, overuse and muscle fatigue that are not treated professionally and immediately can contribute to this pain.

For office workers with a sedentary lifestyle during working hours and athletes, especially footballers, the use of inappropriate footwear, playing surfaces, and poor sports technique can increase the risk of experiencing ankle pain.

How to Identify and Act Upon Ankle Pain

If after running you feel pain, swelling, instability, or difficulty walking, it is possible that you have an ankle injury. Symptoms such as redness and warmth around the joint are also signs that something is not right. In these cases, it is crucial not to ignore the pain and seek medical attention if the symptoms persist or worsen, and consider a professional diagnosis that will indicate the best options to follow for a full recovery and to avoid increasing the injury. Nevertheless, as our aim is to provide you with a useful article, here we will provide you with tools that you can start implementing to begin improving your pain.

Prevention and Long-Term Care

If you are truly looking to take care of those ankles while you move and enjoy life in these lands, here are some tips that will come in handy. We all know that staying active is important, but we also need to be smart to avoid ending up with pains that spoil our day.

1. Before you start playing sports or any activity, it’s essential that you don’t forget to warm up. A good warm-up is like the morning coffee, absolutely necessary! And if you’ve already had an unfortunate encounter with a sprain, it would be very wise to consider using an ankle brace or functional bandage. It’s better to prevent than to cure, don’t you think?
2. As for footwear, I don’t mean to nag, but a good pair of shoes can make the difference between enjoying a walk or ending up in a doctor’s waiting room. You must ensure they fit well and provide support, especially if you’re going to be making quick movements or playing football with friends
3. After giving it your all, you mustn’t skip the stretching. Stretching is like showing some love to those muscles and ligaments that work so hard. Also, if you can, try to avoid terrains that resemble battlefields, full of holes and traps for your feet.
4. If for some reason your ankle plays up, you must remember the golden rule: RICE, which stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. And don’t try to be a hero; if you feel that something isn’t right, it’s important that you seek out a professional to take a look.

Taking care of yourself is crucial, especially when, for example, you’re far from home. So, put these tips into practice and keep enjoying life in this beautiful corner of the world.

Specific Exercises for Strengthening the Ankles

Strengthening the ankles is super important, both to prevent injuries and to recover if you’ve already had an accident. At Fisio Sport, in addition to the previously referenced video, we give you some exercises that you can do at home or in the gym to have ankles of steel.

Don’t worry, we’re going to explain each one step by step:

1. Non-moving exercises (isometrics):
   o Pushing and pulling against the wall: Sit down and stretch out your leg. Place the tip of your foot against a wall and push as if you wanted to move it. Hold for about 10-15 seconds and then change: place your heel and pull towards you. This strengthens without the need for large movements.
2. Rise and lower on your toes (calf raises):
   o Stand straight, with your feet shoulder-width apart, and simply rise onto your tiptoes and lower. Imagine you’re trying to reach something very high. Do about 3 sets of 10-15 times.
3. The same but on one foot:
   o Now, do the same but support yourself on one foot. If you wobble a bit, that’s okay, hold onto something, but try to use the ankle to maintain balance.
4. Write with your foot:
   o Sit down and pretend your foot is a giant pencil and write the alphabet in the air. It sounds strange, but it moves the ankle in all directions and is excellent.
5. With elastic bands:
   Pull towards you and push outwards: Sit down, stretch out your leg, and with an elastic band on your foot, pull towards you and then push outwards. Then, place the band to one side of the foot and move the foot from inside to out. This provides resistance and helps you strengthen.
6. Balance games:
   o Standing on one foot: Try to stand on one foot without wobbling. If you want more of a challenge, close your eyes or use a special cushion to destabilise yourself a bit.
7. Special walks:
   o Walk on your tiptoes and then on your heels. This is great for strengthening and will also make you feel like you’re in a ballet class.

Ankle Arthritis: A Factor to Consider

This is a factor you should consider if you have chronic pain and are of a certain age. To identify ankle arthritis, the following signs and symptoms can be considered:

1. Pain: Ankle pain that worsens with activity and may improve with rest is a common sign of arthritis. The pain can be constant or it may come and go.
2. Swelling: Inflammation around the ankle joint can be a sign of arthritis, especially if the swelling persists or occurs frequently.
3. Stiffness: Difficulty moving the ankle, especially in the morning or after periods of inactivity, can be an indicator of arthritis.
4. Changes in walking pattern: People with ankle arthritis may develop a limp or change their walking pattern to reduce ankle pain.
5. Limited range of motion: Loss of flexibility and the inability to move the ankle through its full range of motion can be symptoms of arthritis.
6. Crepitus: Crunching or popping sounds when moving the ankle joint can be a sign that the cartilage has worn away and the bones are rubbing against each other.
7. Deformity: In advanced cases, the ankle may begin to deform due to damage to the joint structures and cartilage wear.

At Fisio Sport, we hope this comprehensive article on ankle pain has been helpful. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to write to us through our blog, the contact methods we have enabled, or by visiting us at some of our locations at 177 Old Kent Road and 126A Seven Sisters Road in London. We offer a personalized plan to strengthen your ankle and advise you on how to safely resume physical activity.