For so many of us who live in the Bay Area, especially around San Jose, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, running and hiking are favorite go-to activities after work and on weekends. Ankle pain is prevalent when running, but sometimes it is not enough to make a determined runner stop. There are many triggers for ankle pain, so understanding the specific cause is crucial in dealing with the symptoms.
Movement at your foot and ankle influences your whole body. Ambulation – whether walking or running – places repetitive strain on your joints with varying levels of impact. Common symptoms of ankle pain manifest in different ways, but let’s first refresh your ankles’ physiology: together with your toes and hips, ankles enable the body to carry your weight on most occasions. The stabilization of your bones and the resilience of your Achilles tendon enables you to push your toes forward and upwards in the next stage of the ankle, recognized as plantarflexion. The ankle also operates together with your feet to allow pronation, inward foot movement, to accommodate to the surface and absorb shock.
The ankle is an incredibly mobile joint that plays an important role in gait and weight distribution. By having this great mobility and range of motion, this joint is both capable of adjusting to irregular twist movements and great at stabilizing — activating various muscles around the joint to facilitate motion when you need robust pivoting assistance. Muscles in and around the ankle push your body forward and retain power when running. The pressure on the ankle joints rises when you boost your velocity, rendering it more susceptible to accidents.
What causes ankle pain when running?
Maybe you’ve suddenly increased your mileage or running frequency and your body hasn’t been ready for the increased workload. You may not have had an opportunity to stretch between workouts. You may not have exercised or activated other significant structures like the glutes.
Whatever the trigger, reducing the stress on your joints momentarily is essential and allows your body to recover. If your pain persists for more than three days or limits your ability to return to running after a week, it is better to seek specific advice from a medical practitioner.
Chiropractic Ankle Pain Treatment
Running with an ankle injury may lead to more injuries elsewhere in the body, particularly the lower extremity. Pausing your running course while you are out there and feel the first signs of an injury might be tough to do, for a lot of reasons. However, continuing to exercise before the joint is rehabilitated can contribute to more damage.
A chiropractor will ask what movement resulted in the ankle being overused and painful. It can be distinct for each individual, but generally, overuse injuries happen when more stress is placed on the bone. No athlete should simply run – make sure you incorporate a healthy workout regimen that ends with stretching, and a bunch of reinforcement for the feet, shoulders, knees, and heart monitoring.
Be proactive by reinforcing your ankle with heel lifts, single-leg strength activities and knee reinforcement so your legs have the power and flexibility to lower the strain on your ankles and enhance your general running shape and endurance.
Ankle pain is a bummer, and on their running routine, no runner likes to stop. But, for long-term progress, it is sometimes essential to stop for a bit. Paying attention to your ankle and building a well-rounded running schedule is the best thing you can do to avoid injuries. If you have ankle pain and you’re unsure where it is coming from, it’s always good to ask and receive medical attention from a physical therapy doctor or a chiropractor who can evaluate and diagnose your symptoms and develop the correct treatment plan for your injury. Contact our staff at Custom Chiropractor and we will help you schedule an appointment with a specialized physician today.
