Achy ankles - how long should this last?

Pigwig

Barefooters
Aug 17, 2013
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Hello. I'm sure this has been covered but I'll be darned if I can find the thread!
I usually run 6km 3/week in Xero's and I wear them all day (or aqua shoes if really cold). I usually run every other day and I'm finding that my ankles and sometimes calves, though not so much, are really, really stiff! When I get home I do a bit of stretching whilst waiting for a bath to run and then soak in as hot water as I can bear. Sometimes I have first plunged my ankles into a bucket of water filled with very cold water for about 10 mins (this seems to be marginally better). During the rest of the day, if I don't move for a while, even as little as 20 mins, when I go to walk again, it's like ooh, ouch, arrgh! My ankles are really, really stiff! This then happens throughout the day, and the next morning (or getting up during the night) is horrendous - I have to shuffle for a while! When I ran in shoes I had this all the time in my hams/quads. That's now gone but seems to be back with a vengeance in my ankles! Have I perhaps changed from one set of muscles to another due to the fact that I don't stride out so my hams/quads aren't used as much but my ankles are being flexed more??I decided to change from shoes because bf (well, minimalist) is much kinder to my hips and allows me to run better - and it is a vast improvement whilst running, it's just afterwards. Will I ever get this to stop? Anyone else suffer, or have suggestions to try? I'd like to point out that it isn't an actual pain, just stiffness.
Thank you!
 
Are you rolling/massaging as well as stretching? I find the former more important for my lower leg than the latter. Get a rolling pin or 'the stick' (http://www.amazon.com/The-Stick-Little-colors-vary/dp/B001O0H436/ref=pd_sim_sg_11) and roll your calves and your shin muscles vigorously, with a fair amount of pressure. This may help with the stiffness.

In any case, the stiffness should dissipate with time. How long have you been running minimalist? The transition can take anywhere from two weeks to two years, depending on the individual. I still sometimes get a little soreness or "top-of-the-foot-pain" after a long run or running more frequently. Sometimes it's over the metatarsals, sometimes it's close to my ankle. Rolling the feet (http://www.amazon.com/Body-Back-Company-6312-Roller/dp/B0002Y1C6K/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1379941383&sr=1-2&keywords=wood foot roller) and lower leg muscles, along with some stretching, usually takes care of it. If it still lingers, I dig in a bit more with a Knobble (http://www.amazon.com/The-Original-...id=1379941345&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=knobble).
 
I think what you are experiencing is all part of the development process. For the first few months I was running barefoot/minimalist my ankles would tighten up a lot after only a few minutes not working - the mornings would be even less comfortable as I would hobble for the first few yards and then be fine (until I stopped again). I didn't really notice when the discomfort went away, but it certainly has, and I just put it down to the necessary strengthening.

Carry on - you'll be fine!
 
Stiff ankles are a normal part of transition and I'll suggest that you don't soak your feet in very hot water after your runs it increases inflamation but try soaking them in icy water not cold water but icy water for about fifteen minutes you'll get better results with ice than hot water and also I'll followed up with Lee's sugestions.
 
I'm sure the others are right on. I remember maybe a couple years of guaging how my running's going by how gracefully I was able to get down the stairs first thing in the morning. I attributed my ankle/foot aches to being in my mid-50s and asking a lot of my instrument. They always felt much better after just a little moving around. In fact I remember now that I had a drill of flexing my ankles and feet before I got out of bed just to be sure they didn't lock up.

This last weekend, though, I found myself literally on my knees with some wild ass inflamation - having nothing to do with any traumatic event - of my left ankle. I could bear no weight on it and it swelled quite noticably. I even ended up taking a Vicodin on Saturday night because the pain just kept on keeping me awake. It's been progressively better yesterday and today, but still isn't clear. It didn't respond at all to a couple doses of NSAID I took early on.

My outside guess is that it's something to do with my work out in the rough and woods - Lyme Disease. I going to get tested this PM.

Any other thoughts for me while on the general subject of ankles?
 
JT that doesn't sound good inflamation like that out of the blue is concerning and worrysome.
Glad that you're going to get a profesional look at it.
Buena suerte mi amigo.
 
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Hello. I'm sure this has been covered but I'll be darned if I can find the thread!
I usually run 6km 3/week in Xero's and I wear them all day (or aqua shoes if really cold). I usually run every other day and I'm finding that my ankles and sometimes calves, though not so much, are really, really stiff! When I get home I do a bit of stretching whilst waiting for a bath to run and then soak in as hot water as I can bear. Sometimes I have first plunged my ankles into a bucket of water filled with very cold water for about 10 mins (this seems to be marginally better). During the rest of the day, if I don't move for a while, even as little as 20 mins, when I go to walk again, it's like ooh, ouch, arrgh! My ankles are really, really stiff! This then happens throughout the day, and the next morning (or getting up during the night) is horrendous - I have to shuffle for a while! When I ran in shoes I had this all the time in my hams/quads. That's now gone but seems to be back with a vengeance in my ankles! Have I perhaps changed from one set of muscles to another due to the fact that I don't stride out so my hams/quads aren't used as much but my ankles are being flexed more??I decided to change from shoes because bf (well, minimalist) is much kinder to my hips and allows me to run better - and it is a vast improvement whilst running, it's just afterwards. Will I ever get this to stop? Anyone else suffer, or have suggestions to try? I'd like to point out that it isn't an actual pain, just stiffness.
Thank you!

While this definately is normal, I find it helps if you can rate the stiffness on like a scale of 1-3 or something, and for yourself, be cautious with running when you're more stiff (that way, you're stiffness won't worsen). I'm guessing the amount of stiffness varies? I had about a 3 month period where my running was going really well and stiffness was 0 or 1 (low). When the ankles got stiffer, from trying to go a little faster/further, I didn't back off the next time...and then the stiffness would last weeks (like a "3" everyday) I would (will) change this next time around...I'm on a break from running until my often-sore soleus and area on my left leg is 100%. I haven't run for over a week and it's still stiff/sore!

Good luck.
 
Wow thanks that's a lot of great info. I do indeed roller, I have one I call The Beast cos it's a big, mean Mother! I realise though I need to do more on this. I'll give it time as per DNE's suggestion, and use ice instead of hot (why, God, why? I HATE cold!). I like the idea of rating. It will usually, for me, be fairly high but then I've only converted in the last few months so I haven't really got much to compare too. Certainly if I compare the stiffness in my ankles to the previous stiffness in qu/hams from running in shoes, well it's way lower! There was an episode of Friends (I'm a huge fan) where Chandler takes a drink of coffee (he'd been working out with Monica and she'd pushed him real hard), and as he brings his arm up he goes "ow, ow, ow, ow" and again on way down - that's what I always think of with the first few steps after sitting!
I'm so glad JT that you've put it into words about how gracefully you get down stairs. Most days I wish I could just slide to avoid the ache! I hope you get sorted. Lyme Disease, what's that?
 
Pigwig I don't like cold either but I do what I must when needed.
Get a bucket tall enough that when you sumerge your feet it go up to your calves. I found that icy water works a million times better than just cold compression or plain cold water.
I know that you're a big :babygirl:but trust me you're going to feel much much better:)
 
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I've taken a couple of weeks off after a similar stiffness/pain , in my soles rather than ankles, that was getting worse rather than better and had me worried. I think a couple of days rest was just not enough. Just used cold water rather than ice, first thing before walking downstairs. it was pretty much better until I did a two day drive to get my son back to Uni which has set it back a bit.
 
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Lyme Disease, what's that?

From Wikipaedia:

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere.[4] Borrelia is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks belonging to a few species of the genus Ixodes ("hard ticks").[5] Early symptoms may include fever, headache, fatigue, depression, and a characteristic circular skin rash called erythema migrans (EM). Left untreated, later symptoms may involve the joints, heart, and central nervous system. In most cases, the infection and its symptoms are eliminated by antibiotics, especially if the illness is treated early.[6] Delayed or inadequate treatment can lead to more serious symptoms, which can be disabling and difficult to treat.
 
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I had pain in the back of both ankles which I put down to TMTS. I took a week and a half off before my HM last Saturday and they were fine. (My calves are still stiff today, but that's is only to be expected considering.)

BTW - the rash you get from Lyme disease looks like a bullseye target
 
Yes, Dama I am one big baby, ha ha! I'm also scared of spiders too!
Well, if it makes you feel better I don't like snakes even the ones on pictures give me the chills:nailbiting:
 
Paul. How long did your HM take you? You've probably said on FB somewhere and I've missed it!
Yes, Dama I am one big baby, ha ha! I'm also scared of spiders too!


4hrs 26mins Pigwig. Loved every minute of it :)
 
Wow thanks that's a lot of great info. I do indeed roller, I have one I call The Beast cos it's a big, mean Mother!
That's a foam roller, right? For me, for the lower leg, a member of "the stick" family is much more effective:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Stick-Little-colors-vary/dp/B001O0H436/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1380103547&sr=1-1&keywords=the little stick
I use a foam roller for my upper leg, but it's hard to get enough pressure on the lower leg. With the stick, sitting in a chair, you can really apply a lot of pressure on the shin and calf muscles, all the way from the ankle up to close to the knee, front, back, and sides. You should feel immediate relief in your ankles and foot tendons if tight muscles are at least partly the cause of your ankle stiffness. And roller the feet while standing is also great for loosening things up down there.

If if tight muscles aren't part of your problem, I think this is good practice for all barefoot runners, as a preventive measure.
Well, if it makes you feel better I don't like snakes even the ones on pictures give me the chills:nailbiting:
Dama Beija-flor, you're like my wife. She can't even look at a picture of a snake. You must be a sorcerer like her.
 
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Dama Beija-flor, you're like my wife. She can't even look at a picture of a snake. You must be a sorcerer like her.
She must be my long lost twin as far as I am concern since it seems that we have some things in common:)
Maybe I should take a vote to change my name to Beija-flor I like the sound of it even though I don't know how to pronounce it properly but I like how I pronounce it:)
 
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My outside guess is that it's something to do with my work out in the rough and woods - Lyme Disease. I going to get tested this PM.

Any other thoughts for me while on the general subject of ankles?
Hi Joseph,
Yes I have a thought for you - not on the subject of ankles in general but on Lyme disease in particular. (Sorry for the off topic :oops:)
If what you have is actually Lyme disease (blood test, takes some time to be done), then you could investigate on the net for olive leaf extract. Good quality is important (and expensive) - but if I remember correctly and you are some kind of Botanist or Phytopharmacologist (are you?) than perhaps you could prepare it all by yourself.
 
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Paul, the really fun part of Lyme Disease is that any or all symptoms can be skipped or twisted into unrecognizability. If the tick attaches somewhere obscure and is never seen, it just feeds and drops off. A good percentage of infections never produce the "bull's eye" rash. It can all be very stealthy. I should get the results of my blood test tomorrow, 26 Sept.

...also, 4:26 for an HM (Half Marathon)??? That's 20:30/mile, a fine pace if you walk and take a modest mid-race nap, I think. Truly, if you walk a reasonable 16 minute mile pace, you could actually take a nap for almost an hour and still finish before 4:26.

Hobbit, I'm an Arborist, not an Herbalist. Also, sadly, Olives don't grow within 4500 km of here. I will look up the remedy, though. Merci!
 
Paul, the really fun part of Lyme Disease is that any or all symptoms can be skipped or twisted into unrecognizability. If the tick attaches somewhere obscure and is never seen, it just feeds and drops off. A good percentage of infections never produce the "bull's eye" rash. It can all be very stealthy. I should get the results of my blood test tomorrow, 26 Sept.

...also, 4:26 for an HM (Half Marathon)??? That's 20:30/mile, a fine pace if you walk and take a modest mid-race nap, I think. Truly, if you walk a reasonable 16 minute mile pace, you could actually take a nap for almost an hour and still finish before 4:26.

Hobbit, I'm an Arborist, not an Herbalist. Also, sadly, Olives don't grow within 4500 km of here. I will look up the remedy, though. Merci!

Thanks for the information on Lyme Disease. Luckily, mine turned out to be just a normal insect bite.

Considering that I am 54 years old, was diagnosed with chronic heart failure two years ago and have a heart pacemaker, that this was a multi-terrain half-marathon which I did entirely in bare feet; having only ever done a maximum of four miles in bare feet previously, and that I only started running two months ago, I am very happy to have done a half marathon in 4hrs 26mins thank you very much!

Perhaps you should have followed the link in my signature and found out a bit more about me before making the assumption that I should be as fast as you obviously are?
 
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