in: Orienteering; Training & Technique;
| # Posted 2008-07-29 20:49:23 | |
| mushy_pea: | As someone who rarely has ankle problems, I'm unsure of how to prevent the pain I've consistantly had since spraining my ankle a few weeks ago.
My ankle is generally fine, but really hurts when the front of the foot is pushed far upwards (toes pointing up). This doesn't happen in normal running, but happens too often for comfort in rough terrain). Anyone know how I can prevent my foot from adopting this position? |
| # Posted 2008-07-29 20:53:25 | |
| candyman: | go to see a good sports physio, find out what the real problem is and what you should do to fix it. they could probably give you some good taping tips as well. |
| # Posted 2008-08-01 00:49:56 | |
| JonD: | McDavid makes a lace up ankle brace that fits into a running shoe and can be used while running - called "McDavid Ultra Light 195 Laced Ankle Brace". It works exactly like athletic tape. It does help minimize ankle rolls and stablize up and down motion of your foot (but would not prevent your toes from flexing up if that's what you mean).
PS - I had ankle pain that ended up lasting several months. My doctor said it was a stress fracture and prescribed "no running" for 6 weeks. I cross-trained for 5 weeks and went back to running. The pain started to come back and I decided to work on strengthening my ankle. (using exercises found on the internet). So far that seems to be helping . . . . |
| # Posted 2008-08-01 07:44:21 | |
| fossil: | Could you share a link to the exercises that are helping? I have a chronically weak ankle that hasn't been helped a whole lot by the exercises I've tried. (Nor by the fact that it keeps getting reinjured.) |
| # Posted 2008-08-01 17:18:44 | |
| ebuckley: | Sounds like what you've got is not an ankle roll or sprain (which are both hyperextensions) but a hyperflexion (the foot got pushed to close to the shin. Unfortunately, taping and stabilizing don't do much to help hyperflexion.
I was plagued with this sort of thing for my first few years of orienteering. After a while, it just stopped happening, so I have to assume that some sort of adaptation was made, but it certailnly wasn't concious. I do believe that orienteering spikes help quite a bit in thsi regard, since the injury is usually the result of stepping up onto something and having the foot slip backwards so all the weight goes to the toe. |
| # Posted 2008-08-02 04:25:39 | |
| fredder: | To add another non-medically-informed perspective to the mix: I may have the same or related problem--I get a sharp pain when my foot is flexed past a certain point, with no pain up to that point. Like mushy_pea, it presents no problem in normal running, but can pop up o'ing, such as stepping awkwardly on a hidden rock or fallen limb. Generally, it doesn't require slipping off anything, just a bad foot plant.
I also have had pain on the lower, outer part of my foot that never seems to go away. I went to see an orthopedic doctor, which was, except for confirming it wasn't broken, a complete waste of time and money. That foot/ankle have been sprained pretty hard in the past and seems prone to mild sprains now. My internet research has turned up something called "cuboid syndrome" that seems to mesh well with my symptoms and history. The cuboid bone is the large one just forward of your heel bone and is central to foot/ankle functioning. If it gets pushed out of position ("subluxed" as they say), it can cause problems. And the problem apparently often originates with improperly healed ankle sprains. You might want to google it and take a look. |
| # Posted 2008-08-02 07:30:13 | |
| JonD: | this is the link http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/strengtheninge... The "alphabet" exercise seems to help my ankle a lot (makes a loud 'pop' then feels better). But I must add that probably the 5 weeks of cross training helped too. And maybe the cortisone injection at week 2, although I don't put much stock in that. |
| # Posted 2008-08-06 04:58:01 | |
| BillJarvis: | I had chronic ankle problems, then my ankle inexplicably went fixed in the dorsiflex position (toes pointing down) for 6 weeks and physio couldn't fix it. Then it spontaneously fixed itself just as I was about to go under the knife with a podiatrist who seemed to want to practice on patients as there was a loophole that allowed him to do surgery.
Long story short, that was 4 years ago and taping with 1.5" Leukotape seems to have kept everything in check ...(4 pieces of tape, an anchor just above ankle bumps, 2 straps going from anchor, under foot, and back up other side, then another piece identical to/and on top of the anchor to hold the 2 straps in place. The only time this failed was when I used cheap hockey tape and it stretched by the end of a race. Basically, the tape straps replace the function of the streched ligaments and prevent further stretching and inflamation. I don't think this tape job would necessarily help Mushy Pea's foot problem however. |
| # Posted 2008-08-06 05:00:31 | |
| wilsmith: | "...just as I was about to go under the knife with a podiatrist who seemed to want to practice on patients as there was a loophole that allowed him to do surgery."
Whew - that seems like quite a loophole. Glad it got fixed without more drastic measures! |
| # Posted 2008-08-06 09:22:34 | |
| BillJarvis: | I was desperate ...try doing anything with your ankle stuck in dorsiflex! The waiting list to see a real surgeon ended up being 11 months ...but at least now I'm his patient and he'll operate within 2 weeks if it happens again. |
| # Posted 2008-08-08 10:15:17 | |
| mouse136: | The "alphabet" exercise seems to help my ankle a lot (makes a loud 'pop' then feels better).
I tried the alphabet and got the same pop and feeling better in the ankle. nice find. |
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