My ankles are KILLIN' me!

[Kalhoun]

I’m working out every day, doing about 15 miles per week on the treadmill. My ankles are really starting to hurt (this happened when I was walking in the 'hood, too).

I’m looking for new shoes. What should I be looking for in the way of construction? Do any of you have this problem? What brand of shoes can you recommend that might help?

Thanks!!

By the way…I’m walking…not running, on the treadmill (if that makes a difference).

[Valgard]

Shoes are highly individual. Personally I’ve always liked New Balance (this is for running but they make a lot of walking shoes too). I would recommend going to a shoe store that specializes in walking & running (as opposed to a generic athletic shoe store or the local Sport Place where the shoes are next to the fishing rods). Ask a lot of questions, try some stuff on and see how it feels. A good store will watch your stride and can help find shoes that address any particular issues. Bring your existing workout shoes in - they can tell a lot by the wear pattern on the sole.

Get good socks - lightweight wool or synthetics. Absolutely no cotton. Proper socks will keep your feet cushioned and dry which means comfortable and really helps avoid blisters and other such misery.

My doctor’s normal recommendation for pain is “If it hurts, stop”. Find out what is wrong rather than trying to work through the pain - that’s a way to get long-term problems which will suck worse than having to lay off the treadmill for a few weeks, trust me. So speak to your doctor! I can make some guesses about what might cause problems but get proper medical advice.

Guesses/thoughts:

1. Too much too fast. If you aren’t used to walking that much, or you’ve got the treadmill at a higher speed or slope than you normally do, that could cause pain.

2. Especially if you weigh a lot. Walking is pretty low-impact but if you’re just getting started and it’s part of losing weight, build up slowly.

3. Lack of cross training. It may sound a little silly at first but strengthening other parts of your body will help. So try adding a bit of strength training to your workout mix, including upper & lower body as well as your core. If, for example, your back and torso are weak that can make a lot of walking uncomfortable so you could be changing how you walk to compensate (without realizing it) and that just aggravates the problem. Do some other types of aerobic exercise, like bicycling or swimming.

4. Lack of flexibility. Get some advice on stretching.

[Kalhoun]

@Valgard

Shoes are highly individual. Personally I’ve always liked New Balance (this is for running but they make a lot of walking shoes too). I would recommend going to a shoe store that specializes in walking & running (as opposed to a generic athletic shoe store or the local Sport Place where the shoes are next to the fishing rods). Ask a lot of questions, try some stuff on and see how it feels. A good store will watch your stride and can help find shoes that address any particular issues. Bring your existing workout shoes in - they can tell a lot by the wear pattern on the sole.

Get good socks - lightweight wool or synthetics. Absolutely no cotton. Proper socks will keep your feet cushioned and dry which means comfortable and really helps avoid blisters and other such misery.

My doctor’s normal recommendation for pain is “If it hurts, stop”. Find out what is wrong rather than trying to work through the pain - that’s a way to get long-term problems which will suck worse than having to lay off the treadmill for a few weeks, trust me. So speak to your doctor! I can make some guesses about what might cause problems but get proper medical advice.

Hadn’t thought about the socks. I’ll grab a few pair of the good stuff.

Guesses/thoughts:

1. Too much too fast. If you aren’t used to walking that much, or you’ve got the treadmill at a higher speed or slope than you normally do, that could cause pain.

This may be the problem. I went from zero to an hour at the gym 5 days per week. I’m doing 3.6 mph on a “hill” workout. The incline fluctuates between 3.0 and 10.6 grade, in one-minute increments.

2. Especially if you weigh a lot. Walking is pretty low-impact but if you’re just getting started and it’s part of losing weight, build up slowly.

I don’t weigh a lot (126) but I wore high heels for 25 years. I suspect that’s part of the problem.

3. Lack of cross training. It may sound a little silly at first but strengthening other parts of your body will help. So try adding a bit of strength training to your workout mix, including upper & lower body as well as your core. If, for example, your back and torso are weak that can make a lot of walking uncomfortable so you could be changing how you walk to compensate (without realizing it) and that just aggravates the problem. Do some other types of aerobic exercise, like bicycling or swimming.

This makes sense. I am doing strength training, but maybe not enough. I’ve been doing 30 min twice a week, but it sounds like I need to increase that.

4. Lack of flexibility. Get some advice on stretching.

Good idea.

Thanks for your input!