I am having trouble running as of late, the result of an injury over three months ago. That is when I sprained my left ankle during some work related training. The sprain was a pretty good one at that. I heard the ankle ‘pop’ when it happened. Specifically, I turned the ankle out from underneath me. I did see a doc and he said I should be good to go in a few weeks. Well, it has been over 3 months and I am now at point where I rarely feel any pain in that ankle.
So I start running again. At first, I could not make it half a mile before the muscle in my right front calf would get so tight and painful that I had to stop. That was about 2 weeks ago. It’s slowly getting better; I can go about 2 miles now but that calf muscle still gets tight.
As far as I can tell, I seem to have some problems running heel to toe on that right foot. My guess is this is a result of spending three months protecting my left ankle. So now, I can start off running heel to toe, but before long, I start slamming that right foot down, flat-footed, unable to pick up the toe upon impact.
What is the best way to correct this? Just give it time? Is this a stretching issue? If so, what stretches do I need to focus on to correct this?
I need some advice here; this is getting very frustating. Of course, patience was never my strong suit.
Thanks in advance!
Did you ever get X-rays or an MRI? There may still be some damage there. This could be anything from a small stress fracture to a torn ligament to who knows? Something’s wrong.
Second, I’d really think seeing an orthopedic doc would be in order.
Other than that, definitely do some easy stretches of the calf muscles as well as quads and hamstrings before and after running. If you feel pain doing these, then obviouly stop and get medical help.
How about walking, any pain then? If not, maybe some increasingly long walks for a week or so, then do a bit of really slow easy jogging after warming up for a few hundred yards, then revert to walking. If this works without pain, gradually increase the proportion of running to walking.
Some injuries really take a long time to heal. If you have pain of any sort when running that does not subside in the first mile or so, absolutely stop doing it, or it will never get better.
You’ve gotta baby it until it gets better. Good luck!
No, the doc said based on the color, temp and level of swelling, he probably wouldn’t find anything. However, in retrospect, I should have pushed the issue and asked for an x-ray or referral; I’ve had sprains before and I knew this sprain was different. Anyway, I think you’re right. I managed 2 miles yesterday with some increasing discomfort and awoke this morning with more pain in my left achilles tendon. Time to get an expert opinion. I think 3 months is long enough. Ugh.