Ankle Pain

Ankle pain is a common issue for runners. Every step you take puts weight and pressure on your ankles. Over time, this constant pounding can lead to injury and pain.

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In a 2008 study published in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health and Fitness Journal, the average runner takes 1,700 steps per mile when running at a pace of 10 minutes per mile (6 miles per hour).

Causes of Ankle Pain

The cause of pain varies by individual. And it can happen for a variety of reasons. The most common causes are injury, arthritis, and normal wear and tear. Sometimes this pain is exacerbated by running.

Ankle Pain from Running

Of all the common running injuries, ankle pain can be particularly brutal. Not only do these injuries cut your training routine short, but they also affect your daily life. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are plenty of ways to prevent and treat your pain so you can get off the couch and back on the road.

Did you know your foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, and hundreds of muscles and tendons? That’s a lot of moving parts in your foot. Which makes it difficult to pinpoint where the pain is coming from. Sometimes serious issues can be confused for other things like foot cramps. Having an understanding and knowing the symptoms is even more important when diagnosing an ankle injury.

Ankle Injury Symptoms

When you experience pain that is persistent, you may have an injury.

Here are some common symptoms of an ankle injury.

Sharp, shooting pain in the front, back, inside, or outside of the ankle
Dull, pain in the ankle
Constant ankle pain
Pinching sensations
Tenderness
Bruising
Stiffness in the joint
Soreness in the ankle joint
Lack of motion
Inability to run or walk or run

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms or are concerned about your injury from running, you should get it professionally checked out by your physician.

Common Ankle Injuries

Ankle Sprain

One of the most common reasons for pain is an ankle sprain.

What is an ankle sprain?

If you experience pain, swelling, bruising, or limited movement in your ankle, you may have a sprained ankle.

An ankle sprain is a stretched or torn ligament.

For more information about ankle sprain read the full article

Ankle Strain

If you have pain, cramps, spasms, swelling, and/or pain or difficulty moving your ankle, you may have an ankle strain.

A strain is stretched or torn tendon.

What’s the difference between an ankle sprain and an ankle strain?

An ankle strain is overexertion or overstretching of a muscle or tendon, the connective tissue that attaches muscle to bone. A sprain occurs by overstretching or tearing a ligament, the tissue that connects bone to bone.

Ankle Pain Stress Fracture

Ankle stress fractures are tiny cracks in the bone that are typically caused by constant, repetitive force, and overuse. As is typical for people who run on the road. Stress fractures are common in runners, especially when increasing mileage as part of a long-term training program.