How To Deal With Ankle Pain From Running

One of the problems that frequent runners will deal with is ankle pain. This is something that can range from a nagging ache to severe pain that causes you to stop running. It's an issue that affects serious runners who train for marathons, and it's also something that can hinder casual runners who jog on the weekends to stay fit. So, it is therefore very important that you eliminate your ankle pain by addressing the underlying issue so that you can continue to run or jog and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here are a few ways to do that.

Stretch Before You Go Out Running

It's never a good idea to head out and just go running without warming up. This process involves stretching. Your ankle has ligaments and tendons in it that can become inflamed or tight if you don't stretch. So, make sure that your warm-up routine has stretches that involve the ankle and not just your hamstrings and calves. You can look online for a variety of ankle stretches that will be useful. They only take a few minutes to do, but they might end up solving long-term pain issues that you have been having.

Find Better Sneakers

Your sneakers might be the culprit. If you have old sneakers where the support has worn away, then you need to get new sneakers. If your sneakers aren't old, then what you might need to do is choose a pair that has better support. You might even want to visit a specificity sneaker store where the sales team can help you determine if you overpronate or underpronate. Choosing sneakers designed for your particular gait will be very helpful in the long run. If you happen to severely pronate (this has to do with the degree to which your foot bends one way or another while landing) then you need a sneaker that has reinforced cushioning for that condition.

Visit an Ankle Doctor

Finally, it is wise to actually head to an ankle doctor at a medical facility like Carolina Foot &  Ankle Specialists and have them look at your foot and assess the issue. It might be that you've torn a ligament and have just been trying to power through the pain (a terrible idea). A doctor will determine if you need a brace and time to heal or if you might need to do special exercises that would help strengthen your leg. The longer you continue to live with ankle pain, the higher the risk of doing actually damage to your foot, so make an appointment and get it dealt with by an expert.