a bit discouraged - running/ankle pain?

My suggestion would be to go to a reputable running store so they can record your stride on a treadmill and fit you with proper running shoes and perhaps orthos...good luck!

thanks for responding. i've been to a good running store and had the whole deal done. about 4 months ago i went to a physical therapist, i also had xrays to rule out stress fractures. the pt gave me movments to do to strengthing muscles i didtn't know i had. perhaps its just the pounding? it really sucks...

I've had the same problem and I have a similar situation, I'm 5' 9 and 200 pounds also, these stocky bodies create a lot of pounding.

First off I would say take it easy on them for a while. Maybe take 2 weeks off since the season is pretty much over. However don't stop training, just stop running. Do a lot of biking, walking and maybe a lot of jumping rope.

Then think about your form, that's what helped me the most. I'm very bowlegged so when running I was putting a lot of pressure on my ankles. As I straighted out my foot it really helped a lot. Also if you haven't read it you might want to read Chi Running, I know a lot of other folks on here swear by it. It's about running injury free. The best concepts I got out of it was keeping my knees high, my heels up and thinking of my feet turning like a smooth wheel.

I hope this helps some. Good Luck.

thanks Novo. i've been reading chirunning, great read. trying to practice it, but, its hard being a nubie. thanks.

Well, I know for me... a huge part of tackling my pain associated with running... has been to work with a running coach who specializes in analyzing and fixing running pain.

Unfortunately, this has been a LONG ROAD for me (5 months)... and we got rid of one pain and another popped up. I feel we are on the edge of fixing the problem though.

A huge reason why people have pain while running, is because other areas are weak (this can be muscles in your foot, and even weak glute/hamstring/etc. muscles can cause pain elsewhere). So, you have to pin point what areas are weak and stregthen them.

Honestly, there is NO WAY I could have done this without my private coaching sessions. He does a great job of figuring out what area is weak and then gives me specific drills to stregthen that area.

On top of doing all of that, he also had to basically teach me an entirely new running form. My form was absolutely PATHETIC before.

If you have pain in your ankles... and you have done the typicaly Dr. route, and it hasn't helped... you may want to see if you can find someone in your area who specializes in fixing pain associated with running. And if you live near/around Dallas, TX, I can recommend my guy.

I actually just posted something similar to this a days ago. I am a similar build to you (although female) - 5'11 and about 185 right now. I am also struggling with some ankle pain (my inner ankles)... and I described it the same way you did. It is completely a joint pain. Admittedly though, my ankle pain is significantly worse in the morning when I wake up... especially after running the night before. It is in both ankles equally right now.

Although I have not been as proactive as you (ie. I have not been to the doctor yet)... I agree with the other poster... that there is likely another part of your body with issues. I already know I have hip and back issues, so those contribute to the problem... but I think my major ankle issue is poor foot strength.

To counteract, I roll my arches along tennis balls, and practice balancing on the balance platform at the gym (that is not the technical term, but they look like the old Pogo Balls from my youth). I have also seen funky balance shoes that look like they have tennis balls stuck to the bottom... my ART guy showed me those. I also have started icing my ankles after running.

Just a few suggestions for you. Keep me up to date on what you find out about your ankles. I would be interested in any advice you might get.

Good luck!

If you're pretty confident you've done what you can to find a solution to your issues, I would recommend visiting a sports medicine MD.

I'm visiting mine this coming Monday for the same issues........on both ankles. I broke my right ankle 15+ years ago and the last MD (about 2 years ago), said I had Osteo Arthritis there but I want a second opinion from a specialist.
My MD has 25 marathons and 4 IronMans on his resume so I'm pretty confident he may be able to relate a little with my pains, as opposed to the other MD that threatened to fuse my akles together.

If people want, I can post my results of PM if you want. Good luck with your pains.