Why Does Your Ankle Hurt When You Run?

You Are a New Runner

New runners may experience mild pain for the initial couple of minutes while they start running. This especially occurs during the initial 2 months of starting running on a regular basis. It is recommended that the new runners must not run more than 25 miles during the first month. They should gradually increase the distance to allow the ankles to adjust to the new stresses on their joints and bones. If you have increased your speed or distance too quickly, it can result in overuse injury caused by excessive pressure on your muscles, bones and ligaments.

Your Shoes Are Supported Poorly

Often the reason behind the pain in your ankles while running is your shoes. Your ankles will not get the needed support if you don’t wear the right kind of shoes. This causes undue stress on your joints and ultimately damages your legs, joints, spine, bones and hips.

You Have Gout

Gout can cause pain in your ankles while running. Gout is characterized by buildup of too much uric acid in the body which deposits in the joints causing pain around those areas.

You Have Achilles Tendinitis

Achilles tendinitis is a common condition that occurs in runners. The Achilles tendon is a fibrous tissue between your calf muscles and calcaneus bone. It may get injured due to overuse, misalignment, improper footwear and side effects of medicines. Over time you may develop pain and swelling and redness of the skin.

Sprain of the Ankle

The ligaments surrounding the ankle joint may be torn due to twisting or rolling of ankle while running. It is referred to as ankle sprain and is a quite painful condition that can take a couple of weeks to resolve.

You Have Developed Blisters

If you wear ill-fitting shoes, it can result in friction and blister formation. These blisters are usually noticed when lymph fluid collects in between your inner and outer skin layers. Blisters are common in people who participate in relatively long distance running events such as marathons, ultra-marathons or adventure races. These fluid filled blisters can cause severe pain, which can answer your question " why does my ankle hurt when I run."

What to Do in Severe Cases

If you have developed severe soreness in ankles, it is not recommended to do any type of exercise. 

• Wait until 72 hours for swelling to subside. Rest your ankle joint as much as possible and don’t put weight on them. This may involve stopping doing some of your normal activities until the injuries heal.

• Put an ice pack on your ankle joint thrice a day for around 15 minutes.

• Use compression bandage to reduce swelling. Keeping your ankle elevated can also decrease swelling.

• You can take OTC medicines such as ibuprofen or naproxen to reduce inflammation and promote healing.

Remember, your ankle injury may take several weeks to heal. You should give time to your body to heal as you do not want to damage your bones or ankle joint permanently.

Rest and Relax

Stop running and rest and relax for a while. Elevation, ice, and compression during this time will also help accelerate the process of healing.

Do Ankle Circles

This active stretch is performed in either a lying or a seated position. It involves simply rolling your ankle clockwise and then repeating in anticlockwise direction. Repeat it 15 times. This helps keep muscles of the ankle flexible and avoid pain in ankle while running.

Do Standing Calf Stretch

If you feel that the muscles of your calf are a bit tight then you can do a standing calf stretch – it is also beneficial in Achilles tendinitis. This stretch is performed in a staggered stance by lunging forward and making sure that your back heel is down. Maintain lunging forward until you feel there is a stretch in your calf. Stay in this position for 15 seconds. Repeat 3 times.

Use Resistance Band

You can use a resistance band for ankle muscle strengthening. Wrap one end of a four-way resistance band on your foot with the other end attached to any stable object. Keeping your leg straight, begin moving your ankle in flexion, extension, adduction or inversion. Repeat 3 times with each set of 10 repetitions.

After answering the question why does my ankle hurt when I run, let us discuss some home remedies that may help to relieve ankle pain:

• Rest your ankle joint as much as possible and don’t put weight on them. This may involve stopping doing some of your normal activities until the injuries heal.

• Put an ice pack on your ankle joint thrice a day for around 15 minutes.

• Use compression bandage to reduce swelling. Keeping your ankle elevated can also decrease swelling.

• You can take OTC medicines such as ibuprofen or naproxen to reduce inflammation and promote healing.

Remember, your ankle injury may take several weeks to heal. You should give time to your body to heal as you do not want to damage your bones or ankle joint permanently.

You have known the reasons why does my ankle hurt when I run and try the options and home remedies mentioned above, but you still can’t relieve your pain, now you should visit a doctor especially if you:

• Have severe swelling or pain in your ankle.

• Have an open wound.

• Notice signs of infection such as tenderness, or fever of greater than 100 degree F.

• Can’t put weight on your ankle.

You should also visit a doctor if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Constant and persistent swelling that is not reduced after a few days of treatment at home.

• Persistent pain that is not relieved after several weeks.