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David B.PRO
David B. Sendmail

Elastic Ankle Sleeve for Turned Ankle?

posted over 1 year ago | Report

Last Saturday while doing my long run of marathon training, I turned my ankle pretty badly. I've had x-rays and the doctor says everything looks fine. The pain is much better nearly a week later, and I have no problems walking on it. I still have minor swelling and am unable to run.

I'm considering purchasing an elastic ankle sleeve to help me get back to training sooner. My marathon is Nov 6, so I'm missing crucial prep time.

Thoughts?

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3 posts

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  • Christopher H.
    Christopher H. Sendmail

    Your ankle is a very specialist bit of kit. Large amounts of weight go through it while you are running. It takes you a number of years to be able to run properly whilst you are growing up.When you injure your ankle your body will forget a little of its intrinsic understanding of how the ankle sits with all the other joint whilst moving. This happens even with a minor tear or sprain. Because of this you ankle will be intrinsically unstable compared to pre injury. You need to do one legged squats supported and then unsupported. A wobble board is good for this also. Keeping your legs strong doing cycling or uphill walking would help. If you are already back running don't stop the ankle training physio. Lots of reps per day. A Sleeve will only reduce swelling a bit. There is no way a small bit of elastic will support your ankle when you need it to. It is just not strong enough.
    Good luck in the marathon. Remember you may have to change your predicted race time. Being realistic now could save you alot of future problems and lead to a long and happy marathon career.

    posted over 1 year ago

  • Christine O.
    Christine O. Sendmail

    Have you seen a physical therapist? I sprained my ankle bad enough once I had to spend several weeks in a hard splint. My physical therapist really helped me build my strength back up quickly. I read an article recently about using rowing machines to help maintain fitness when dealing with running injuries. It said they could help in getting right back on schedule once the injury is healed.

    posted over 1 year ago

  • Janet M.
    Janet M. Sendmail

    Good advice there. I had a bad sprain over a month ago. I have not run at all while it heals. Maybe a trip to the phsical therapist could help you. They can give specific exercises to strenghten the foot, and also massage away the swelling.

    posted over 1 year ago

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