When the ankle sprained, spasms formed in the muscle fibers putting a strain on the tendons. The treatments shown are releasing the spasms in the muscles, not stretching the ligaments or the tendons.

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Ankle getting better. I was able to climb a little out the saddle and didn't feel hardly anything wrong. Swelling starting to go down. It looks like fluid is stuck in ankle joint. I was able to balance on pillow last night with no issues. Should I try doing slow figure 8s in the grass to test it out? Or wait a few more days? How much run fitness am I losing (5 days of not running)? Previously running 50 mpw.

You are losing no fitness here. 5 days is nothing. By doing activity in it you are risking major fitness loss because you'll be walking.

Rest it up man, it'll be fine

Well things are not getting worse but they aren't getting better either. This is very frustrating! I wish I knew how long before I will be running again. I only have 4 weeks till race. I don't want to go into the race without being close to 100%.

Dude, chill. 4 weeks is a long time. Ride your bike harder or swim harder.

do calf raises, use a large rubber band for stretching the ankle.
Youtube it. You will regret pushing to run too early. If your body isn't ready don't force it.

I'm not running on it and I don't plan on it till up 100%. But its been over a week and its not getting better. I'm just getting worried that its more serious than I think.

A week is nothing. At the risk of sounding curt, I have to agree with littlefoot and you need to chill out. If you can grasp the concept of a soft tissue injury and the healing process you may not get so frustrated and you will reduce stress/anxiety.

Please understand the acute phase of healing an injury can last up to a week and the goal during this phase is PROTECTION, not rehabilitation or improvement. The subacute phase is next and can last up to weeks (give or take) and the goal is healing/repair. Healing continues with more "phases" as you place more demands on your body. This is when improvement occurs.

You likely sprained your ankle and it is next to impossible to completely rest a lower limb short of using crutches. No medical professional would be surprised you still have discomfort, but every single one of them would tell you to relax, it has only been a week, and you will risk more than you will gain by pushing it. Having pain at this point after even a grade I ankle sprain is not uncommon and should not be cause for panic or worry of a more serious injury. Now think that you have still been active on it, there is no surprise it is sore.

Nothing you can do will speed up this process but you can certainly do a lot to screw it up or prolong it. If you were a basketball player or had a serious dynamic requirement I would say you need to follow a more strict return to play regimen but you have 4 weeks until a race in which you will be running in a straight line. You need to rest, rest and rest some more right now. Stay off your feet, kick em up and think about your nutrition plan. Focus on swim and bike and you will be fine.

Forget the figure 8s, forget jumping, focus on resting it for another week or so and then begin gentle motion with it. Walk/jog in a pool.

Scout out a local sports rehab place. Take everything you hear from us with a grain of salt, except the rest part, thats always good advice especially with an IM 4 weeks out.

Thanks. I just didn't think it would take this long! I've been resting it. I am still biking and swimming since this causes no discomfort. I stopped taking the NSAIDs and I noticed its more sore so I guess I'm just panicking a little.

And understandably, you've got a lot invested into this event. You're not the first and you certainly won't be the last to be frustrated with an injury or want it to heal yesterday. Its not long in the grand scheme of things, just be smart and keep your head up. Its an ankle sprain, not even worth quoting the incidence numbers to hit home how often they occur. Take care of it and it will take you to the finish line.

My ankle was pretty sore yesterday afternoon and during the evening. I could barely walk normal. It was right around the inside ankle and top of foot (right where the foot bends). I iced when I got home from work and I took Aleve before bedtime. And this AM I woke up and it feels the best it has since I injured it. What gives? How can I go from having the worst day to the best?

Day 10 of no running. My ankle is getting a little better. But there is no way I could run right now. How long do I hold out before I pull the trigger for another race? I just feel like I'm in limbo. This was supposed to be my peak week so my plan was to bike/swim the same amount of total training time I was planning when running. However, if I move my focus to another race then I need to change my training strategy. My ortho doc mention a cortisone injection to get this calmed down. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

FWIW, I had two cortisone injections for ITBS and it helped significantly.

Are you doing any PT for the ankle?

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Not yet...I have one scheduled for next week. How soon after the injection were you running again?

I tested it again by running down driveway. Not ready yet. I'm pretty close to planning on a different race. Should I give it a few more days? Maybe till after Labor Day?

I would give it another week. Bike and swim should replace running workouts. You won't lose fitness. 4 weeks is a long time. You'll be fine by then.

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Tested out ankle on Sunday. I was able to walk/run 1 mile without much comfort (0.5 mile was running at 10min pace). However, ankle is still a little swollen but doesn't hurt walking around or moving it any which way. I will try another walk run today to see how it goes. Is this normal for swelling to take so long to go down? Still thinking I should switch races. I have 20 days till race.

Test out ankle this evening. I was able to run 0.75 miles before I could feel my ankle tighten up. It felt very achy and it didn't like the running. I could feel it post run as well but starting to feel back to normal about an hour later.

I think you need to stop "testing" your ankle....you are only erasing any gains in healing you have made.

Either accept that your fitness is going to see you through and rest up, or defer to another race.

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

I went to see my PT and he really worked on my ankle. And what do you know....swelling went down and I'm back running. I've done two test runs with walk/runs. I actually hit 3 miles running today. I thought I felt a little niggle here and there but I'm pretty sure I'm just focusing on it. Post run it feels fine. I'm actually amazed that I felt like I didn't lose much fitness running.

Assuming things are on the mend, how to I approach the next two weeks before my race? Continue with walk/runs for the next few days then gradually increase distance?