Did a long trail run last weekend on a very rocky course. My ankle and foot is very swollen. If I step wrong on it I get some pain but nothing too bad. No bruising, no real problems, but the swelling is a bit creepy. Any idea how long it will take to go down? Is running gently a problem as long as I don’t have much pain while running?
Styrrell
Ice Ice baby! If you have arnica that also helps a lot! Good luck!
Ice, arnica (both arnica gel applied to injury site and arnica tablets under the tongue) and perhaps a compression rap.
and yes, running on it is a mistake- but you really knew that right
give it a couple of days with no running or cycling and perhaps five days with no running and then re-assess.
What is “Arnica”??
Have had many injuries over the years. Smartest thing is to get injury evaluated and diagnosed profesionally. Find a Doctor or sports physical therapist. They can help you with taping and whether a abrace will allow you to rtrain throught this injury. Ice, elevation and rest +,- NSAID’s always work well. There are other modalities of training that work well, use ones that don’t stress your ankle. Being smart can save you months of nursing a nagging injury…
What is “Arnica”??
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnica
the thing against bruising as well! Works like a charm!
I don’t know what caused your swelling since you don’t describe twisting/spraining your ankle. However, I assume that the ankle is/was typically fine when running on level surfaces.
For this reason I recommend you feel free to run on flat surfaces on a trial basis. If the pain does decreases as you work in to your run you are probably good to go and will recover from the swelling MUCH faster than if you simply rest.
If you feel the pain increasing at any point, or even if the initial pain fails to subside somewhat as you jog then stop and focus on swimming/cycling for the rest of the week.
If you don’t have access to roads with very even surfaces (ie. too much crown on the road/sidewalks) then you should consider running on a track or treadmill at first.
Thanks, read what was on wiki, wouldn’t recommend ingesting Arnica, yes anything that increases bloodflow helps the healing process.
Elevation. Ice helps a lot a first, but as long as the ankle is below your heart gravity will be working against you. When you can’t elevate, a compression stocking might help.
Is this a one time thing, or do you have a history of sprains? How unstable does it feel now when you walk on it?
Seeing a doctor would be worth it just to rule out a fracture. (NSAIDS work wonders on soft tissue injuries, but they also slow bone healing, so…) Also, if the ankle feels unstable an orthopedist might give you a brace for now. And if you have a history of sprains you should be refered to a pt to strengthen the ankle and prevent the next sprain.
wouldn’t recommend ingesting Arnica,
Arnica is available as a homeopathic tablet that is designed to dissolve under the tongue as a systemic treatment, in contrast to the topical arnica gel for localized applications.
I have used it successfully for many years and frequently recommended it to my patients with very good results.
reading an article on wikipedia is hardly a basis for making recommendations to other people.
To all,
I definately twisted it, repeatedly. I don’t have a history or sprains, but then everyone that did this race likely has some degree of ankle issues. Walking and running on level surfaces give only minor discomfort. I’m curious is swelling absent any other pain mostly rules out servere structural damage. My guess is torn ligaments or tendons and broken bones would result in more pain upon walking that what I’m experiencing. Absent the swelling the pain in my ankle isn’t bad considering the race.
Styrrell
You twisted your ankle, you are worried about the swelling, you wonder if you should run on it.
SO… you come to Dr. ST. unreal.
Find or use your Orth and spring for the co-pay and go see them. Don’t have insurance… Just wait till mid January 
I’m not going to Dr ST instead of a Dr, just looking for prior peoples experiences with something similar. I tend to be a high mileage guy, if I went to a Dr for every injury i’d just schedule a standing appointment every Monday.
I’ve never had swelling before,at least not noticaeably. I’m not shocked at the swelling and given the rigors of the race I’m pretty pleased that I’m not in worse shape. I just don’t know what normal is for swelling as far as how soon to expect it to go away. If I fall biking and get road rash or a severe bruise I’ve got a ggood idea of what to expect recoverywise, this is new to me, but I suspect that someone on ST has.
Styrrell
I’m not going to Dr ST instead of a Dr, just looking for prior peoples experiences with something similar. I tend to be a high mileage guy, if I went to a Dr for every injury i’d just schedule a standing appointment every Monday.
I’ve never had swelling before,at least not noticaeably. I’m not shocked at the swelling and given the rigors of the race I’m pretty pleased that I’m not in worse shape. I just don’t know what normal is for swelling as far as how soon to expect it to go away. If I fall biking and get road rash or a severe bruise I’ve got a ggood idea of what to expect recoverywise, this is new to me, but I suspect that someone on ST has.
Styrrell
It’s popular for people to get uptight about someone asking for injury rehab advice. The truth is that most of us here have experienced more of these things than your Dr. has. He’ll always tell you to rest until it stops hurting…but what we want to know is how can we come to the other side of this injury in the best possible shape? In many cases the amount of pain is irrelevant if we aren’t doing further damage.
In that light I stand by the advice I gave you earlier. run gently as long as your pain doesn’t increase. I would say that the pain you feel, up to about 95% of it is secondary pain simply due to the swelling itself.
If the injury were serious you’d know most likely. And in the event it is seriously hurt and the pain isn’t telling you, the fact that it will persist after a week or so will tell you that.
I think you’re right, you shouldn’t just show up at the Dr. for every little thing that comes along.
Thanks,
Frankly I’m not too fond of most Dr for sports injuries. I know they have a process, but if my ankle is still sore after a months rest, I know the first visit will entail an xray , and advice to rest. Even a sports doc will tell you that. I had one Dr where I used to live that was great at working with injuries and allowing that you may be willing to put up with some pain, or even slow down the rate of injury healing, if ultimately the injury would completely heal. Unfortunately I moved and haven’t found that in ATL.
Styrrell
I’m sure the kind of Dr. you are looking for exists in your area.
If your insurance gives you a choice, find an Orthopedic Dr. that works with athletes at your major university or any pro-franchise sports teams.
Agree with the evaluation by Sportsmed doc or sports oriented podiatrist or sports PT. Assuming that you sprained it (???), rehabbing your proprioceptors and strengthening the auxiliary muscles will go a long way toward getting you back training ASAP, AND preventing future injuries. Skipping this step is a big mistake and typically leads to recurrent injury. In the meantime, R.I.C.E. If you can bear weight, an aircast stirrup can help until you see somone.
I sprained both my ankles pretty badly about 6 weeks ago in a bike crash, it was bad… I took two weeks completely off and filled my cooler with ice/water and around 10-15 16oz heinekens (at any given time), I soaked my feet in ice water, 5on-5off. After those weeks, I rode the trainer and did a few 30 minute jogs. This past week I ran around 50 miles and had zero pain. I attribute my recovery to heineken
voltaren
neruofen+
ice
.
So you did a long trail run - rolled your ankle slightly a bunch of times but kept running as it never hurt during the run? The next day you woke up and it was swollen? It hurts a little when you walk and run on even surfaces? Is it really “very swollen”?
Depends on “very swollen”. If its truly super swollen - well that sounds weird given your history = doesn’t add up. A little swellig I’d ignore but “very” sounds bad.
On the other hand, I like pain as a guide - and in general I don’t worry much if it does’t hurt much.
Yet, the “if I step wrong on it I get some pain” sounds like you did something though - likely a mild sprain that swelled a lot cause you ran on it.
Anyway - too many ?'s in your story.
Fial answer: I doubt running with minimal pain would make it worse - but if you roll it again because your ankle is off a bit (weak/pain/proprioception…) - you’ll make a probably minor injury into a possible serious injury…
Dave