Why Do My Ankles Hurt? (1 Viewer)

[Richard Travale]

Hey Guys,
I am pretty overweight and have recently started walking to try and get started in shedding some pounds. As luck would have it, I got a house/dog sitting gig that requires the dog be walked 5k each day. I have been walking for a month or so but shorter distances, maybe a 1/2k or so.
So now I have been walking the 5k and while I am tired, I am not completely dead afterwards which is pretty cool, but I am finding that my ankles hurt...but only the fronts of them. Does anyone know what I can be doing to make it so they don't hurt? Any stretches or anything like that. Also, what about walking would make the fronts of my ankles hurt?

 

[Joey Skinner]

You should probably see a doctor but look here to see if this descibes your symptoms.

 

[ChuckSolo]

Does the skin where the pain is feel tender and warm to the touch or does it feel like the ankle is sprained? Pray you don't have gout.

 

[Claudia P]

What shoes are you wearing while you walk? (Please don't say you're wearing flipflops!). You may not be getting the right support for your ankles.

It sounds rather like a 'foot strike' problem. Talk to a sports shoe specialist, one that has the equipment to analyse your gait while you walk. I had a similar injury which went away when I changed shoe brand to achieve an entirely different fit/strike.

Claudia

 

[Richard Travale]

Hey Guys, thanks for the responses.

Joey: By the looks of it I don't have shin splints because the pain (not a lot mind you) is localized right where the leg meets the foot at the front. If it were higher up then I would suspect shin splints.

Chuck: No, no and no, and good god I hope it isn't gout either. I don't even know what gout is but i have heard it is really painful.

Claudia: I am wearing New Balance model 803 cross trainers. I thought that I was getting proper ankle support but maybe not.
I should add that a large portion of this walk is on the beach which is hella hard to walk in. The owner of the dog said that walking on the beach was "good for the ankles" but maybe he was mistaken. At least mistaken for a novice walker such as myself.
I will try cutting the beach portion out of the walk and stick to the road to see if the makes any difference.
If not, then I will head up to the running place and get them to analyze my gait and stuff, thanks.

 

[ChuckSolo]

Richard, you probably don't have gout, but I asked because you said you are overweight and gout seems to like heavy people. Gout is actually a metabolic disorder where the victim consumes a lot of foods rich in uric acid. Uric acid crystals form around the bones in the joints (the big toe is a common area for gout) and cause an extremely painful swelling condition. I have seen people with gout cry out when a bed sheet is placed over an area that is inflamed with the disorder. Foods that can cause gout are:

Red meat, shrimp, beer, oysters, etc. Another thing to be aware of is that people with diabetes tend to end up with gout. Boy, aren't we humans a fragile lot? :frowning:

 

[Jason Kirkpatri]

Good grief, man! If I was walking 5 km's in the sand, my ankles would be hurting too!

Stick to hard packed dirt, if possible. Concrete second, sand last (edit: never sand!).

 

[Richard Travale]

Actually only about 1.5k is in the sand, but I get your point, thank you.

 

[JonZ]

You sould see a doctor.

"Chuck: No, no and no, and good god I hope it isn't gout either. I don't even know what gout is but i have heard it is really painful."

You have no idea.

"Richard, you probably don't have gout, but I asked because you said you are overweight and gout seems to like heavy people."

You get get it from high uric acid levels. In the movie Supersize Me,after eating McDs for a month,his uric acid levels went sky high and the doc told him there could be a danger of deveoping Gout.

Usually its becuase your body over produces uric acid, or doesnt dispose enough of it.

But usually its hereditary.I have it, got it from my grandfather.I had my first attack at 5 in the morning about 8 years ago. I got out of bed,put weight on my foot,screamed,fell flat on my face. And yes I did cry. I went to the emergency room and they told me it was a sprain. It wasnt until on 3 years ago,that I found out I had it.I had a knee operation and the doc came out a asked my G/F if I knew I had Gout.I didnt.I saw the pics of the inside o fmy knee and it looked like snow and icicles.

Im about 10 pounds overweight, but I go to the gym regularly and I watch what I eat. Its the purines in food that raise your uric acid levels, you have to watch out for foods high in purines. You can still eat beef, chicken and such but limit your intake. I also go veggie every once in a while to detox.Im supposed to be on meds for it but refuse, Id rather treat it naturally. I take lots of suppliments - Quercitin,folic acid,joint/glucosamine sups,etc.

I have a pretty high tolerance for pain - but when a attack hits, you can feel the Devil bite your ass (to quote Tuco from The Good the Bad and The Ugly)Theres no way you can understand the pain,unless you have it.Attacks have lasted fom 2 days to 10 and it makes life a living Hell(no exaggeration). You cant walk, cant sleep and the slightest touch is excruciating.The weight of lifting your own leg is often enough to cause pain.

If your overweight you may be straining yourself. My G/Fs son is very overweight and has had trouble with his ankles and knees during activity. Shes recently put him on a diet.

I walk for 45 minutes every day. When my sneakers begin to wear down, I often get pains in my calves and ankles. It means I need new sneakers which will usually stop the aches I get. Starting off slower and gradually speeding up also helped reduce walking pains,so it may help to do a warmup before you start your walks as well.

Also,try high top sneakers for ankle support. I injured my right ankle years ago and was constanly respraining it. The high tops helped alot. I only wear high top sneakers - Reeboks with the velcro so that I can pull them tight across my ankles.

Good Luck.

 

[ChuckSolo]

JonZ, my sympathies go out to you. As someone who has a family riddled with gout (not me thank God); I have seen the suffering. Just last week my brother got it in his foot and cried out in pain when his wife walked too close to it and barely bumped the couch!!!!:frowning:

 

[Joe Spratley]

Richard,
You should try something called Superfeet www.superfeet.com. They are insoles that properly distribute the weight on your feet and help to keep the proper shape of the foot. These aren't the crappy ones that are sold in Walgreens that do very little, these are good quality and you'll notice a difference immediately. They can even custom mold some of the models. I got a pair for my hiking boots and I feel almost no fatigue or pain now. Check out their testimonials page from a lot of people. They also have information on foot problems.

 

[Leila Dougan]

I'd really recommend just seeing a podiatrist instead. The doctor will analyes your feet and legs to determine if there are any structural problems and then provide you with arch or ankle support, and anything else you may need. Even the slightest bit of pronation or supination can be extremely painful, as can high or flat arches (and excess weight only exacerbates the problem).

I've got high arches and pronate and without my orthodics, I have extreme pain in my ankles and calf. It's amazing what a custom fit orthodic will do for you. Plus, all this is covered under most insurance plans so there's no reason to avoid treatment. My only regret is not getting it done sooner.