Introduction
Ankle pain is pain that occurs relatively frequently due to the daily stresses to which the foot is subjected. They occur because the ankle, as the upper part of the ankle joint, is almost continuously exposed to forces, whether running, walking or standing. On closer inspection, we have two ankles on each side, the inner ankle, at the lower end of the shin bone, and the outer ankle, at the lower end of the fibula.
Since the outer ankle is somewhat more pronounced, it is therefore commonly referred to as “the ankle”. However, both ankles can be equally affected by injury or pain. How this occurs and which therapies are possible will be explained below.
Ankle pain can have many causes. If the pain occurs immediately after jogging, the reason is relatively clear: overexertion or “twisting” of the ankle can lead to ankle pain while running. The ligamentous apparatus surrounding the ankle joint is exposed to high forces.
If we bend while running on forest ground, the ligaments are suddenly overstretched or – in the worst case – torn. A torn ligament at the ankle is accompanied by severe ankle pain, immediate swelling, and restricted movement. Many patients report that they could even hear a “clicking” of the ligaments when they twisted.
In the majority of cases, a torn ligament occurs on the outside, i.e. when the foot bends inwards and the outside is overstretched. Within the first few hours there is a very strong swelling, the ankle turns reddish due to the escaping blood, until after a few days the blood settles on the sole of the foot, which turns black-bluish. In addition to the acute event of torn ligaments, ankle pain can also be caused by less acute events.
The best example of this is improper running shoes that permanently press on the ankles. In a shoe store, a shoe may fit at first and cause pain only after some time of use. Therefore, when trying on a shoe, you should not only go “up and down”, but also test the shoe according to the later strains.
In addition, shoes literally have to be broken in before they have adapted properly to the foot. So in the initial phase, new shoes should not be expected to run marathons, but should be broken in over short distances. Permanent irritation of the ankles and ligaments can lead to scarring of the ligaments, which in turn limits the range of motion in the ankle joint.
In the worst case, a permanent stiffening of the ankle joint may occur. Fractures can also cause ankle pain, but the force applied must be relatively high. If a ligament tears, bone fragments can also tear out, but this is not the rule.
In this case, surgical treatment must be performed, as the fragments can wedge together and rub across the fine joint surfaces in the ankle joint. This leads to so-called pseudoarthrosis, a change in the joint surface caused by wear and tear, due to untreated, traumatic effects. If the ankle pain occurs in the morning, it is important to determine how long the pain lasts after getting up.
If sports or trauma injuries can be excluded, ankle pain in combination with morning stiffness is an illness from the rheumatic form. If the pain and immobility lasts for less than 15 minutes, it is possibly a case of incipient arthrosis, i.e. a wear-related disease of the joints. However, these are typically found in several joints at the same time, and are not limited to the ankle joint.
After sports of any kind, pain can occur in the area of the inner or outer ankle. Quite often, overstrain is responsible for the fact that the muscles in the ankle area are so heavily strained that after sports, people complain of severe pain. Often the main cause is the wrong or missing warming up before the sport, sometimes also wrongly adjusted shoes or also a chronic wrong strain while running.
Regular pain in the ankle after sports should be alarming and not simply accepted. It could also be torn ligaments and muscles, which can then tear completely if the sports activity continues. Acute treatment is carried out with cooling or anti-inflammatory pain gels.If this is not sufficient, anti-inflammatory pain treatment with ibuprofen or diclofenac can also be used.
In any case, it is important to minimize the causes of the pain, i.e. first of all to reduce sporting activities until the pain has subsided. If pain in the ankle area occurs repeatedly after sports activities, an orthopedist should be consulted in any case. This person will perform a gait analysis and find out whether there is any incorrect loading.
He will also take an X-ray to assess the bone situation in the ankle area. If no measure shows a cause, a magnetic resonance tomography should be performed. During or after jogging, inner and outer ankle complaints can occur.
The main reason for this is in most cases incorrect strain or overstraining of the muscles that have not been warmed up beforehand. Incorrectly fitted or not broken-in shoes with too much elevation of the side edges can also lead to irritation of the ankle region and thus to pain that often lasts for a long time. In order to prevent ankle pain during and after jogging, care should always be taken to ensure that the muscles have been well warmed up and the ligaments stretched.
It is also important to ensure that no orthopedic strain is placed on the ankle when running. In this case, it is advisable to have a running analysis performed by an orthopedic technician. This makes it clear whether there is any incorrect loading and whether an orthopedic shoe inlay may be necessary.
Ankle pain occurring after jogging can be treated very well with cooling compresses or ice packs. The application should only take place for a short time and should rather be repeated several times in a row. If this is not sufficient, an analgesic gel such as Voltaren® can also be applied to the painful ankle area.
Here too, the application should be repeated several times. Bandaging the ankle can also be helpful. If the pain does not subside significantly after a few days or if there is additional swelling in the ankle area, an orthopedist should be consulted.
