Ankle problem
hello,
i’m a gymnast and i’ve had an ankle problem. i was wondering if i could get some ideas on what exactly it is. Everything i’ve read so far has said an ankle sprain usually has bruises,swelling or tenderness but i don’t have any of that. Its the front of my ankle its fine until i tumble or bend it down, and then it’ll really hurt. It’ll go away in a few minutes, but this really is limiting what i can do. For certain reasons any docter visit will have to be at least two weeks from now, and i have a big competition coming up that i need to get ready for. i’ve tried to find a brace for this, but i’ve been told that there really aren’t any for the front of the ankle. i’ve been trying to tape and brace but its not really helping. any ideas would be great. Thanks!
6 comments
alysona
I have danced for 20 years of my life and have faught an ankle sprain for the last four years. I never took the correct time off to rest it ( 2 weeks min.) and I had the old ” I can be tough” attitude. Well, when you don’t let a sprain heal you set yourself up to reinjure it again and again. There are 3 ligaments which hold your ankle together and the more you sprain them the more stretched out they get- and will never go back to the way they were without surgery. They are like rubberbands. I had one reconstructuve surgery in 1998 where 2 of the 3 ligaments were fully torn but were luckily able to be repaired. A year and a half later I fell and un did the surgery and had to have “the blue light special” because I never took care of it after the first surgery. They had to get a tendon from my calf and bring it down, loop it through my bones and secure my ankle. Please, coming from someone who knows, take care of that ankle. It is one of the weakest joints in the body and needs a lot of strengthening and stretching- especially in gymnastics. You do not want to go through what I have been through as it is emotionally and physically draining. A year later after the surgery and I am just begining to try dance again. Feel free to contact me for strengthening exercises.
justagymnast
Thanks!
Anonymous
My guess as to what could be causing your pain is a combination of overuse and too many hard/short landings. I would say to ease up on the pounding and landings, and anything else that really bothers it. Definitely see a doc after the meet if easing up a little doesn’t help. In the meantime, ice, tape, and Aleve could help. Ankle braces work for some people, but I found it more annoying than helpful (especially on beam). Good luck at your meet!!!
Anonymous
hmmm…doesn’t seem like any sprain i’ve ever had. i won’t pretend to be an expert here, but if i were in your spot i’d go with the old RICE plan (rest, ice, compression, elevation). after your practices, ice it down for a few hours, 20 minutes on 20 minutes off. perhaps if you can take a day or two off, it could be helpful too. the few days you put towards fixing the problem could save you a lot more time and frustration (even money, perhaps) down the road if the problem goes untreated. sorry i can’t answer much in the way of what your problem is (again, i’m no expert here)
justagymnast
Yes, what i call the front is the space between my two ankle bones on the front. There was no specific thing I did before I started noticing pain. I was just at a practice and it began to hurt. It has been about 5-6 weeks so I’m getting a little worried.
keefo
had you rolled your ankle or twisted it in any way? i’ve sprained both my ankles on numerous occassions and the only symptom that seems consitent with all of them is sharp pain whenever i’d rest my weight on the foot of the afflicted ankle. from what you’ve described, the pain only seems to occur whenever you bend it a certain way. or perform a particular activity. that’s not like any sprain i’ve ever had, but i’m certainly no expert on the matter and hence won’t rule out the possibility of a sprain. can you describe when the pain started occuring or if there was an injury that created this ankle pain to begin with? also, what is the front of the ankle? on presuming the top of your foot, near the area where you might tie your shoelaces…