What causes ankle pain when running?

Ankle pain is a common symptom when running. There are many reasons for ankle pain. For example, if you usually do not exercise enough and suddenly increase your exercise, it may cause pain. It is best to warm up before running. If you do not warm up well, it may also cause this phenomenon. In addition, inappropriate shoes, uneven ground, incorrect running posture, etc. may also cause this phenomenon.

What causes ankle pain when running?

1. Lack of exercise causes

If you do not exercise regularly but only go for a run occasionally, your joints and ligaments may not be able to adapt to the pressure of running, resulting in symptoms such as ankle pain and knee pain.

2. Not warming up

Many people often ignore the warm-up step before running, which causes the joints, ligaments, muscles, etc. of the body to be not fully activated before running, a relatively high-intensity exercise. This can easily lead to strain of the joints and ligaments, causing ankle pain.

3. Inappropriate shoes

If the shoes you wear when running do not fit your feet or the laces are tied too tightly, it can easily lead to poor blood circulation in the feet; and if you wear slippers or high heels when running, it can easily lead to sprained ankles, causing pain.

4. Caused by site reasons

Some people choose to run on rough roads, which may cause their ankles to be sprained due to the uneven roads; running on hard concrete floors and other places with poor elasticity will produce a large impact on the ankle area, causing pain.

5. Incorrect running posture

During running, due to incorrect landing posture, heavy landing or landing with large strides, the ankle may be subjected to excessive impact, resulting in pain and other discomfort.

6. Excessive exercise intensity

Running too intensely and exercising more than your body can bear can easily lead to extreme fatigue in the muscles and joints, resulting in discomfort such as ankle pain.

What to do if your ankle hurts after running? If the pain is caused by lack of exercise and excessive running intensity, the pain will weaken or even disappear after resting for a period of time. However, if the pain is caused by a sprained ankle during running, it needs to be handled well.

Determining the severity of ankle pain

If you experience ankle pain after running, you first need to judge the severity of the injury yourself. If you do not experience severe pain when you move your ankle, and you can stand and walk, and your flesh but not your bones hurt, it may be sports soreness or a general sprain, and you can try to treat it yourself. On the contrary, if severe pain occurs, you should seek medical attention promptly. If the situation is not serious, you can follow the steps below based on the actual situation.

1. Stop running

If you sprain your ankle and feel pain while running, it is best to stop exercising immediately to avoid exerting further force on the sprained ankle and aggravating the sprain.

2. Apply cold compress

After spraining your ankle, you can immediately apply ice to help slow blood circulation in the injured area, constrict blood vessels, and reduce swelling and relieve pain.

3. Apply hot compress to the injured area

You can apply hot compress to the injured area 24 hours after spraining your ankle to help speed up local blood circulation and relieve swelling and pain in the ankle.

4. Kneading to relieve pain

24 hours after the ankle sprain, you can use appropriate massage techniques, rubbing in all directions around the swollen and painful area as the center.

5. Restoration

If the pain from running is caused by a sprained ankle, you need to rest and recuperate, especially in the early stages of the sprain. Try to avoid exerting force or moving the sprained area.