Ankle injury - to use or not to use?
I was sick for about a week and so I stopped jogging during that time. When I finally felt better and went jogging again, I must have done something to my foot/ankle because when I got home, I had pain in my lower ankle/heel area. There is no noticeable swelling and no bruising - just pain when I run or bend my ankle too much. I know someone who coaches sports, and when I showed him where it hurt he said it was probably the Achilles tendon, the part at the heel where it spreads out.
I've never had a sports injury before so I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do. I've been trying not to use it since this happened (four or five days ago) but it doesn't seem to be improving. I'm really annoyed because I miss my runs like crazy, but I know if I run on it I will probably just make it worse.
I have a couple questions - firstly, should I be resting it as completely as possible (what I've been doing so far), or would it be helpful to do some more walking on it, perhaps to strengthen it?
My other question is about caring for the injury - I have put a cold compress on it a few times over the last several days, for no more than 20 minutes each time. I also ACE wrap it occasionally, but because I have no expertise in wrapping injuries I decided to only do it when I need something to remind me not to use the ankle too much. I figure wrapping it incorrectly would probably do more harm than good, so I've tried to follow instructions I found online.
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! I would love to get back on the trail again, although most importantly, I would like for this injury to be fully healed!
I've never had a sports injury before so I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do. I've been trying not to use it since this happened (four or five days ago) but it doesn't seem to be improving. I'm really annoyed because I miss my runs like crazy, but I know if I run on it I will probably just make it worse.
I have a couple questions - firstly, should I be resting it as completely as possible (what I've been doing so far), or would it be helpful to do some more walking on it, perhaps to strengthen it?
My other question is about caring for the injury - I have put a cold compress on it a few times over the last several days, for no more than 20 minutes each time. I also ACE wrap it occasionally, but because I have no expertise in wrapping injuries I decided to only do it when I need something to remind me not to use the ankle too much. I figure wrapping it incorrectly would probably do more harm than good, so I've tried to follow instructions I found online.
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! I would love to get back on the trail again, although most importantly, I would like for this injury to be fully healed!
Comment