Began running 6 days per week about a month ago...

Originally posted by Ershk

It could be a variety of different things, and *if it persists*, the best course would be to see a doctor. The condition might require completely opposite responses, and pain in a specific area does not necessarily dictate the injury.

It could be muscle tightness as you adjust to less recovery time, and if you can stretch it out and run pain-free, it might go away . . . OR . . . it could be the beginning of a stress fracture or tendonitis, and running without taking time off might make it worse . . . OR something else. Can you be more specific on "ankle"? Inside? Outside? Top of foot? Rear/Achilles? Is it a tightness you can stretch out? Does it become more acute/painful moving it a certain way? If the pain started right away and has persisted, it could be a muscle strain. If it came on after a few weeks, if could be an overuse injury. I've nursed and run through some muscle strains that gradually went away and I've run into and exacerbated a stress fracture. Unfortunately there's not an easy answer. If it doesn't hurt to run, I'd probably continue running and keep an eye on it, stretch and ice. If it doesn't go away or gets worse, see a doc.

Originally posted by mike761

Many people underestimate the use of stretching.

Stretching well after a run is very important. I now spend about 10-15 minutes after a run just stretching. Several years ago I did not stretch much at all, because of that I had some severe back problems.

Muscle tightness effects everyone differently, where I had problems with my back, others may have issues with their knees, calves, ankles, feet, etc.

Originally posted by Caroleena



Yes, the tightness is centered on the knob of the ankle. Doubt that it's a stress fracture as my bones are very strong and even when I've had accidents where I've fallen with all my weight going down a flight of stairs on top of the( opposite )ankle I just got a sprain where for all intents and purposes the way I fell should have broken the bone. I also was hit by a car which threw my shoulder into the sideview mirror of a parked car, breaking the mirror off, and all I received was a large purple (painful) bruise.

However, your mention of less recovery time/muscle tightness/muscle strain appears to be a likely culprit. I will start to stretch it a bit, ice it a little, take a few days off running and then continue as I've been. One last observation... even though I haven't been doing speedwork per se, I have noticed that my treadmill runs are at a higher rate than last winter (the only season I use treadmills), so that could be a contributing factor too.

Thanks!