Calling out ankle woes sufferers

The Aso brace is really good, don't you think? but yes it takes up a lot of volume. Have you tried wearing two pairs of socks inside of a very supportive high top boot? I've found that this combination is more comfortable than the Aso brace while still giving good support. Also–and this is heresy with many on this forum!–have you explored custom orthotics? Possibly you pronate (or the opposite) and this is leading to your rolling. The wear pattern on the soles of your boots will tell the story. A custom orthotic may help if this is the case.

I used to sprain my ankles when I was younger and they are not strong now. I need a sturdy boot and have the leather Zamberlan "Trek Lite" boots. Even with those, I occasionally "go over" but the result is minor. The downside is that they are hot to hike in.

In my motox days I badly sprained my ankle and shattered my wrist. I also saw numerous other injuries incurred by friends and riding buddies. The advise from some very good doctors was that it is absolutely imperative to let soft tissue injuries heal to their fullest before engaging in the same activities. For instance two friends of mine both dislocated shoulders, one giving time to properly heal, another not so much. The guy who didn't would have his shoulder pop out continuously and with very little effort. Bones are a lot easier. In most cases if they are set properly and fuse effectively your good to go. Problem with ankles as you well know is that your always on them. Its harder to get the time or have the patience to heal them properly. If in your case the injuries were not healed properly it may be hard to get a solution without using a brace. In my case both injuries were given proper healing time and I have no issues with the ankle and just a few annoyances with the wrist due to the severity of the injury. My advise would be to find the best sports medical expert you can and go from there.

Disclaimer- I also suffered multiple concussions while riding so all of this may be the ramblings of a brain damaged old man.

jimmby

So here's my ankle story. I am certain you will get all sorts of advice, but this is what I experienced.

20+ years ago, I both did a lot of backpacking and played volleyball. Every other weekend I was either working at REI, went backpacking, or played in a volleyball tournament. Then one unfortunate day, I severely sprained one of my ankles in a tournament. Once I recovered, I started using Active Ankle braces (http://www.allvolleyball.com/product/active-ankle-brace-t1/) which have proven to be very helpful for volleyball.

Now back then, I wore all-leather Asolo 555's, and never experienced ankle issues while wearing them. I had "almost" rolled my ankles quite a few times, but never to the point of causing a sprain. After my injury, however, I went on a few trips using the Active Ankle brace inserted into my boot, and while it was bulky, it was sturdy. Soon, I was back to "normal", so I quit using the braces, except for volleyball. And about five years ago, I started using a pair of trekking poles, and continue to swear by those to this day.

Two years ago, I started trying to use Inov8 trail shoes for backpacking, but it only took a couple miles into my second backpacking trip with them that I rolled my right ankle. It wasn't a severe sprain, so I decided to keep walking. But then mile or two later, my left knee ligaments started flaring up. By the end of the trip the following day, my ankle was fine but my knee was in severe pain and I could barely walk straight.

Finally just last fall, I was only about two miles into a Philmont prep trip with my Scouts, and the exact same thing happened: I lightly rolled my right ankle, I kept walking on it, then about a mile later, my left knee ligaments started aching.

So, I decided to re-sole my old Asolo 555's, and use those for the rest of my backpacking trips this past year, including our 85 mile trip at Philmont this summer. I have not had any ankle issues or knee issues since I switched back to the boots.

While I'd love to use my Inov8's for backpacking since they are considerably lighter, and I often run in them, they have not proven to work well for me while backpacking, even with trekking poles. I have heard many say that one needs to "condition" their ankles more with low top shoes, but in my experience; it much more complicated than simply doing that. Some people also say that they average mid-height hiking boot doesn't offer much toward ankle support, but again, in my experience, my boots offered me "just enough" support.

So given your history, I would definitely keep stability at the top of the list, and shoe weight second. Try to find a shoe/boot which can most comfortably work with your brace.

good luck,

Matt

I've sprained my left ankle several times, twice badly enough to require a cast for several weeks in order for it to heal. The last time that happened was 1998. Until recently I would hike in high top boots exclusively, but when I developed plantar fasciitis a few years ago, I started using low top trail runners for my day hikes, because the p.f. seemed to feel better with those shoes. But for years, the high top boots seemed to provide just enough stiffness that when I rolled my ankle, the ankle would not bend far enough to tear ligaments – or perhaps it was that the leather absorbed some of the stress that would otherwise have transferred to the ligaments.

However, the experience of day hiking in the low topped shoes led me to try backpacking in them this past summer, first on an overnighter, then a three night trip. One thing I've noticed is that I have not been rolling my ankle as much as when I hiked in boots; the few times that I have rolled, it has been very easy to recover my balance before any stress was put on the ankle ligaments. I have read on this site that the wider sole base on trail runners may make them more stable, as well as the fact that the somewhat thinner soles makes your foot more responsive to changes in terrain underfoot. Whatever the reason – knock on wood, this seems to be working for me so far. I can't say if this would work for you, but it's something to keep in mind.

The other thing I'd say is that I have taken to doing balance exercises whenever I brush my teeth at home! Using an electric toothbrush with a 30-second timer gives me timed intervals to stand on one foot or the other. I've progressed to standing on one leg and swinging the other out to the side in sort of a sideways leg lift; it looks very odd, but seems to have improved my balance a lot!

I also have multiple ankle sprains on my right ankle. I have since had reconstruction surgery, which seems to have fixed the issue. But prior to that, I actually had the best luck with wearing minimalist (NB WT10, for example) type shoes. I found that with the more flexible soles and less rigidity, my foot could flex and conform to the terrain, rather than being stiffly held to a platform that I would roll off of. It took some getting used to, but now I can't hike in big stiff shoes.

One partial solution is to learn to fall without getting hurt. You can fall to avoid putting weight on a twisted ankle. Minimalist footwear helps you to sense this.

Any martial art involving throws teaches students how to fall first–hopefully anyway! :D If you don't have a favorite martial art in mind, check out judo, ninjitsu, or Brazilian jiu-jitsu (which is based on judo).

When you fall the ankle has already been either strained or sprained, depending.
I guess it would help not to hurt other areas of your body, but the damage to the ankle is pretty much done by the time gravity takes over.

I have ankle issues as well; right now a sprain . I have exercised and strengthened it before and gine injury free for five years. I am wearing an expensive brace with stays that removable for a gradual weaning off.

I am following this thread hoping to get some help as well.

I have the New Balance MT10 “Mininus” trail running shoe. Like Heather, I also find that the thin flexible soles allow my feet feel the terrain and I think I’m less likely to sprain an ankle wearing them. The problem I have is that the minimal heel-to-toe drop aggravates my (already damaged) Achilles tendons. Otherwise I would love to hike in them.

As the New Balance site notes on their Minimus page…

Caution: This product increases the strain on the foot, calf, and Achilles tendon. Overuse of this product or use for activities outside of running and walking may increase the risk of sustaining injury. This product should be introduced slowly into a running exercise routine. New Balance recommends limiting initial use to 10% of overall running workouts and very gradually increasing time and distance.

"When you fall the ankle has already been either strained or sprained, depending."

Not my experience. I'm 43 and have had around 3 sprained ankles in my entire life. Of course, I rarely need to fall to avoid them, so there could be other factors involved. I can usually avoid them by a quick shift in balance.

"When you fall the ankle has already been either strained or sprained, depending."

I completely agree with that statement. For me, when a bad sprain happens, it happens in a heartbeat. I avoid many with a "quick shift in balance" but not the worst of the missteps.

This is a really good article from the NY Times in 2009 on ankle problems and the importance of fixing proprioceptive feedback.

"When you fall the ankle has already been either strained or sprained, depending."

Not for me. But, I do tend to just sit down or go with the fall instead of trying too hard to stay up. I've fallen may time with no pain in my ankle when I get back up.

You get hurt trying to not fall!

But I can't. I'm a genius faller.

As a prior poster commented, the ankle buckles instantaneously. There is no resistance (in the form of tendon/ligament structure and tautness)to slow it down once it begins rolling. Sure, I can then fall with it (and not harm myself because, damn it, I'm a ninja faller), but the damage has already been done. YMMV, JM $0.02, etc.

I am a pretty good faller too, I guess . This last sprain happened on a very steep hill, in a ditch against a building, carrying tools. I fell beautifully after my ankle gave.

I have a friend who I hike with quite a bit. He always wore an ankle brace to prevent one of his ankles from rolling constantly. We didn't get the chance to hike for a while and then one day he showed up at the trailhead sans ankle brace. Said he did three months worth of daily exercise on a BOSU ball. Hundreds of miles later he is still good to go. Maybe it could help you also.

Ryan

Just looked that up and there are lots of links to using it for ankle rehabilitation exercises.
Thanks!

Right now. Can't hurt.

Yes I've used a bosu ball for years: one legged stands. My left foot is weird due to a childhood operation. The bosu ball definitely helps, but be warned, it's slow going! At least for me…

IMHO restraining your ankle from taking load via high top boots, braces, hiking poles, etc. protects it in the short term but does nothing in the long term for you. I'm not a doctor so this is just an observation from my own and others experiences. I used to roll my ankles with mid-topped boots but strengthening my ankles and balance with yoga helped the switch to trail runners/hiking shoes. I didn't have problems as serious as some of the folks in this thread so I'm guessing more than just yoga would be required – probably a good physical therapist and who knows maybe there's a point where your ankles are just permanently screwed.

Just my two cents!

Funny,

I just started using a BOSU in PT for my ankle. I agree that it looks like it should help a ton – I didn't realize how weak the stabilizing muscles are until I stood one-legged on that thing!

I want one.

I think the NY Times article earlier linked is interesting, but may have it backwards. Essentially, the article suggests one suffers ankle sprains because of lack of proprioception. I think it may be that one lacks proprioception because of the damage to the structures from prior ankle sprains. For example, if my left ankle starts to roll, the ligaments or tendons provide resistance, I feel that resistance, and can catch myself. If my right ankle starts to roll, there is nothing to impede the roll.

My right ankle is so loose/unstable that recent sprains included: (a) doing 200M repeats at the track, finished a sprint, planted my right foot to turn around and walk back, and BAM, a sprain; (b) stepping backwards and having my right foot half on half off a small crack in the pavement, causing it to roll.

At this point, I cannot trust my right ankle to ever catch me if I get off balance with my left foot.

I also suspect that strengthening the ankle probably is not a huge help — there is no way that the small muscles of the ankle can, without assistance, stop the momentum of, for example, a 200# man with a 50# pack as he lunges down a steep trail. The forces generated on that small ankle could easily double that 250#; i.e., 500#, a weight that very few 200# men could ever squat — let alone control with the small muscles of the lower leg.

Still, I think that it is worth doing a lot of balance drills so that one develops better balance and dexterity to avoid a roll from even beginning in the first place.

I'd rather avoid a second trip to the surgeon's office, particularly when the last one was both miserable and unsuccessful.

Mine is more a minor knee issue, working on balance/stability.

I've used the Bosu ball at the gym. At home, where I don't have one, I do some simple stepping exercises, the same ones I'd do on a Bosu, off a stool: touching the foot down from the side/back/across-in-back.

Quick and easy to do with any old kitchen/bathroom/kid's stool. It seems to help my knee. May or may not be useful for ankles.

I can sympathize with many comments posted here–I too frequently sprain my left ankle to the point it's almost a hobby!

There are many variables for each person but here's what I do:

*One legged balance exercises daily
*Go barefoot as much as possible when at home
*Hike with L/W trekking poles
*Use relatively light mid size boots
*Pre-tape problem ankle prior to a hike

None of these will guarantee ankle-free issues but they help–especially the pre-hike ankle taping. For this I use Leukotape–sort of acts as a 2nd set of ligaments on the side of your ankle. Athletic tape also works but not as well.

As aways: See a doctor first & HYOH.