Ankle advice please!

[Northants Girly]

I've been having trouble with my right ankle for a few weeks now. It's an old injury which comes and goes :sad:
But I wish it would b****y hurry up and go so that I can get on with more dancing!

I ventured out to Daventry last night and now I'm paying the price . . . ouch! :tears:

I now have 3 days to get it in shape for New Years Eve. :what:

Can anyone recommend any ankle strengthening excercises that might help?

Please don't say don't dance for a fortnight as that just isn't an option!

Linda :flower:

[Lindsay]

Don't dance for a fortnight .....!

In fact probably a few months. You need to allow it time to heal before you re-strengthen it. It's so worth being patient, or you'll end up with permanent damage.

Sorry :sad:

[Bangers & Mash]

I was having a lot of problems with my knees until Mikey came up with some advice. He had tried all kinds of things to resolve the matter and eventually was told that this was due to the muscle pulling the kneecap out of the rut. Some advice he got from a fitness trainer and simple exercises solved for him (and now for me) the problem.

It may be worth visiting a fitness instructor and posing the same question. It could be as simple as muscle development and cartilage (?spelling?). Put it this way, runners and other sports people must suffer similar problems.

There's nothing gonna stop me dancing - I'm gonna be too long dead, so I wanna get it all in while I can :wink:

[Chicklet]

as one who has been majorly injured recently (although not directly at the ankle) I would recommend ice, ice and more ice....

and a trip to a proper physio...who should be able to tell you if you have a *proper injury* or "just" a strain or something inbetween..it's not cheap (£20 - £30 a time) so make it clear if you are there for a one off visit for all the advice / treatment they can give in the one session and to advise you of what they could do in 6 / 10 / x sessions.

I have heard stories that some are undoubtably, unfortunately, prone to making as much money out of people as possible so if you know anyone (footballers perhaps) that can recommend someone, this would be best.

It is also a great place to chat and hear gossip! (mine is an ex-premier league employee and *names* (of whom even IIII have heard) phone up all the time!!) :grin:

[Zebra Woman]

I can only add....

COMPRESSION and ELEVATION as much as you possibly can. All helps to reduce swelling. I would take anti-inflammatory tablets too (especially before dancing)

Get well soon

ZW :hug:

[Stuart]

I can only add....

COMPRESSION and ELEVATION as much as you possibly can. All helps to reduce swelling. I would take anti-inflammatory tablets too (especially before dancing)

Get well soon

ZW :hug:

I'd add to this Ice (or use a bag of frozen peas) to reduce any swelling.

[Clive Long]

as one who has been majorly injured recently (although not directly at the ankle) I would recommend ice, ice and more ice....

and a trip to a proper physio...who should be able to tell you if you have a *proper injury* or "just" a strain or something inbetween..it's not cheap (£20 - £30 a time) so make it clear if you are there for a one off visit for all the advice / treatment they can give in the one session and to advise you of what they could do in 6 / 10 / x sessions.

I have heard stories that some are undoubtably, unfortunately, prone to making as much money out of people as possible so if you know anyone (footballers perhaps) that can recommend someone, this would be best.

It is also a great place to chat and hear gossip! (mine is an ex-premier league employee and *names* (of whom even IIII have heard) phone up all the time!!) :grin:

Hi,

I'm sure I tore / strained my medial cruciate ligament falling over skiing in second week of Jan.

I looked at the online "Physio" site and self-diagnosed a "type 1" strain - the most minor. I didn't go to a doctor or physio because I'm a boy.

It's now the second week of March and certain movements still cause the ligament to "jump".

Can I please have some personal recommendations via PM of sports injury physios within M25 radius (just so I can get to him / her - I live in North London)? I don't want an amateur or a dabbler. I need someone who can tell me what to do to put this right. I will even stop dancing for six months if necessary because I want to be dancing till I'm seventy


Thanks in advance

Clive

[Moraganne]

Get some good remedial massage. This will help clean out the area and breakdown any scar tissue. The therapist will also give some strengthening exercises also, but make sure its remedial (deep tissue) massage and not just relaxation massage.

[Magic Hans]

I can only add....

COMPRESSION and ELEVATION as much as you possibly can. All helps to reduce swelling. I would take anti-inflammatory tablets too (especially before dancing)

Get well soon

ZW :hug:

:yeah: :yeah:

If this means non-loaded (ie easy) flexing, I agree.

[Disclaimer: This is all personal opinion]

From a non-professional angle (although I have done 5/6 years of mostly zen shiatsu massage (unqualified)), and yoga, (and a little of tai chi, chi kung, aikido, pilates). I focus mainly on flexing and stretching .... until it pulls, but certainly not until it hurts. [in any case, pain tends to induce involuntary tension]

Looking after the skeletal system (including tendons and ligaments) is far more important than muscle .... which can strengthen (and weaken) comparitively very quickly.

Physio seems to concentrate on strengthening the muscle around the weakness, rather than targeting the weakness itself.

Chiro seems to get great results for some people. The strong, sharp manipulations, however, somewhat unnerve me.

However, at the end of the day, on Man's food is another's poison. It's up to us as individuals to discover what works best for us; whilst taking some note of others' opinions, but certainly not following blindly.

Either way, I'd certainly suggest to anyone to take it fairly easy, and listen and respond to what their body is telling them!

Cheers ... !an

[Yliander]

I've been having trouble with my right ankle for a few weeks now. It's an old injury which comes and goes :sad:
But I wish it would b****y hurry up and go so that I can get on with more dancing!

I ventured out to Daventry last night and now I'm paying the price . . . ouch! :tears:

I now have 3 days to get it in shape for New Years Eve. :what:

Can anyone recommend any ankle strengthening excercises that might help?

Please don't say don't dance for a fortnight as that just isn't an option!

Linda :flower:It really depends on the issue.

I have hyper-mobile ankles, they are not longer as bad as they were - many months of exercises to strength the related muscles - which I still do to maintain the strength - and when I blow one out it's off to the OT/physio and depending on the severity of the blow out - a week to 3 months of having to take it easier (thankfully since dancing only been small ones so no more than a week off)

To help protect it these days as i am nursing a small blow out from January - that i strap it with a simple figure 8 - done with foot in point so as to allow movement and to actually get foot into dance shoes - if you do the figure 8 with foot flat it will prevent you from wearing a heeled shoe

[Zebra Woman]

I have a recurring ankle problem...

It started a two years ago when I was buying trainers and the kind man in the shop made me stop running about barefoot and pointed out I had a lot of swelling on my right achilles. He even massaged it for me! :worthy: I hadn't noticed anything until then, but the massage was excruitating :tears: proving something was wrong.

Nothing seemed sprained, no movement hurt my ankle yet there was a fluid build up on the inside of my ankle bone above my heel, and running about half way up the inside of my calf. The nice shop man tried break down and shift the fluid. I went home did more painful massage and ICE for 2 months and got rid of the fluid. I have since been back to the shop to say 'Thanks you were right'. But now I'm not so sure. :sick:

He said he thought it had been caused by the tabs on my trainers irritating my achilles area (my ankle bone is quite low down). As soon as he told me that, I cut them off and have done the same with any new pairs. I have mentioned it in passing to my GP who didn't know what is was, so I have stuck to self-help so far.

So how come today my ankle is all swollen ? :confused:

I have hardly danced lately (once/twice per week) and I sail and mountain bike a bit too.

Admitedly I always dance in 2" heels and have hyperflexible ankles and overpronate and have shin-splints too ( I haven't run for 7 years ). For the last two months during the day I have mostly worn sandals or gone barefoot.


Any ideas? Anyone else had this problem and fixed it? Does anyone know what it is called?

Alison

[Lucy Locket]

Could it be some fluid retention, with this heat ankles & feet overheat & swell.
There are lymphatic drainage points in that area & it could be that there's a blockage. Massage, plenty of water (says she who hasn't had much to drink at all today) & put you feet up higher than your heart. There are drainage points by your knees too, try massaging from the backs of the tops of your legs to the back of your knees & out, stop it draining to your ankles.

Make sense????

[Zebra Woman]

Could it be some fluid retention, with this heat ankles & feet overheat & swell.
There are lymphatic drainage points in that area & it could be that there's a blockage. Massage, plenty of water (says she who hasn't had much to drink at all today) & put you feet up higher than your heart. There are drainage points by your knees too, try massaging from the backs of the tops of your legs to the back of your knees & out, stop it draining to your ankles.

Make sense????
Yes and no!
I have done as much drinking elevating as possibe, cooking willl be interesting as I'm no ballerina :sick:

The man in the shop was pushing the fluid up my leg - is that the right direction for lymphatic drainage? I'm not sure anymore cos I had a fab spontaneous massage at a dance weekender where it was sent down my legs and it worked briliiantly. I'm confused now.

You''re saying down the backs of my thighs and out. Is that right?

Thanks Lucy Locket :hug:

[Lucy Locket]

Yes and no!
I have done as much drinking elevating as possibe, cooking willl be interesting as I'm no ballerina :sick:

The man in the shop was pushing the fluid up my leg - is that the right direction for lymphatic drainage? I'm not sure anymore cos I had a fab spontaneous massage at a dance weekender where it was sent down my legs and it worked briliiantly. I'm confused now.

You''re saying down the backs of my thighs and out. Is that right?

Thanks Lucy Locket :hug:

you should go down away from the heart, but............ if there's a blockage it needs to be drained somewhere so going up to the next drainage point would be a good idea.
there are drainage points by your hip area, so you would massage down the spine towards the hip & out, from there to the knees & out, then down the leg to the ankle & out. Not 100% sure of location it's just i was dropped at dancing (never went to hospital) & now have a deformed spine (still not done anything about it) but i can't lift or bend well, or lie on my tummy. To cut a long story short doing my house lifting lots of heavy things lump on back got so big it was like a ball & i couldn't move, so saw a physiologist & he drained it & explained what & why & how & where etc etc

[Stuart]

I have a recurring ankle problem...

It started a two years ago when I was buying trainers and the kind man in the shop made me stop running about barefoot and pointed out I had a lot of swelling on my right achilles. He even massaged it for me! :worthy: I hadn't noticed anything until then, but the massage was excruitating :tears: proving something was wrong.

Nothing seemed sprained, no movement hurt my ankle yet there was a fluid build up on the inside of my ankle bone above my heel, and running about half way up the inside of my calf. The nice shop man tried break down and shift the fluid. I went home did more painful massage and ICE for 2 months and got rid of the fluid. I have since been back to the shop to say 'Thanks you were right'. But now I'm not so sure. :sick:

He said he thought it had been caused by the tabs on my trainers irritating my achilles area (my ankle bone is quite low down). As soon as he told me that, I cut them off and have done the same with any new pairs. I have mentioned it in passing to my GP who didn't know what is was, so I have stuck to self-help so far.

So how come today my ankle is all swollen ? :confused:

I have hardly danced lately (once/twice per week) and I sail and mountain bike a bit too.

Admitedly I always dance in 2" heels and have hyperflexible ankles and overpronate and have shin-splints too ( I haven't run for 7 years ). For the last two months during the day I have mostly worn sandals or gone barefoot.


Any ideas? Anyone else had this problem and fixed it? Does anyone know what it is called?

Alison

It sounds like an achilles injury I once had. I ended up going to a sports injury specialist and he gave me a course of ultrasound treatment, and some other treatment which involved passing an electric current through it!

Whatever it was I found myself up and running again in about 6-8 weeks.

[Lucy Locket]

It sounds like an achilles injury I once had. I ended up going to a sports injury specialist and he gave me a course of ultrasound treatment, and some other treatment which involved passing an electric current through it!

Whatever it was I found myself up and running again in about 6-8 weeks.

i had the same on my back along with the massage to drain the fluid not a light massage either but very deep. What happens with an injury is that fluid builds up to cushion the injury & this causes the swelling which can be uncomfortable in itself. Trouble is if the fluid isn't moved on it 'goes off' & collects there. He reckons it's the worst smell ever. As part of his course he had to do something & actually get the fluid out.
As for the ultrasound & electric current he would turn the current up as high as i could possibly take it & then some. It worked quite deep. And yes i was able to straighten my back after a few visits. Should have kept it going for a bit longer but as soon as i felt better i stopped treatment. If i feel my back ache now i massage it myself to drain the fluid.
Can't believe i listened to everything he said, usually stuff goes way over my head, forget in one ear & out t'other. :rofl:

[Zebra Woman]

It sounds like an achilles injury I once had. I ended up going to a sports injury specialist and he gave me a course of ultrasound treatment, and some other treatment which involved passing an electric current through it!

Whatever it was I found myself up and running again in about 6-8 weeks.

Hmm you have given me an idea Stuart. Thanks :flower: I will get my massager out and see if that helps ...

I think a trip to the sports injury clinic will be in order next week too. I wish I knew the name of the problem. I have looked all over the place for a name. :confused:

I have had ultrasound treatment and insoles for shin-splints but it didn't completely work and in the end I had to give up running :tears:

I'm so glad I can dance instead, it's a lot more fun and more sociable too :clap:

[Stuart]

... and in the end I had to give up running :tears:

I'm so glad I can dance instead, it's a lot more fun and more sociable too :clap:


:yeah:

It beats pounding the streets in the pitch black and pouring rain!