Overused Ankle

General information

Tendon overuse can occur in many different places, including the ankle. Tendon disorders can occur in 5 different stages, but not every stage has to pass. Most of these problems arise gradually.

• When you're starting your workout, you might experience pain, but this pain disappears after a short while of moving. After your training, the pain will return and last longer, most times until tomorrow.
• After working out or moving in general, you experience stiffness, fatigue and pain that lasts several hours.
• The pain is present while working out and lasts the entire day. Only long-term rest can positively influence these pains.
• The pain is so severe that working out is impossible.
• You're in a lot of pain, even when you're not active. Even long-term rest won't influence the pain any more.

Sometimes, an X-ray can expose a calcific deposit. If the overuse is chronic, the tendon can become so weak that a tear can occur.

Causes

There are many things that can cause tendon complaints, a number of examples below:

• Movement limitation of the ankle
• Weak muscles
• Hard surface
• Shorter muscles
• Insufficient warming-up and/or cooling-down
• Obesity
• Overuse due to heavy, irregular and too much training
• Poor footwear
• Incorrect foot stance caused by a leg length discrepancy or flat feet
• Insufficient shock-absorption in the insole and heel of your shoe
• Training in spite of feeling pain
• Instability

Depending on the cause of the complaints, a specialist will make a treatment schedule. It often happens that a brace is recommended for these problems.