Ankle Injury

by Joseph
(Chicago)

Hi there...I just began running again after a several year layoff. I was using a beginning runner schedule and was on week number 9 running 9 minutes non-stop followed by a 1 minute break and repeating the cycle two more times.


This past week I finished my routine and suddenly had swelling that appeared around my ankle. I can walk fine but have this mild soreness that won't seem to go away going on one week now. I can still see swelling but as I said do not have trouble walking. I just seem to have a mild soreness in the ankle area.

I stopped my running after this and now wonder if I should go ahead and consult my doctor?

Any suggestions on a home remedy before calling the doctor?

Answer by Dominique:
Hi Joseph,
Thanks for your question about your swollen ankle. This is most likely to be an ankle sprain.

Especially around the ankle this can take a while to heal as you are unconsciously using your ankle with every step you take. A normal healing time would be about two, sometimes even three weeks.

The best home remedy is rest and apply ice. This will help alleviate swelling and inflammation.

If this does take longer than three weeks, or if you feel uneasy about the situation at any time, you should consider going to a doctor. Although unlikely you might be walking around with a (tiny) fracture or another ankle injury.

Your doctor should be able to help further and provide more guidance than I can do from a distance.


I hope this heals quickly so you can continue your beginner running program soon!

Best of luck.
Kind regards,
Dominique