Foot and ankle pain while kicking

[alison]

As most of you know, from talking to me or reading this forum, I have a long background in swimming and a history of foot injuries. It is not uncommon for me to experience inflamed tendons in my feet and ankles from long kick sets, too much zoomer use, or improper footwear. I have grown wiser in the past few years and can usually catch the problem before I really hurt myself and reach for a pull buoy if necessary.

Late in the spring I started feeling pain in my ankle while kicking. Felt like a brittle rubber band that might snap. So I did what I always do and I laid off. Next workout, same feeling, laid off again. In fact, I swam conservatively all summer. I got back to masters practice last week after a few weeks of no swimming We started a kick set and the pain was immediate. There has been no improvement even after weeks of rest.

I cannot remember an event that I might have injured myself. My foot/ankle flexibility is that about the same as always. My range of motion appears to be normal. No pain while running, walking, biking, or stretching.

Has anyone experience this before? Could this be due to my increased running millage this summer? Is this more than just another case of tendonitis?

Alison

[jimdehner]

Alison - anyone who has seen me swim will attest that I can offer no help on any injury that results from a kick - running that is a different story - you did not mention how much you are running and what your weekly mileage is - once you hit the mid 30's (mileage not age) some mechanical ang gait problems begin to show up

[Chris]

I noticed my ankle problem acting up too, and it only happens when I swim too. I have tried to ice and stretch and do strengthing stuff, but it hasnt helped me, maybe it could you.
But if you find out an answer let me know, so I can get mine better too.
Good luck fixing it though.

[alison]

Jim, increased mileage doesn't mean lots of mile. A big week for me would still only be around 25-30 miles. Maybe my gait is all screwy, but I have asked other runners to look at my gait on occasion and no one has found anything seriously wrong, at a glance.

Alison

[jimdehner]

It was just a thought - i know that at 30-35 miles /week is where I developed a number of problems that where related to mechanics and over-pronation - they all went away with a set of orthotics