How to get back into running

[Tammy]

Hi All:

I did something to my ankle 3 weeks ago while on a run.

I have not been able to run for 3 weeks, however I can still do the stairmaster and weights.

My question to all of you is how do I go about getting back into running without reinjuring my ankle... Should I wait till I am 100% pain free?

Help!!

Tammy
Canada

[SpugFab]

I'm no expert on running or injuries so I'll leave the meat of your question to someone else.

All I would say is don't neglect to rehab the ankle. Even though the pain goes there could be a weakness left there.

I'd do some balance work (maybe with a wobble board) and try to strengthen the ankle up a bit (I like those big elastic bands for this - dynabands?).

I'm trying to make this a part of my weekly routine. A bit of band work while sitting at my desk is pretty easy and I've just ordered a board which should make balancing exercises a bit more fun.

Hope it goes well for you

[runner]

Hi tammy,

If you want to run inside, I would recomend to start with the crosstrainer for a while..

do you have good shoes?

outside you can do run / walk interfalls..

you don't need to wait, but you need to be aware off your injury.. if it does not get better you can talk to a specialist..

good luck

[tempehmomma]

I assume you were running outdoors on hard surfaces. I am not a runner but I wouldn't start running outdoors until you are 100% pain free because of the high impact running puts on lowerbody joints.

[runner]

this is not to push you, but if you wait untill you don't feel anything anymore, this does not mean that your injury is gone.. it just means that you don't test the specific area.. if you want to be sure I would advise to go to a therapist that is specialised into sports..

good luck