Ankles Part 1: Injury and initial recovery

I was nearing the end of a short training run along one of my favorite routes in Silvermine reserve, the River Walk. I clearly remember thinking that I was almost near the end and I was running well. In the twinkling of an eye, while stepping down, I rolled my left ankle. Flat.

That was on the19th June. It was such an innocuous little step. I must have run it a few dozen times already.

So I am going to delve into the the world of ankles a little. See you they work, what can and does go wrong, recovery and preventative measures that can be taken.

Home I consulted my physio on the following Saturday as I was entered for a 14.5km trail run on the Sunday. What he had to say further piqued my interest in ankles, but more on that later. He did say that the sprain was such that I could run. I need to strap or brace the ankle and apply a Transact patch. Sunday's race went well and I was surprised how well the ankle held up.

I have given it rest since then, my first training run was today. I again ran with the brace on but no Transact and it held up well.

So I do want to look into the ankle's mechanics, check current research on ankle injuries and maybe even ask some folks in the trail industry on their ankle experiences. Finally, I want to understand if there is benefits (and risks) associated with running with preventative braces.