TrackMaster

Member
Mar 15, 2001
212
0
I seem to be hurting my ankles a lot lately. It hurts when my toes raise up or when they go side to side even a little. My ankles have never bothered me before, but when i come up short i can really feel it now. Also, I always ride with my toes on the pegs, not my arches. I have narrowed it down to 3 things i think it may be.
1 - I stopped running in favour of lifting through the winter.

2 - Am I not giving them enough time to heal after a sprain or stretch?

3 - My boots could be junk (3 year old Forma Comps)

I know my boots arent the best, but what should i do to strengthen my ankles? I think i will start running again, but will that help? Any suggestions will be much appriciated by me and my ankles!
 

tx246

~SPONSOR~
May 8, 2001
1,306
1
how old are you and have your ankles suffered any trauma before? every injury adds up to arthritis in the future. sometimes it can appear and be debilitative rather quickly. just ask mx547. i never suspected arthritis in my ankle but an xray checking for a fracture indicated lots of arthritis coming my way. i was put in a cast and the dr. said that the existing arthritis will reveal itself when i took my cast off (for ruptured achilles). boy he wasnt kidding. its been 7 months and if i dont stay active my ankle feels like its rusted shut. of course im 37 and have suffered many sprained ankles in the past from basketball to bikes landing on my legs.

one note to your post above. i know that there is a 50/50 split in opinion about riding with your toes on the pegs vs. arches on the pegs but riding on your toes has hazards. thats how i got my achilles ripped off my calf. when toes are on the pegs, you feet have enough angle to go below the frame of the bike. when the bike uses up the suspension guess what happens. all of that force from a falling bike lands on your heel that is sticking below the frame. i know that the ankle is subject to tremendous loads if you come up short with your arches on the pegs. which do you want to risk broken ankle/arch on pegs or ripped achilles/toe on peg? i make a mental effort to make sure i am centered on the pegs when in flight. good boots/ankle braces will help with this technique but wont prevent a broken ankle on a big impact like casing a really big jump. it should help with the normal impacts. if you have suffered some sprains lately, it can take up to two yrs for it to heal the ligaments. running or preferably cycling(low impact on the joint) will help build the stabilizing muscles that help keep your ankles in place. good luck.
 

Tom H

Member
Sep 5, 2000
62
0
May wanna try arch supports. I had a nagging achilles tendon, and sore toes. It help me a lot. (actually, I just wear one on my right foot, the one that bothered me)
Running is murder on the feet if you have problems anyhow. But don't give up the cardio vascular. Try a bike or elliptical machine. They are much easier on your feet.
Isn't it hard to use the foot levers if you ride on your toes? I've tried it in the past, but it doesn't work well for me. You have to take your weight off the peg to move your foot forward to use the brake or shifter.
 
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