Tuesday 12 February 2008

Ankle Impingement Syndrome


I have been diagnosed with Ankle Impingement Syndrome by my physio.

This condition is usually found in ballet dancers and very occasionally runners. I basically have something which is stopping me pointing the toes fully in my left foot. This 'something' is the impingement. The impingement is at the back of my heel, right in the 'hinge', as it were. The impingement is usually scar tissue or, in the worst case scenario bone. If it is bone then the usual procedure is to have surgery..

The physio is asking me to stretch my ankle and cease running until I get better flexibility and go back to him for a weekly prognosis. I am following this and the associated tightness in the calves has gone and the ankle is becoming better and allowing me greater flexibility. But I am concerned I may end up in surgery with this problem.

I go back to the physio this Thursday. I am hoping he may allow me to head out on a short run on Thursday night. But I am not going to push it again.

So, there you go. It's taken me 4 physios to get to this diagnosis. But running is such an important thing for me; it has become central to who I am. I am not going to give up. If it means I cannot run for a year, two years, so be it. I know I will run again and will now allways run, when I can.

I have a load of runs to log from just before this recent injury. I need to upload these on here and will do soon. It's just so difficult to get my head around not being able to run but then write about it. In the meantime I have been mountain biking. I will put some details of these session up here soon also.

Details Ankle Impingment Syndrome can be found here - http://www.emedicine.com/sports/topic5.htm

T

2 comments:

londonjogger said...

Thats pants Toby - sorry to hear that. glad you are being positive about running in the future. How can you be sure this PT is correct? Are you going to let the NHS have a look at it too?

Fred said...

I'd love the NHS to have a look. I just cannot wait the 10 weeks for an appointment.

This is like the 3rd physio I have now seen. The others did not see this impingment and the problem came back... I'm kida confident this chap know what he's talking about. If only cos the others, it now appears, did not.

Today my leg feels great. I can move it fine. I missed my apointment with the physio last week. But am back with him on Thursday (and am due to speak with on the phone today) I am hoping he will say I can run..

In the meantime I have been doing a lot of biking. I am going to post something about this today.

I check your blog and see you on Nikeplus. Once I'm back on the road we'll have a 'challenge'.

T