Anterior ankle pain

[minirunner]

Hello,
I'm a runner, the past month i've had anterior ankle pain. no specific rolling incident, slow onset. feels like the ankle is "locked up" and crepitus sensation at the front of the ankle and a bit of popping when i do ankle circles (when the foot is flexed in the corner of the 90 degree angle formed is where all of the popping and crackling happens) i've been able to run on it with no pain for that past month. it would only hurt when i did ankle circles after my run. But now, over the past 3 days it even hurts when I run and the crackling and popping has gotten worse. i tried to get someone to pull my leg while i held onto something to "unlock" it, but they were not strong enough to get it to pop back into place. the joint would just move a bit, and then move right back into place. What is wrong with my ankle? Is it truly just locked up? I am not able to see my chiro for a week and of course, I dont want to stop running, what is this pain and what should I do to make it stop?

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[sarahkelly]

Do you stretch out before and after you jog, what do you feel that a chiro (presume you mean chiropractor) will do to help? Any prior history of damage to the ankle/area?

[minirunner]

Do you stretch out before and after you jog, what do you feel that a chiro (presume you mean chiropractor) will do to help? Any prior history of damage to the ankle/area?

I never stretch before running, but always after. I start running very slowly and build speed as i go. I feel that a chiro may be able to loosen my ankle and maybe make it stop clicking by popping it back into place (if that is what is wrong with it, I am not sure if something is simply out of place or if there is any soft tissue damage). I am not sure what clicking/grinding in a joint means. I have never had any ankle problems before, and have never sprained my ankle. I roll over on it almost daily on my runs (I run trails) but think nothing of it, because it always springs right back and doesnt hurt. I'd say I have good ankle stability. The pain is at the front of the ankle joint, I'd say between the talus and tibia.

[sarahkelly]

I'm guessing if you roll over on it daily, it's probably not as stable as you think it is and could do with a bit of strengthening alright!
I would show it to a physio if I was you

[MrPhysio+]

Hello Minirunner,
SarahKelly is correct. If your ankle rolls daily during runs, it is so unstable that the ligaments are not being damaged anymore.
The clicking can be from a number of areas. Can you place your finger over the outside of the ankle whilst making circles and isolate the click. It could be from a peroneal tendon jumping across a bony point. If so, this may benefit from a tightening of the muscle, but sometimes surgery is required to ensure the tendon aligns properly without jumping.

If you have scottish, english, irish or scandinavian heritage you may have a gene that causes hyperflexibility of joints, predisposing you to problems. If you can bend your thumb back to touch your forearm, if your knees bend backwards more than most, if you have blonde or red hair and blue eyes you are in a higher risk category.

If none of the above applies, you may have a small piece of cartilage or bone that occasionally 'jams' the joint. You may require surgery (arthroscope) for this condition - scans first.

If you are lucky, then mobilisation of the lateral malleolus (outside ankle bone) posteriorly may increase the ankle mortice spacing which would improve movement. Of course, crepitus may be indicating ankle joint cartilage degradation, ie early arthritis.
Whatever the cause, you would be best seeing a sports therapist or ankle surgeon for examination and opinion.
Hope the above helps.
Cheers,
MrPhysio+