Ankle support/braces? Useful?

Well, it's been months now since Nationals, and I'm still feeling the
effects of straining my ankle in competition - about a month before
Nationals, and again more severely at Nationals. As best as I can
determine, it's tendinitis (which I had a bout with, years ago, in
both ankles) and some general achiness in what I'm guessing are some
of the lateral support ligaments. All of the above was probably
aggravated by eight weeks of work in which I spent most of the time
standing on a concrete floor.

Now that competition *and* summer work are over, and I finally
realized that yes, my ankles were hurting and feeling funny, I've been
doing the rest-ice-ibuprophin-gentle-stretching regime. They're
starting to feel better, but certainly aren't at 100%.

Given how annoyingly long it's been taking my ankles to get back to
normal -- the first strain was back in May -- I'm wondering if A) my
ankles are particularly weak, and B) whether it might be prudent to
wear some sort of ankle support while fencing. I really dislike high-
top shoes (and love my low-top fencing shoes), so I suppose it would
be in the form of some sort of ankle brace.

I did a quick pricing of ankle braces that provide lateral support,
and boy, they aren't cheap ($35 and up, from what I saw). That's not
exactly what I'd spend to just experiment.

Anybody have any thoughts on the utility of ankle braces for
preventative care during fencing?

Or suggestions in general for how to get my ankles healed up and
prevent further injury... There's a tournament I'd like to fence in,
in two weeks, but I'm thinking that it would probably be a bad idea.

Thanks!
--Holly

Holly,
Go get checked out by an orthopedic specialist or a sports
physician. My opinion only, but I don't see the fabric braces
doing that much for you. I've been wearing inserts for several
years now and won't try to fence or walk much distances without
them. They are particularly good about providing cushion
support for the heel. But see a professional. Problem with
aging is that it usually takes you three months to realize it's
not going away and by time you do see - or find the proper
help - you've wasted three months.

J.

Holly E. Ordway wrote:
> Well, it's been months now since Nationals, and I'm still feeling the
> effects of straining my ankle in competition - about a month before
> Nationals, and again more severely at Nationals. As best as I can
> determine, it's tendinitis (which I had a bout with, years ago, in
> both ankles) and some general achiness in what I'm guessing are some
> of the lateral support ligaments. All of the above was probably
> aggravated by eight weeks of work in which I spent most of the time
> standing on a concrete floor.

You need to see a doctor, and probably a physical therapist to learn how to
strengthen and stretch your ankle properly. Until then, a lace-up ankle brace
that allows no side to side motion would be helpful. Ankle sprains can take up
to a year to rehab from, so it's not surprising that it is still having
problems.

I echo the advice to see a doctor, especially one with some experience
in sports.

My own experience: My ankle problems were caused by my high arch
being too flexible and going through too much motion during fencing
footwork, particularly the back foot in the lunge. Arch supports and
then orthotics when I ended up at a podiatrist have fixed the
problems.

--Delia

cgrench@aol.com (CGrench) wrote in message news:<20030909012402.23263.00000769@mb-m19.aol.com>...
> You need to see a doctor, and probably a physical therapist to learn how to
> strengthen and stretch your ankle properly. Until then, a lace-up ankle brace
> that allows no side to side motion would be helpful. Ankle sprains can take up
> to a year to rehab from, so it's not surprising that it is still having
> problems.

dmturner@dmturner.org (Delia M. Turner) wrote in
news:a02e0196.0309090145.24cdd6fc@posting.google.c om:

> I echo the advice to see a doctor, especially one with some experience
> in sports.

Eh. Despite my profound cynicism about getting any useful advice from a
doctor (or, to be more specific, the kind of doctors I've had to deal
with around here), I'll keep that advice in mind.

For the time being, I think I'll stick with the home treatment -
patience isn't always one of my virtues (go figure, I'm a sabre
fencer!), but realistically, it's only been about a week of actually
trying to address the problem, as opposed to ignoring it and doing
activity that made it worse... I guess two ankle strains in eleven years
isn't necessarily a pattern of weakness, either, despite my immediate
conspiracy-theory recollection of the last time I had ankle trouble!

Next month if it hasn't gotten better (all the way or nearly so) I'll
more seriously consider the (ugh) doctor.

Thanks!

Holly

Definitely consider a doctor who specializes in sports medicine.
My plantar fasciitis was not properly diagnosed nor treated
until I visited a sports doctor--and it took nearly a year of
physiotherapy to heal the damage accumulated while finding a
doctor who could diagnose it correctly.

Holly E. Ordway wrote:
> dmturner@dmturner.org (Delia M. Turner) wrote in
> news:a02e0196.0309090145.24cdd6fc@posting.google.c om:
>
>
>>I echo the advice to see a doctor, especially one with some experience
>>in sports.
>
>
> Eh. Despite my profound cynicism about getting any useful advice from a
> doctor (or, to be more specific, the kind of doctors I've had to deal
> with around here), I'll keep that advice in mind.
>
> For the time being, I think I'll stick with the home treatment -
> patience isn't always one of my virtues (go figure, I'm a sabre
> fencer!), but realistically, it's only been about a week of actually
> trying to address the problem, as opposed to ignoring it and doing
> activity that made it worse... I guess two ankle strains in eleven years
> isn't necessarily a pattern of weakness, either, despite my immediate
> conspiracy-theory recollection of the last time I had ankle trouble!
>
> Next month if it hasn't gotten better (all the way or nearly so) I'll
> more seriously consider the (ugh) doctor.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Holly

"Holly E. Ordway" <OUTordwayWITHTHIS@comcast.net> writes:
>Well, it's been months now since Nationals, and I'm still feeling the
>effects of straining my ankle in competition - about a month before
>Nationals, and again more severely at Nationals. As best as I can
>determine, it's tendinitis (which I had a bout with, years ago, in
>both ankles) and some general achiness in what I'm guessing are some
>of the lateral support ligaments. All of the above was probably
>aggravated by eight weeks of work in which I spent most of the time
>standing on a concrete floor.

That will kill your feet in general.

>Given how annoyingly long it's been taking my ankles to get back to
>normal -- the first strain was back in May -- I'm wondering if A) my
>ankles are particularly weak, and B) whether it might be prudent to
>wear some sort of ankle support while fencing. I really dislike high-
>top shoes (and love my low-top fencing shoes), so I suppose it would
>be in the form of some sort of ankle brace.

I'm experimenting with high-top's from BG (they were on cheap
closeout and had gum soles which I love). I used to wear ASIC volleyball
shoes (good shock absorption and very good grip - not the lowest end ASICS)
with a volleyball-style ankle brace. This is the one with joints that
let the foot tilt up and down but not tilt left or right. Obviously, I
only wore that on the front foot. :-) I eventually did away with it
after a couple of years as my ankles got stronger (I'd injured them
multiple times one summer in volleyball - and just walking around).

>I did a quick pricing of ankle braces that provide lateral support,
>and boy, they aren't cheap ($35 and up, from what I saw). That's not
>exactly what I'd spend to just experiment.

$35 is a little high perhaps, but in the right ballpark. Try a
volleyball place like Spike Nashbar. Volleyball players need them often...

>Or suggestions in general for how to get my ankles healed up and
>prevent further injury... There's a tournament I'd like to fence in,
>in two weeks, but I'm thinking that it would probably be a bad idea.

You can also use a non-rigid volleyball style brace, but those
may be more constrictive and a problem while fencing. Not a big deal for
the front foot, may be for the rear if you like to keep your foot in the
proper position.

You can also experiment with taping.

--
Randell Jesup, Worldgate Communications, ex-Scala, ex-Amiga OS team
rjesup@wgate.com
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759.

Tim Schofield <tim@foxtree.co.uk> wrote in news:ZmAu2mBbQ6Y
$EAVX@oaktree.dtn.ntl.com:

> If there's some problem seeing a doctor, can you visit a
> physiotherapist, preferably one who specialises in sports?

Probably, if I find out what hoops I have to jump through. Certainly if
I do decide to go to the doctor, that's the route I'll go.

Fortunately, now that I'm not abusing my ankles any more, the "home
therapy" is actually helping - they're not completely fine yet, but
they're noticeably better than two weeks ago, so I'm going to stick with
that for the time being.

Cheers,
Holly