Ankle Anatomy

Help! All of you foot experts... Get me pointed in the right direction so I can determine what I'm dealing with here.

For the past several weeks my outer left ankle bone has been sore to the touch. Swelling directly behind the ankle bone, so I really don't have an ankle on that side anymore. Pretty much can't put on a pair of shoes because they press against that spot, so sandals are it. Ironically, my cycling shoes don't bother me. Yippee! The only time it hurts when I'm walking is going down stairs or up hills. (Go figure.)

Haven't injured it -- no trips, falls, errant kicks -- and my Achilles, calf muscles, etc., all seem fine. I do remember having the same issue last year, but not to this extent. Didn't do anything special, and it just resolved itself.

I ride 100-200 miles per week, and there haven't been any changes to my training schedule, the bike, or my shoes. I'm flummoxed. Any insight/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Is your Achilles tendon involved?

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Originally Posted by makbike

Is your Achilles tendon involved?

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No. As I mentioned, calf muscles, Achilles, everything else seems to be fine. It's isolated to the area right at the ankle bone. I'm clueless...

If i had a swelling like that on my ankle, I would have already made an appt with my doctor!! :eek::eek:

HG, when I was having problems with my Achilles the lateral aspect of my ankle, just behind the ankle bone, was very tender and swollen. In fact, when I ran my fingers over the area it sounded like I had bubble wrap under my skin and I was popping the little bubbles. I made an appointment ASAP to see my podiatrist. He put me on a strong antiinflammatory (Mobic), put heel lifts and arch supports in my shoes and recommended I continue seeing my chiropractor and massage therapist. I iced my ankle as often as I could as well.

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

If i had a swelling like that on my ankle, I would have already made an appt with my doctor!! :eek::eek:

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Me too. Especially since it has lasted for several weeks now.

Going to the doc sounds like a good idea and then you'll likely get sent to PT. The area of the ankle you're talking about is where some tendons run (not the achilles) so you could have tendonitis there. These get inflammed sometimes when a little ligament that holds them in place gets over stretched. But the time when you have pain (hills and down stairs) is often related to the calf or achilles. The moral of the story is that it doesn't fit into a nice clean diagnostic picture so it's best to get it checked out live and in person.

+1 what Wahine said.

I've been having a 'similar but different' pain but I know where it came from- I stuffed my foot between two rocks in October while mtn biking. It didn't swell and didn't really hurt at that time. But now it just hurts all the time. It's a big mystery. The doc I went to wrote me a script to go to physical therapy, but after reading the replies on here, why didn't he send me to a podiatrist. Actually, I should of gone to see one years ago with my bad feet...btw...does it click? I had the clicking problem and it would swell on my other ankle last year but it worked itself out.

I should know what the anatomy is but I sort of didn't enjoy the foot and hand anatomy part of school...oh well!

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Originally Posted by Wahine

Going to the doc sounds like a good idea and then you'll likely get sent to PT. The area of the ankle you're talking about is where some tendons run (not the achilles) so you could have tendonitis there. These get inflammed sometimes when a little ligament that holds them in place gets over stretched. But the time when you have pain (hills and down stairs) is often related to the calf or achilles. The moral of the story is that it doesn't fit into a nice clean diagnostic picture so it's best to get it checked out live and in person.

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These are the peroneal tendons. I've had peroneal tendonitis, and I had basically no swelling, even to the point where it hurt to walk. Instead, the tendons just protruded out below the ankle bone, because they were so tight. I also felt the most pain at the attachment point in the foot. It was sore behind the ankle, but nothing significant, and only when the physical therapist manipulated them deeply.

Extreme swelling is a huge red flag. That wouldn't be something like tendonitis but a rupture or a sprain involving ligaments. Go to a doctor and get it examined asap. Ice regularly and elevate it in the meantime.