Can bilateral ankle pain occur due to excessive running?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 19-year-old active female. I have bilateral ankle pain that starts during my early morning exercise and running. It has been there for two to three months. However, there is no swelling, redness, or tenderness. The pain is of squeezing type that aggravates during walking, running, and climbing stairs. It reduces to a dull throbbing pain when I rest but does not go away completely. There is no history of trauma. I have sometimes used the OTC tablet Ibuprofen 200 mg for pain relief.

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

The exact diagnosis is possible only upon clinical examination. However, your symptoms point towards any of the below conditions:

Shin Splints - You should have localized tenderness along the inner border of the lower half of the leg bone (tibia).
Stress fracture - It is very painful, and the pain is accompanied by swelling and warmth over the area of stress on the shin bone.
Chronic anterolateral compartment syndrome - Pain occurs only during activity and is associated with a crampy feeling in the leg muscles. The front of the leg feels hard, and muscles become tender; however, the discomfort is relieved by rest.

An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) can help diagnose the first two conditions. In contrast, compartment pressure monitoring before and after aggravating activity will help diagnose the last condition. Lace-up shoes are a good idea, and you can also use arch inserts.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.