My daughter is a big soccer player. This past season, she has complained intermittently about her ankle being sore after a game. I figured resting it when fall season was over would clear it up, but it hasn't...If she does any sort of running or jumping, her ankle is sore afterwards. Now indoor soccer is starting--and basketball as well. I'm worried about making it worse. No swelling, no limping, just aching after activity. Any ideas?
Thanks to everyone for all of your responses. I took my daughter into the IL Bone & Joint Center and she was diagnosed with flat feet! She's been turing her feet inwards which is putting pressure on her ankles. She's got arch supports in her shoes and will start physical therapy to strengten her ankles and give her a bit more flexibility (and also teach her how to walk properly- she's been walking like a penguin ever since we put in the arch supports!) I'm glad I took her in and I'm even gladder that it was nothing to keep her from continue playing!
Perhaps a torn ligament or damage to some tendons. I would bring her to a sports doctor prior to her starting up her new season of activities.
Hope this helps, good luck!
Could be her shoes, could be her gait (how her foot/leg moves when she walks/runs), but you'll never know unless you take her to the doctor. Just have him/her take a look at it and perhaps request to see an orthopedic doctor. It might be something as simple as getting her a pair of shoes to help with an over-pronation or under-pronation issue, a heel cup to stabilize the foot better when walking/running, or using an ankle brace/Active ankle to provide support for the ligaments and tendons. Also, she should be using ice after every practice and game/competition even when she does not have pain (if it is direct like an ice cup, ice for 5 minutes and if it is an ice pack, ice for 15-20 minutes).
If you have insurance, please have it checked by an orthopedic doctor. My daughter injured her knee while playing soccer in high school, and it still bothers her occasionally. She wore a brace, went to physical therapy (which helped a lot!!!), and was suppposed to do exercises to strengthen the muscles, but I'm sure she didn't do those as often as she should have. It may be that the exercises and an ankle brace will do the trick for you, but you really should check it out so it doesn't bother her forever.
Get her to an orthopedic right away. He'll know what the problem is. You don't want to take a chance on her blowing that ankle during a seasonal sport. Have her see her athletic sports person to examine and see what he says.
She needs a thorough check-up by an pediatric orthopedic doctor. Peds docs can miss some issues that can be resolved in early stages before it becomes chronic.
OK, this was a verrrrry isolated case, and it's very rare, but here's what happened to me.
It started at the beginning of the summer when I started practicing for softball--I would get this on again off again pain in my hip. It would go away and come back out of nowhere even when I wasn't playing softball. My mom noticed my limp when I was just walking down the street not doing anything but walking, so she brought be to my pediatrician. The pediatrician sent me to a bone specialist where I got an xray, then a bone scan, then an MRI, and they found that I had osteomeyelitis (bacteria was eating its way through my bone). I had to have surgery to get it out.
This is something that usually happens to either a)the elderly or b) the overweight, and I was a nine-year old stick. I am not writing this to make you think that's what's going on with your daughter or anything, but if that pain has been going on for that long (like mine was) chances are you should probably take her to the doctor. If my mom hadn't, I would have been worse off than I was!!
It sounds like she has a weak ankle and needs to do some exercises to strengthen it. I would also wrap it for any activity that causes soreness until the ankle gets stronger.
K.,
My daughter is huge into soccer, has played every season since she was 6 or 7 yrs.old. She also runs cross country for 5or6 seasons. We just went thourgh and ankel issue this time last year. She had a horizontail tear in the large ligement on the out side of her foot. She had an x-ray and MRI to find it. She was in a cast for 6 wks. and a walking boot for a few more and threaphy after that. She was good for spring(high school girls soccer). I would have it checked out, Dr. Bailey at will county med. was good.
A.
Ditto to everyone else -- see an orthopedist, preferably one who specializes in ankles. I started suffering the same type of pain when I was 10 or 11 after en pointe ballet. Dr. didn't find anything wrong, so on recommendation of dance studio, quit en pointe since it is very hard on the limbs anyway. Moved on to volleyball which I played competitively well into my 30s. Continued suffering after every day of playing and in my 30s, after any all-day on-your-feet activity (shopping, walking tours, etc.). Drs. in high school and college sporting programs never diagnosed anything other than low-mobility ankles and repeated mild sprains. But, I never had an MRI as those were pretty rare 15-20 years ago. Finally, last year, I had an ankle sprain that wouldn't heal and finally went to a ortopedist at Northwestern about it. He found nothing on an xray and sent me for an MRI where he finally found that I have a congenital condition called coalition which is actually pretty common. Basically, you have many, many bones in your feet/ankles that gradually separate into the proper places as the child grows . With coalition, bones fail to separate and you may have pain from the bones rubbing or cartilage issues, etc. The orthopedist indicated that there are various surgical options that are very successful if done prior to adulthood (early 20s) / before the bones are done growing. They are much less successful in adults and I opted not to pursue it.
My point -- get her evaluated by an orthoped, so if it is something that can be corrected, you can have it done. This is especially important if she does seem to be athletic. My injury has seriously hampered my continuing athletics in my 30s.
good luck.
I would definitely see a doctor on this one. It sounds like it might be something along the lines of a small fracture, but it could really be any number of things. An X-Ray would tell you a lot. Hopefully it is just something simple.
Good Luck!
Hi K., I thought I would tell you what happened to my niece, who is 13. She also plays soccer every season. She had been having problems with her ankle the same as you are saying with your daughter. My sister to her to the peds dr who who ordered an xray and it showed a small fracture in the growth plate I believe it was.(I could be wrong on that). But It would only hurt when she was active. So she ended up having to take her to a peds bone dr. This sounds like the samething. He said it would always bother her and she now wears an ankle braces during soccer and other sports. So I would def take her to the dr. Good Luck and Happy Holidays.
My daughter had the same thing. Hers turned out to be a weak ankle. Her athletic trainer at school wrapped her ankle before each practice and game and gave her excercises to do. The only thing that helped her was the wrapping.
