Low Shin/ Ankle Pain - shin bang or something else?

[Chris Johnson]

HI all,

Quick background, volunteer ski patroller out west, trying to figure out why my low shins (right around where the leg bends to the top of the foot)/ inside ankle area KILLS any time I patrol. With my new boots, it's definitely less (but still happens), but I've been using a pair of old shells with old liners out of another pair of boots as my patrol boots (trying to save wear and tear on the new boots).

I know the tongues of the liners sometimes don't get seated back within the liner cuff, but I do my best to mitigate that and ensure it's tucked back in there. Right now, I'm playing around with laces on the liners to help ensure the tongue stays tucked in. I'm also going to put my booster strap on the patrol shells to see if that helps any.

Really, looking for anyone else who has dealt with similar pain and how they solved it. May look into an Intuition wrap liner to try to get away from a tongued liner.

 

[cem]

there could be a number of things causing this issue, most of which need the intervention of a decent boot fitter to resolve, you haven't given any details of your boot and foot profile so it is impossible to know where to begin but this type of pain is often associated with the following

a pronating foot with lack of proper support
an ankle with restricted range of motion
the flexor retinaculum allowing the anterior tibial tendon to protrude
the tongue of the boot not lining up with the ankle/leg
boot too soft
boot too stiff
boot too big

etc etc etc

you really need to bite the bullet and get the whole set up checked out and adjustments made as required, every year i see instructors, athletes, patrollers and other snow sports professionals who get to a point where they can't even put a boot on as they don't get things sorted at the beginning

 

[Chris Johnson]

there could be a number of things causing this issue, most of which need the intervention of a decent boot fitter to resolve, you haven't given any details of your boot and foot profile so it is impossible to know where to begin but this type of pain is often associated with the following

a pronating foot with lack of proper support
an ankle with restricted range of motion
the flexor retinaculum allowing the anterior tibial tendon to protrude
the tongue of the boot not lining up with the ankle/leg
boot too soft
boot too stiff
boot too big

etc etc etc

you really need to bite the bullet and get the whole set up checked out and adjustments made as required, every year i see instructors, athletes, patrollers and other snow sports professionals who get to a point where they can't even put a boot on as they don't get things sorted at the beginning

Add it to the list of things I need to sort...

I do think my ROM is poor due to spraining my ankle a bunch of times when I was a teen. I'm assuming that isn't a deal breaker?

 

[cem]

Add it to the list of things I need to sort...

I do think my ROM is poor due to spraining my ankle a bunch of times when I was a teen. I'm assuming that isn't a deal breaker?

not a deal breaker but most likely a contributing factor

 

[ted]

IME, many people who need ankle joint mobilization, have a history of ankle sprains. Without mobilization, they can stretch all they want without any change. In fact when holding the foot in neutral, and dorsiflexing the ankle, they don’t fell the stretch in the calf. Even if you push hard enough they should be in pain.

See mobilzation here-


I would guess Colin is spot on, and the anterior tibialis is firing so hard that the tendon pops and then the boot impinges It.

 

[Chris Johnson]

IME, many people who need ankle joint mobilization, have a history of ankle sprains. Without mobilization, they can stretch all they want without any change. In fact when holding the foot in neutral, and dorsiflexing the ankle, they don’t fell the stretch in the calf. Even if you push hard enough they should be in pain.

See mobilzation here-


I would guess Colin is spot on, and the anterior tibialis is firing so hard that the tendon pops and then the boot impinges It.

Thanks Ted. Any advice on exercises to work on ROM?

 

[ted]

But if your ankle needs mobilized you can stretch forever and get nowhere.