Painful Ankle Joints

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Sun 5 Jun 2022 02:45
Painful Ankle Joints - Zippy123

Ok, I am getting old.

I find my ankle joints are getting stiff and hurt when driving over 30 minutes, especially when using the accelerator pedal.

I do tend to use cruise control as a substitute but it's not intelligent and not suitable for town driving.

Has anyone experienced similar and is there a solution (that doesn't involve amputation :-D )

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Sun 5 Jun 2022 05:08
Painful Ankle Joints - _

Ditto.

Vary the seat position a bit and waggle your feet a bit too.

I miss the left foot rest on the Korando .

Edited by _ORB_ on 05/06/2022 at 05:09

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Sun 5 Jun 2022 09:06
Painful Ankle Joints - Xileno

And especially experiment a bit with the seat height, if your car has that adjustment.

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Sun 5 Jun 2022 09:39
Painful Ankle Joints - Andrew-T

If the pain is due to arthritis I would guess it is a problem at other times too ?

My right ankle has damaged cartilages caused by rolling it too often on rough surfaces (mostly Pennine moors) and has been progressively worsening for about 10 years (can't say it is a problem while driving though). There are three options: [a] do nothing (past that stage), [b] have it pinned at about 90°, and [c] ankle replacement (similar to a knee joint). I expect to get [c] in a few months time, probably on the NHS, which I have hardly ever claimed from yet. Private cost is about £14K. I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but SWMBO is already pretty bionic, having had 2 hips, 1 knee and a couple of shoulders, all in good working order.

Edited by Andrew-T on 05/06/2022 at 09:42

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Sun 5 Jun 2022 12:11
Painful Ankle Joints - John F

Ok, I am getting old.

Has anyone experienced similar and is there a solution......

Keep them warm. Oldies get too used to being unhealthily cold. Their whole body rarely reaches its best operating temperature in the UK unless there is a rare heat wave or they lie in a hot bath.

I have a possibly crackpot idea that peripheral joint problems are worse in north European humans because the body has long since abandoned wasting energy by sending nice warm blood down legs and arms and having to heat it up again when it comes back cold. We are still not yet well adapted to living in a climate which is usually at least 20 degrees below body temperature, even inside some houses for most months of the year. Shake the hand of anyone over the age of 70 and it usually feels cold...unless yours is too. If you stuck a steak thermometer into their foot it would usually be nowhere near 37C. So dial up the aircon to 25 and direct it to the footwell, and if you can't direct some cool air to your face at the same time (as is possible in my TR7's excellent heating and ventilation system), open a window when necessary.

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Mon 6 Jun 2022 00:32
Painful Ankle Joints - edlithgow

Purely anecdotal, but my various joint degenerations seem much slowed since moving to Taiwan from Scotland.

Hasn't done much for my lungs though, so not specifically recommendable as a health cure.

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Mon 6 Jun 2022 10:36
Painful Ankle Joints - Rerepo

The solution is to move to a better climate....

From the age of about 50 I had a lot of pain in my left knee, especially in the colder months. MRI showed some osteoarthritis. Operating a clutch was very painful and my knee actualy creaked and squeaked!. Back in 2018, when I got to age 55 I decided to stop working and just live off our property rental income. We spend around six months of the year in Thailand, three months in Spain and three (summer) months in the UK. Our UK rental income has rocketed in recent years so money is not really an issue. In Thailand and Spain I swim every morning and we eat a very healthy diet - lots of oily fish and plenty of fresh fruit and veg. The result is zero joint pain! My blood pressure has also dropped into the normal range and cholesterol is also low. We have a global private healthcare policy from a French company called April International - private healthcare in both Thailand and Spain is very good, so if you do need medical treatment it happens quickly and is very thorough.

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Mon 6 Jun 2022 13:29
Painful Ankle Joints - Engineer Andy

Whilst lots of oily fish doesn't appeal to me, as someone who's approaching the half century with close family members also having problems with joints, I'm thinking of using the Omega-3 supplements (cold liver oil tablets maybe 2-3 times a week) alongside the other aspects of the Med diet (whilst I do like) and a decent amount of swmming, walking (more on pavement) and cycling (when the weather is fine).

My knees are the problem and I find using knee supports (the elasticated 'sports' type) helps when the 'get bad', which is normally in the cold and especially damp weather. I find they work best when cycling and don't slowly slip down my leg, unlike when I'm walking (I get the size that supposedly fits!).

They've certainly helped me gain a decent amount of fitness and strength in readiness for my upcoming holiday. I'm also trying out drinking full-fat milk as a recovery drink (far cheaper per pint/litre than 'energy' drinks) after a swim or cycle ride.

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Sat 11 Jun 2022 20:33
Painful Ankle Joints - madf

The solution is not to move anywhere but to regularly exercise your joints - ankles, feet and legs. Basically as you grow older, your joints and muscles suffer if you don't use them and the muscles and tendons decay.

For ankles I suggest daily standing on your toes for 10 seconds with a 10 second break - and build up to 10-20 repetitions. Also, lie on your back , raise one leg vertically and rotate your ankles one way and then the other for about 30 seconds each way.

Do it daily and you will gradually see improvements. A few minutes each day gradually should restore strength and flexibility over a period of months. (sorry no quick fixes).

(I started to suffer from sciatica - think excrutiating stabbing pains in back and tears to eyes - about eight years ago. Started a daily course of spinal twists and after two years, all traces of sciatica vanished. Still do them. I am now approaching 75 years old and have no joint or muscle pains at all due to a daily 20 minutes of yoga exercises. They have basically transformed old age and removed aches and pains from muscles. But don;t overdo it when starting off)

Edited by madf on 11/06/2022 at 20:34

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Sat 11 Jun 2022 20:58
Painful Ankle Joints - Brit_in_Germany

Trying some of the cbd products now on the market might be worthwhile.

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