Why are my ankles always cracking?

Question

My ankles are always cracking, the cracks sound loud and painful but it doesn't feel painful. They tend to ache alot too especially after a workout or an active day. What is it? Is there much I can do about it?

Answer 1

Good morning Moo

To try to come up with a really useful and positive answer I looked up the condition on the net..

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuries/a/aa092500.htm

however, it seems they didn't know the cause either. As long as there's no pain associated with the cracking then you shouldn't worry. Stretching exercises can help but only if you do them regularly enough. My ankles crack too and I often find that cracking them deliberately seems to give a sensation of relief around the joint.... so I actually like to twirl my ankles and MAKE them crack.

This seems to be the result then of prolonged standing and maybe in later life, we will get water retention probs.. swollen feet or tree trunk legs.....(oooer)?!!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

If you have weak ankles then it would be a good idea to wear light ankle supports while exercising. I did notice though that when I started running more often, my ankles cracked less- possibly because I was strengthening them (not sure on that one!)

It may just be that you don't have a lot of fluid in your joint where the 2 ends of the bone meet therefore less cushioning = more noise!! I don't think there's anything you can do about it but I would start taking your cod liver oil just in case!

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why are my ankles always cracking?
My ankles are always cracking, the cracks sound loud and painful but it doesn't feel painful. They tend to ache alot too especially after a workout or an active day. What is it? Is there much I can do about it?

Answer 5

I badly sprained my ankle about 3 weeks ago. I was in a hurry going down the stairs, lost my balance and landed on a bad side of my left foot, causing my left ankle to be stretched going on the inside. The first 48 hours were excruciating and the pain was un-believable. I've never had a serious ankle injury before.

So I immediately treated it using the RICE method. The following day, the bruising and swelling were so horrible. I found out that I got a second degree sprain and immediately panicked after that. I had a football game on that week and it been looking forward to it because I've been training for rt. I had teammates that had similar injuries and it took them months to fully recover, some of them stopped playing altogether. So I kinda had a short-term depression because I can't imagine myself not being able to run and play sports anymore.

Because I was so desperate to recover again, I contacted a lot of people that I know who do sports and asked them if they had similar injuries. One friend of mine, from the boy's football team in my university, told me about H.E.M. Ankle Rehab. I got a copy 4 days after I got injured. I immediately read and followed what was instructed and felt improvement on the first day. I was able to walk a bit, but I was in pain.

A couple of days after that, the swelling and bruising were subsid-ing significantly and on the fourth day, I was walking comfortably again. Although I've had felt a bit of stiffness, I continued doing what was instructed. My sister was surprised that I have recovered this fast. I told her about this book and was shocked on how effective the procedures were. I'm just so happy that this book was shared to me and how effective it is.

Heal your ankle fully & fast?

Answer 6

Weak ankles are often due to the ligaments being too soft and flexible allowing excessive movement when you walk. You could visit a podiatrist or even a good running shop and have them watch your walking motion. You may over pronate which means that your foot "rolls" when you walk. If this is the case a special insole to put in your shoes helps tremendously, it is slightly thicker on one side to prevent the rolling motion.

Try this simple test. Look at the soles of your shoes, especially those with treads on... Is the tread more worn on one side of the shoe than the other? It is usually especially noticable around the heel. If so then you pronate when you walk. It can lead to pain in the knees, shins and hips after an active day.

Hope this helps.
:-)

Answer 7

It usually means the joints are getting stiff throughout the day. Do you stand a lot? They crack because the body is trying to loosen up the joints. It doesn't hurt anything, and as long as it's not painful I wouldn't worry. Maybe some more stretching exercises in the morning or after work. Dave.

Answer 8

You have weak ankles. Mine do the same. The dr. suggested to me doing stretches for them. Hold your hands on the wall like you are about to be searched put one leg back further than the other and slightly push stretching the ankle muscles. Do this a few times a day to each ankle and you will notice less cracking.

Answer 9

i have this problem too, my ankles crack, my toes crack and my knees crack when i walk up the stairs..........i'm only 20! scary!! i went to see the doctor about my knees as occasionally it's painful and sometimes they give way when i get out of bed first thing. he said basically that i'm knock kneed!! the knee cap doesn't move over the joint smoothly, so i'm guessing the other cracky joints are a similar problem

Answer 10

No, i dont think so. Mine do the same thing, apparently it's because you're double jointed, although i'm not double jointed which is wierd. But i went to the doctores and he said it was nothing to worry about. Unless it hurts when it cracks i really dont think its anything to worry about hope i helped xx