Ice will soon cover the lakes here in Minnesota, and that means hordes or people will descend on the ice to skate and play some hockey. Unless you regularly hit up the ice rink, a seasonal approach to ice skating can take a big toll on your feet and ankles. Today, we share some tips to keep your ankles pain-free while you’re ice skating.
Ankles and Skating Pain
Follow these three tips to keep your ankles from hurting this skating season.
1. Strengthen Your Ankles – Skating works a lot of foot and ankle muscles that you don’t use on a regular basis, and that’s typically why your feet are so sore the next morning. To prevent this, strengthen these muscles before the ice freezes over. You can find a range of ankle strengthening exercises by Googling the phrase, but another idea to consider is to invest in a wobble board. These boards help develop balance by strengthening muscles in your feet, ankles and legs.
2. Good Fit and Tight Lacing – Another reason why your ankles hurt after time on the ice is because they aren’t fully supported by your skates. I know there are a lot of ice rinks around the area that let you rent skates, but most people who don’t have their own pair of skates also don’t know exactly how the skate should fit. You shouldn’t be able to easily slide your foot into the skate, you’re going to need to loosen up a good portion of the laces. Once your foot is inside, you’ll want to tighten the laces so that your foot is snug and secure in the skate. You shouldn’t tighten the skate to the point where your circulation is obstructed, but you shouldn’t be able to fit your hand down any side of the skate when laced. If the skate is too loose, it will inherently put pressure on your outer ankle ligaments, and that’s where you’ll feel it the next morning. Ask a staff member or someone who is good on skates to help you find the right fit.
3. Don’t Overdo It – This is probably the most common piece of advice we share on the blog. No matter the activity, work your way up to longer distances or greater activity time. You wouldn’t go out and run a marathon without training, so don’t expect to go out and play pickup hockey for two hours the first time you lace up your skates this season. Even if you have been working on your ankle strengthening exercises, you’re going to want to let your ankles get back into the groove before you ramp up your ice time. If you always play a game with friends or family over the holidays, try to get out on the ice a few times before the big game to get your ankle muscles used to the activity.
