What Causes Ankle Pain When Doing Squats & How to Fix Them
Poor Form
Squats are an important exercise for strengthening the lower body, but it is very important to make sure you do them with correct form.
If done incorrectly, squats can cause ankle pain due to the extra strain placed on your ankles and surrounding muscles. This happens when your feet are too far apart or too close together when doing a squat; if you don’t keep your knees in line with your toes during the movement; or if you lean forward too much when performing the squat.
All of these issues put extra stress on your ankles and can lead to ankle pain over time.
Fixing Poor Form
To avoid ankle pain while squatting, make sure that your feet are hip-width apart, that you keep your weight in the heels of your feet rather than pushing off from the toes, and that you keep a straight line from head to toe as much as possible during each repetition.
You should also ensure that all of these elements are combined so that each rep looks exactly like every other one – this will help ensure proper form and prevent any unnecessary strain being placed on vulnerable areas such as the ankles.
Tight Muscles
Tight muscles can also lead to ankle pain when squatting. This is because tight muscles restrict the movement of the joint, which can cause an imbalance in the body and put more pressure on other parts of your body.
When you squat, your ankles bear most of the load from your body weight, so if your leg muscles are too tight, it puts extra strain on them and leads to pain.
Additionally, when a muscle is too tight it can pull on tendons and ligaments that support your joints, leading to further injury.
Fix Tight Muscles
To fix this problem, you should focus on stretching out all of the relevant muscles around your lower body before you attempt any squats.
Specifically, focus on stretching out your calves, hamstrings and quads as these are most likely contributing factors towards any tightness or restriction of movement at your ankles.
Additionally it may be beneficial for you to do exercises that strengthen these areas such as calf raises or squats with resistance bands which will help support and stabilize your joints while performing them properly.
Over training
Over training your legs can also lead to ankle pain when squatting. This happens because when you do the same type of exercise too often, it can put strain on the joints and muscles in your lower body.
Your ankles are particularly vulnerable to this strain as they help support your weight when squatting. When over trained, they become more prone to injuries and aches like soreness or even swelling.
The problem is made worse if you are using incorrect form while performing squats; if your feet aren’t pointing forward or you don’t bend your knees enough then the pressure shifts from where it should be onto the ankles instead, leading to increased pain and discomfort during and after exercising.
Fix Overtraining
If you have been feeling pain in your ankles after squatting, it’s time to take a break.
Squatting is an intense workout and can be hard on your body if done too often without rest. Take days off from doing squats so that the soreness in your ankles has time to go away before exercising again.
You could also switch up what you do during exercise by trying different kinds of workouts instead of only focusing on squatting all the time – this will help give those muscles around your ankle some extra relief!
Weak Ankles
Weak ankles can develop from a variety of causes, such as overuse or an injury. If the ankle is weak, it won’t be able to support the weight of your body when squatting. This will cause pain in the ankle joint and around the foot especially when you do the squat movement.
The most common type of injury that leads to weak ankles is called an ankle sprain. This happens when there’s too much strain on one side of the ligaments that hold together your bones in your foot and ankle. A sprain can happen if you suddenly twist or turn your foot while running, walking, jumping or playing sports like basketball or soccer.
When weak ankles cause pain during squats, this means that there’s not enough stability in the area to keep up with how much stress is being placed on it when you are doing squats with weights for example.
You might also experience pain in other areas such as around your shin bone (tibia) and calf muscle (gastrocnemius). This can be due to overstretching these muscles during squats because they are not getting enough support from a stable ankle joint complex due to weakened ligaments or instability caused by an injury such as a sprained ankle.
Fix Weak Ankles
If you have weak ankles, there are a few things you can do to help make them stronger.
Start with some simple exercises like heel raises and toe curls. These will help strengthen the muscles in your ankles and get them used to bearing weight.
You can also try balance exercises like standing on one foot for 30 seconds at a time or walking on a beam or line drawn on the ground. This will help build up your balance and coordination as well as strengthening your ankles.
By doing these simple things, you should be able to improve the strength of your ankles over time!
Footwear
Footwear can cause ankle pain when squatting if it is not the right kind. Wearing shoes that are too tight, too heavy, or lack support can make it difficult to balance your weight and place more strain on your ankles.
High heels can also be a problem as they tend to put a lot of pressure on the back of the foot and ankle, making it hard for you to maintain proper form while squatting. This extra strain can lead to pain in your ankles after you’ve been squatting for a while.
Fix Footwear
To fix this problem, choose footwear that is light-weight and provides adequate support. Look for shoes with cushioning around the heel area that will help reduce impact and prevent injuries from occurring during squats.
Also try wearing shoes with flat soles instead of high heels so that there isn’t as much pressure being placed on your feet and ankles when you’re exercising.
Additionally, make sure you have enough room in your shoe so that it doesn’t restrict movement or rub against any part of your foot or ankle when you’re squatting – if it does, then look for another pair!
Conclusion on How to Fix Ankle Pain When Doing Squats
In conclusion, ankle pain while doing squats can be prevented or fixed by addressing underlying causes such as poor form, weak ankles, inappropriate footwear, tight muscles and over training.
Proper technique should be practiced to ensure correct movement and alignment of the feet and ankles.
Strengthening exercises can help strengthen the ankles for better support during squats. Shoes that are designed to provide stability for the foot should also be worn.
Lastly, it is important to take rest days in between workouts to allow the body time to recover from strenuous activity and prevent over training which can lead to injuries.
