Problem with ankle after rowing strapless

[lightweight8]

So, early this week (Monday) I rowed 10k strapless to make sure my form was in check. About halfway through the row, my right ankle started cracking and hurting intermittently. I took Tues off, and back to it last night where I rowed with the straps on. After 30 minutes, the pain and cracking started up again. I tried to alter my stroke, but nothing worked and I had to get off and hit up the treadmill which I hate!

I wear running shoes for my workouts (Nike Free 5.0) and am thinking it is the soles getting caught up on the plastic ankle holster. Has this happened to anyone else? I think I should get some shoes that have very little flare to the heel soles. Any advice?

[johnlvs2run]

I rowed 10k strapless to make sure my form was in check. About halfway through the row, my right ankle started cracking and hurting intermittently.

... am thinking it is the soles getting caught up on the ankle "straps". Has this happened to anyone else?

So you were rowing strapless with straps.

The straps are designed to go over your forefoot, not your ankles.

In any case, NEVER WEAR STRAPS ON YOUR ANKLES - unless you are determined to get injured.

[Bill Moore]

It doesn't sound like you were wearing the straps around your ankles like the last post suggested, but calling the flexfoot footrest a "strap" can cause bizarre responses around here.

I've had shoes tangle with at the footrest and not have free motion. The sole of the shoe "popped" over an edge of the foot rest and make a noise. I didn't have the flared sole, so I could adjust my foot position and avoid the problem. There are running shoes that do have very wide flares and might not work well with the footrest. I know some people row in socks. Paul S has foot sling for rowing barefoot or in socks. (www.ps-sport.com). Look into that or get a shoe with a smaller flare.

However, this doesn't address what could be a different problem with your ankle. I have a tendon "pop" in my right ankle when I rotate my foot out, and can make it pop every time. I suppose that if that happened in my rowing stroke, it would begin to hurt over time. It's some thing to get checked out by an appropriate doctor. (My wife and I share a doctor who doesn't get the whole fitness thing, so we'd have to look for a different one to get to the bottom of this. I'd ask some of your running friends for a referral, since there are lots of injuries in the running crowd).

Good luck!

[lightweight8]

No, I didn't have the strap around my ankles. I put "strap" in quotes because I didn't know what to call it. I'll call it a holster from now on. I was talking about the black hard plastic base of the foot bed.

I ordered new shoes, trainers, with a much smaller sole. My Nike Frees have a big flare so I think that may have contributed to the problem. Last night I rowed in everyday sneakers and did not have the problem.

Thanks for the responses.

[paul s]

I have Nike Frees with the wide sole. I thought they would make good shoes for rowing but they were too wide to properly fit in the rear part of the footrest. I use an old pair of running shoes because of their flexibility.

Paul Salata

[Montanaandy]

Have your tried rowing barefoot & strapless? This alleviated the different problems that I has experiencing with knee &ankle pain

[lightweight8]

I only mention Nike Frees because I think they are THE MOST comfortable shoes in the entire world and would sleep with them on if I could. *Sigh*. But they are NOT good for rowing on the erg. I ordered a new pair of trainers and they have a much more narrow sole. I'm hoping for the problem to disappear.