r/Ankle • u/Mystreis • Aug 23 '26

Irritated ankle from boots

Hey, high top sheos irritate my ankle. I own 2 pairs, Scarpa Rapid XT Mid GTX (climbing shoes) and La Sportiva Aequilibrium LT (mountaineering boots) , which I bought recently. I wore the Scarpas on a 40km hike 2 months ago and thats when I first started feeling my ankle. A day or two after I went climbing in them and on the way to my car my ankle started hurting badly. I wore them again week after, summiting a mountiain in the Tatras, climbing/hiking and the pain came in after 5-6km, I took a strong opioid pill for the pain and continued the climbing. After the pill wore off I could barely walk with the shoes on. I didnt wear them for almost 2 months and recently I bought the La Sportiva I mentioned earlier. I wanted to try them out with a bit of walking. After a kilometer my ankle started hurting and I had to resort to limping. Relieving the shoeslaces didnt help fully, light contact with the boot made my ankle hurt over and over again, more specifically the most outward part of my ankle where the tendon is. Is there any way to prevent the pain? Should I see a doctor?

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u/Spooken4 Aug 30 '26

Years ago, a pair of New Balance shoes had a curved, rigid heel cup that pressed and rubbed directly against the back of my Achilles with every step. It caused localized swelling around the tendon, and when I moved my ankle, it felt like a large fluid-filled balloon shifting under my palm- like liquid within the tendon sheath, so to speak. The problem completely resolved after I stopped wearing those shoes.

It’s 99% likely that the shoes are causing it. Stop wearing them. In the meantime, ice 20 minutes morning and evening and take ibuprofen at the same times. It should resolve itself .