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Okay, I wasn't going to actually even confess this because it's personal and I've always been very guarded about my health.

I've started taking to walking for half an hour to a fourty-five minutes at a time. (Nothing big, but I've gotta start somewhere to get my health undercontrol.)

At first I started with taking a route that walked up a HUUUUGE hill, but then with the cold air setting in and already having to use my inhaler (and now carrying it around with me) I've decided to leave the hill for this summer and take a more reasonable route. The problem (explained below) started here though and I thought it had to do with the hill.

Then I've started walking home from school. HUUUGE, heave backpack on my back. The problem arose again. But today 'cause I had a test and we didn't need our books in another, the backpack was seriously light and offered no hindrance, but the problem has arose again when I walked today. I'm walking home Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

My problem: I'm getting a SERIOUS stitch in my ankle. Like it's completely cramping up. I've never experienced it before, but today I actually had to put some ice on the spot because the pain was so bad. It just feels like the muscle has tightened and won't let go.

Today, my other ankle started to do it as well.

Does anyone have any suggestions for this? Is there maybe some stretches someone can offer? Have they ever heard of this sort of muscle cramp <-- well, I'm 200+ pounds and I've never walked as vigorously for this long so I'm really not surprised I would experience pain others wouldn't. Still, it worries me with the pain getting as bad as it did today. I know "no pain, no gain" and I'm prepared for that, but sometimes pain = issues that need to be looked into before I cause more damage.

Any suggestions? Anyone?

Using ice is a nice idea to stop any swelling though that won't stop the pain from the damaged ankles who were previously under less stress and are now used much more than before. Every part of the body develops based on how and how much you use it, as well as how much pressure the rest of the body is putting on it. For example, someone with a lot of weight who doesn't move a lot may experience developments in their structure to stiffen up the legs and triceps or adjust the direction of the bone structure for leverage.

Something that is moving a lot, such as the ankles, may take months to develop back into something used a lot more for continuous movements. Not only that, after a work out or any activity that causes a lot of strain, you likely won't feel the bulk of the pain until days later, this same phase is also when most of the fat is burned and muscle is built. By constantly exercising them this way, you create a sort of buffer where you have a non-stop series of pain days later. :[ If there is any tissue damage from the strain, it will attempt to heal but the buffer will make things hurt more and more until it does. It may feel like a blade has gone through the ankle.

Stretches are definitely a good idea, especially before going for your first walk for the day. I myself enjoy taichi and yoga every day. Unfortunately, the standard series for taichi has 108 forms, not including warm ups... so that can be way too much to learn. If ankles are the weakest link, I'd try to work on that area to get them strong enough. If you enjoy it, then expand upon the rest of the body. There are quite a few resources in libraries, on the internet or the millions of groups around the world. :3

I found this video for you. It might be very awkward to mimic someone you don't even know on-screen, but after you get into it you'll enjoy it a little more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amQHV_uRla4

Then there's yoga. Yoga is my favourite but a lot of it requires balance and flexibility. There is not a lot I can recommend in your scenario since many of the poses may be a little painful unless you do them regularly. The is excellent for stretching and strengthing the entire leg, as well as stretching the back and improving circulation but a lot of people fall over if they're not used to that sort of thing. :[

Sorry if I said too much of the obvious or things you already know. If you want more advice or need me to clear something up, I'm here for you and I'm willing to answer anything that may come to mind. :3 Don't be embarassed, either! I take health and fitness very seriously and help people all the time. ^____^

Also remember that if you take a break for two or three days of the week, you won't lose any progress or anything like that! In addition to the stretches, I recommend taking it easy for a few days of the week until your body is used to the strain.

Edit - If you coud get someone good with foot rubs then that's nice, too. :]

Uh, do you do serious stretching first? Like, to warm up?

*nods* Yeah ^_^ some of that I do know. Ice, for example. I had a health/first-aid class last semester but have had it several times before. No, it's never good idea for someone in my position to use heat for a simple pain that goes away. Especially if I'm suspecting that the muscle is cramping or getting swollen, just as you said.

*Nods* And, yeah, if I feel it's too much I do skip the walks, and it's why I've scheduled things the way I do so during the weekends I have a two day period of rest. I skipped Monday's walk because there was a chill in the air and I have to be cautious with my asthma. ... I'm worried about things getting colder as the season progresses but, I've decided that I'm going to buy a scarf and see what I can do with that. If it ends up being too much *shrugs* my school has a wonderful gym set up with some treadmills. I already have Plan B set up. >_< But I just feel so self-conscious when on a treadmill next to someone of 180. So... ^_^ I'm going to do what I can outside while the weather is still nice.

I don't know about your exercises being the best thing I need for stretching, but I'll look into them and appreciate the help! (*Knows a few Yoga positions... and can't imagine herself trying to accomplish them* But then, maybe I am completely wrong....)

When I had bad asthma problems, I covered my neck and face with a scarf. While it sucks because it may get wet, it definitely helped in the long run! If those stretches are no good, there is something really simple. It's lying on your back, lifting a leg and then just rotating the ankle for about ten to fifteen seconds. You can also do this from a sitting position. When doing this early in the day, I recommend at least eight seconds on each ankle. If you find your whole leg shifts too much trying to do this, support the leg with your arms. :] I also recommend doing a few rotations before putting your shoes on.

>_> It's doing something to the muscle... *sigh* I'm getting the same cramp that I got when walking. *keeps on doing it*

Uh, I learned most of the basic stretches in gym, so if you didn't go there, I couldn't tell you how to do the stuff ^^'''

If nothing works, then at this point it's simply because the ankle isn't used to it. :] Anything that could possibly help the problem has been mentioned here. When I was temporarily disabled and had to start moving again, hot baths, rubs, taichi and various rotations hurt at first but it got me going pretty fast! Though I don't know how well hot baths will help with swelling beyond rejuvination.

Though I wish I knew about yoga sooner. :/

*Nods* I hope this is just a problem with the muscle needing worked out some more. I'm pretty sure it is. ^_^ Thank you for your suggestions! Hopefully doing some of these in conjunction with my walking will help to resolve the cramps a little sooner. <_<

Stitches often occur because there's not enough salt in your diet, or it's not the right quantity for your body and that you're not breathing properly. When you're walking try taking deeper, longer breaths. That should help the stitch, also try slowing down a little. I know it sounds stupid, but if you're only just starting to do this sort of walking, you need to pace yourself up to the faster, longer walks.