While sprained ankles need time to recover, exercise is also important in helping your foot and ankle heal properly.
Simple strength training of the muscles around the ankle is essential to speed recovery and prevent future injury.
It is also important to tailor any ankle rehabilitation exercises to avoid reinjuring or overworking the sprained ankle.
Most people can begin an ankle rehabilitation exercise program within 3 days after the ankle injury if it’s not too serious. Listen to your body, and follow your doctor’s recommendations.
Discuss ankle exercises with your doctor and do your research to help you decide which exercise program is best for your sprained ankle.
Recovery from an ankle injury will require the person to focus on four main factors: range of motion, stretching, strength, and balance.
Each of these functions is vital for a healthy ankle joint.
Range of motion exercises are simple movements you can do up to 5 times per day to help you maintain the mobility of your ankle.
Sit on a comfortable chair. Extend your leg straight and trace the alphabet in the air using your big toe. Repeat this 2-3 times.
Sit on a chair, keeping your foot pressed flat on the floor with the knee bent. Keeping your knees bent, move them from each side for 2-3 minutes while keeping your feet flat on the floor.
Put a small towel on the floor while sitting on a chair. With your bare foot, gently grab the towel with your toes, scrunch it up, and count to 5. Release the towel and repeat. Do this 8-10 times.
Stretching exercises improve flexibility in your Achilles tendon, helping it move and stretch as it needs to support the body's weight.
Sit on the floor with one leg extended out in front of you. Wrap a towel around the ball of your foot. Pull on the towel so your toes move toward you. Hold for 15-30 seconds. Then do this with your other leg. You just need to feel a mild to moderate stretch on your calf muscle.
Stand with your hands in front of a wall. Put your affected ankle about one step backward and your good foot forward. With the knee bent, slowly bend further until you feel a mild to moderate stretch on the calf muscles on your injury. Repeat 3 times, holding for 30 seconds then bring your legs straight.
Stand in front of a wall, countertop, or chair with your hands on it for support. Slowly rise on your toes with your knee straight. Repeat 10 times. You only want mild pain. When these become easy, you can switch to doing it with the toes on your other foot.
While keeping your hands on a wall, countertop, or chair, lift up the good lower leg behind you so your entire weight rests on the other lower leg with the affected ankle. Try to hold this for 20-30 seconds.
Once you can comfortably bear weight on your injury, it's time for the next step—strengthening exercises.
Sit on the floor. Prop up your ankle with a rolled towel or swimming noodle to keep your heel off the floor. Put the elastic band around the ball of your foot and hold the two ends. Slowly push your ankle forward then bring it back. Repeat 10 times. Do not use the band if there is any increased pain or your ankle feels wobbly.
Tie the resistance band around a heavy object. While sitting on the floor, hook your toes and upper foot to the band. Slowly bring your foot towards you and return it to a vertical position. Repeat this 10 times.
Tie the resistance band around a heavy object. Sit or stand and hook your toes to the end of the band. Slowly move your foot outwards and back. Repeat 10 times.
You can also do this while sitting with your ankle propped up on a rolled-up towel or rubber tubing. Tie a loop to the end of the resistance band and hook it around your foot. Arrange the band to go around your unaffected leg. Turn your ankle out while holding on to the end of the band. Repeat this 10 times.
Tie the resistance band around a heavy object. Hook the inside of your foot to the resistance band. Slowly move your foot inward and bring it back. Repeat 10 times.
A key part of rehab exercises is regaining control of your muscles. When you have ankle sprains, your nerve fibers are damaged. As you regain strength, your brain has to regain its sense of where your ankle is and how precisely it is to move it. This sense is called proprioception.
Stand on your injured foot, lift the unaffected foot off the floor behind you, and keep your balance. Use a countertop or a chair for support. Try to hold this position for a few seconds at first. Then build up to 30 seconds and 1 minute, if you can.
Repeat the basic balance exercise now with your eyes closed. This is much harder since you don't have visual reference points to help you balance. Be sure to have something for support. Build up to 30 seconds and 1 minute if you can.
Repeat the same basic balance exercise slowly while standing on a pillow. Even if your ankle is not sprained, your foot will become unsteady, and you'll constantly need to correct your balance. Build up to 30 seconds and 1 minute.
Test how long you can hold your balance while standing on a pillow with your eyes closed. Build up to 30 seconds to 1 minute if you can.
Palm Wellness Center helps patients in Tampa to live healthy and pain-free lives. Schedule an appointment with your doctor at (813) 443-5370 or visit www.palmwellness.center for more information.
