If you’re reading this blog, you may have suffered an ankle injury recently or at some time in the past. If you have a new ankle injury, take a look at Ankle Rehab Considerations – Part 1, where we covered initial management of symptoms as well as knowing when to consider getting professional help for diagnosis.
Too often, people jump back into their activities too soon after an ankle sprain. This increases the risk of incurring a second, more damaging injury to the ankle that could mean being grounded from the rock wall for months. Once the acute pain and swelling in the ankle have improved significantly, it’s time to start rehabilitating. The main goals for getting back to sport are restoring normal mobility, improving ankle strength and endurance, and maximizing balance.
Check out the videos below for some example exercises.
Ankle Dorsiflexion
Try this “Knee to Wall” ankle mobilization to help restore ankle dorsiflexion. The goal here is to keep your heel down while driving your knee forward toward the wall. Move your foot back just far enough that you have to work to reach the wall. Measure your healthy ankle to see if your dorsiflexion is symmetrical. If not, try performing 2 x 10 reps 1-2 times daily.
Ankle Eversion
Next, let’s work on improving ankle eversion strength. The majority of ankle sprains involve rolling the ankle inward which can cause some strain to the lateral ankle muscles (the fibularis muscles). This banded ankle eversion exercise helps restore strength and endurance to the fibularis muscle group. If not painful, perform 2-3 x 20 reps with a medium to heavy looped band.
KP Pass Balance
In the last video, we’re challenging static balance on a firm surface. It’s great to work on balance barefoot because this helps simultaneously engage the intrinsic foot muscles while also improving upon ankle proprioception (joint position sense). In this example, the kettlebell pass increases the challenge of single leg stance. Balance exercises can be progressed or regressed to provide the appropriate level of difficulty (you should have to work to stay upright).
Give these exercises a try. If you are having difficulty progressing for any reason, go visit your favorite rehab professional ASAP to get on the right track!
