After an ankle sprain it’s not uncommon to still be experiencing some problems a few months down the line.
This is because spraining your ankle can leave you with some muscle weakness and a loss of your normal balance reactions. So pain and swelling can come on when you’ve been on your feet for a while or after walking over uneven ground.
Exercises that focus on building up strength in your muscles and gradually challenge your balance will restore support for your ankle joint and improve your reaction times. So you can return to your normal activates or sport without pain or restriction.
You can start these kinds of exercises as soon as you like after a sprain, so long as they are comfortable and don’t provoke swelling.
Here are a couple of my favourites:
Ankle sprain foot series
- Bend your knees and lift your heels.
- Press all the way up onto tip toes
- Lower your heels again and repeat 10 times slowly and with good control.
Tips: You can hold onto a wall for balance when you first begin but try to work up to going through the movement without any support as you get better.
Running man
- Stand on one leg and bend your knee up to 90 degrees.
- Slowly bring the raised leg down and reach backwards behind you.
- Swing your arms in a running motion as you move your leg back and forth
- Return to the start position and repeat.
Tips: when you first begin you can keep your toe on the floor and slide it behind you to make it a bit easier but as your balance improves try not to touch down with your foot as you reach backwards.
Unfortunately, once you’ve had an ankle sprain you are far more likely to experience another so sticking to an ankle rehab programme is vital to avoid ending up back where you started.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call.
The Physiofit Team!