Ankle Pain

Any tried and tested exercises to strengthen a badly sprained ankle?

Browse by category

You can also browse all questions by category.

gmd606

Question:

Any tried and tested exercises to strengthen a badly sprained ankle?

I sprained my ankle really badly in September last year in a preseason match. Ive been trying to build it back up but its not as strong as it was. I think its a 50/50 split between having the strength to use it phsically and being mentally confident that it will hold up under pressure.

Asked by gmd606 - 5 answers - 41 weeks 4 days ago

Patrick13

Hello

I'm an elite basketball player and sprained my ankles several times in the past. Since my last ankle sprain I wear ankle braces which gives me a "mental support" and reduces the risk of a severe ankle sprain.
To rehab your ankle I recommend you a lot of proprioception training because this is basically what you are missing right now. You don't loose "muscle" while spraining an ankle but your ligaments loose a lot of proprioception. Start with basic exercices and build up to more complex exercices including jumps and changes of direction. Material such as the airex foam are very recommended but if you don't have one, standing on a towel or any other unstable surface does it also.
Since the tendons of the calves and the others lower leg muscles insert on the foot, it's also recommended to do some foot flexions and extensions such as calv raises.

Hope this helps,

Good luck,

Pat

Submitted 41 weeks 3 days ago by Patrick13

paul_t

I sprained my ankles many times playing Ultimate, which involved a lot cutting on uneven ground. I found the use of a wobbleboard to be amazing for the redevelopment of proprioception and the development of strength. In the absence of one, however, try standing on one leg with your eyes closed. Develop the duration you can balance for, then move onto cutting drills to build your confidence.

Best Regards,

Paul

Submitted 41 weeks 3 days ago by paul_t

runone

After a sprain of any severity, you will need to start regaining strength back into your lower leg or foot. You don't mention if it was a low or high sprain. If it was a low sprain then start by rotating your ankle both clockwise and counter clockwise to ease some of the tension built up in your foot. Try some toe raises on the edge of a stair. Try not to go too far below the horizon of the stair with your heal as this may cause to much tension on the achillies tendon and surrounding tendons. No pain no gain is not an option here.
If it was a high sprain then you will need to stretch both muscles in your calfs. Gastrocnemius( outer) and Soleus (inner). Sit on the floor with your toes pointed up to the ceiling and hold for a 10 count. This will help the outside muscle. Build up to a 30 count hold. Bend your knees, keeping your toes pointed and this should help the inner muscle. Build up to a 30 count hold too. Progress carefully as with every sprain the joint gets weaker and weaker as tendons are stretched. Weight train the lower leg muscles and go towel scrunches with your toes. Stand on a small towel and make a fist with your toes, pulling the towel into a ball. It might take a while but you will see results in a few weeks.

Submitted 41 weeks 2 days ago by runone

lchimi10

A wobble board is a great investment but other exercises you can try include:

1)single leg standing
*with eyes closed
*throwing and catching a ball
*throwing a ball to someone/off a wall (less predictable that throwing/catching yourself)
*imagine you're standing in the centre of a 5pointed star then with your non-weightbearing leg point to each point
*sports specific activities eg. keepie uppies on 1leg if you play football

2)balance on a rolled up towel or 1/2 filled hot water bottle

3)jog or balance (single leg stand) on a trampette

4)walk 10m on your toes. Repeat but on your heels.

5)pretend you're walking on a tightrope but walking in a straight line heel to toe.

With all the above exercises make sure you do them without looking at your feet, as its quite common after an ankle injury to compensate for poor balance with your vision. Also repeat each exercise with both legs, because (assuming you've not injured your other ankle too) that will give you a rough idea what your normal balance is like and you then know what you're aimimg for with the sprained one.

Submitted 40 weeks 5 days ago by lchimi10

ssh10199

i have also tried stretch bands to help strengthen the ankle muscles. also when you are sitting in front of the TV move your foot to spell the alphabet. wright the alphabet many times in the air it creates mobility and strength. also helps muscle control

Submitted 38 weeks 4 days ago by ssh10199