Ankle injuries are painful and can be difficult to rehabilitate. Immediately after an injury, use the R.I.C.E. method. Rest your ankle completely. Use crutches if necessary. Ice your ankle for 15 minutes every two hours. Compress your ankle by wrapping it with an elasticized bandage to help stop the swelling. Finally elevate your foot to encourage blood to flow out of your ankle and back to your body. Once your doctor releases you, begin therapy to heal your ankle.
Improving Mobility
As soon as your pain subsides, you need to begin restoring mobility to your ankle. Start by pointing and flexing the foot only. Eventually you will need to start restoring your sideways motion. Gently moving the bottom of your foot toward your other leg and away in the beginning. When your doctor gives the okay for more vigorous mobility exercises, move on to foot circles. Finally, use your big toe to draw imaginary letters in the air. Work your way through the entire alphabet. This will get your ankle working in all directions.
Stretching
An important part of your rehabilitation is stretching the ankle and surrounding muscles and tendons. Try these lower leg stretches to improve flexibility in your injured leg. Place your hands on a wall and extend your injured leg behind you. Keeping your heel pressed into the ground and your leg straight, lean in toward the wall. Next perform this same stretch with a bent back knee. Move to a step, placing the ball of your foot on the edge of the step. Lower your heel down below the height of your toe. Hold all stretches for 30 seconds and repeat each stretch two to three times.
Balance
Improving balance is important for preventing future ankle injuries. Initially, simply standing on both feet and transferring more weight onto your injured foot without lifting your strong foot off the ground will be enough. When you have mastered that, you can move on to tree pose from yoga. Start in a beginner position. Standing on your injured foot with the toe of your strong foot grazing the ground. Work up to placing your strong foot on the inside of your calf or thigh. Standing on a pillow or wobble cushion while you do these poses can challenge your balance even more. Hold all poses for at least 30 seconds.
Strengthening
The final step in ankle rehabilitation is strengthening the injured area. A resistance band is very valuable for this purpose. Wrap the band all the way around your foot once before taking the ends in your hand. With your heel resting on the ground or slightly above it and your foot flexed, point your foot away from you and then return to the starting position. Next, step on part of the band with your strong foot, changing the direction of the tension and switch to pulling your toes up toward you. Grab the band in the same hand as your strong foot, and twist the bottom of your foot away from you. Switch the band to your other hand to twist your foot inward. Complete as many repetitions as you can tolerate working up to three sets of 12.
References
- Sports Injury Clinic: Sprained Ankle Rehabilitation
- Sports Injury Clinic: Sprained Ankle
- American Council on Exercise: Standing Dorsi-Flexion (Calf Stretch)
- The Stretching Handbook: Running Stretches and Flexibility Exercises
- Yoga Journal: Tree Pose
- Sports Injury Clinic: Resistance Band Eversion Exercise
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