Ankle injuries can knock you off your feet anywhere from a day to a couple of weeks, making physical therapy extremely important. Physical therapy helps to strengthen your ankle, and regain the balance you had before the injur. It also helps to prevent recurring injuries and chronic pain and instability, according to orthopaedic surgeon James Striker.
Range of Motion
Whether you roll your ankle, sprain it, or have a compound fracture, there is going to be swelling in your ankle that will inhibit your range of motion. The first step in physical therapy is to fight through the swelling, and loosen up the muscles, ligaments and tendons in your ankle, so that you can return to your pre-injury range of motion. One way to do this is to sit on the edge of a chair or table so that your injured foot is dangling in the air. Draw each letter of the alphabet with your injured foot, and make sure that you move your foot up and down as much as possible when "drawing" each letter. Do two sets of each letter two to three times a day.
Stretching
Another one of the early steps in the physical therapy process for an injured ankle is stretching. Stretching helps to decrease swelling in the ankle, and works well with a little resistance. Stand in a doorway or next to a heavy table, and push the inside of your toes into the heavy object, which stretches your foot to the outside. Repeat with the outside of your toes, stretching the inside of your foot. These are called inversion and eversion stretches, respectively, and each stretch should be held for two to three seconds. Repeat each stretch for 10 to 15 repetitions two to three times a day.
Weight Bearing
Weight bearing exercises are a natural way to rebuild strength in your ankle, no matter what kind of injury you had. As you stand on your injured foot, you will likely feel a wobble in your ankle; as long as you can stabilize the wobble without falling, you should be able to complete weight bearing physical therapy exercises. Fold a dish towel in quarters and place it on the floor; stand on just your injured foot for 30 seconds at a time, doing two sets of 10 to 15 repetitions twice a day.
Strengthening
Weight bearing supports your body weight, and the next progression is strengthening exercises, such as calf raises. Calf raises force your injured foot to work to raise your body weight off the ground, which helps to strengthen your ankle. Stand on your injured foot, and raise up onto your toes, holding for a second. Return slowly to the ground, and repeat for 10 to 15 repetitions two to three times a day.
