The bones of your lower leg, ankle and feet are highly susceptible to fractures when your feet are securely planted on the ground as you abruptly turn toward another direction. Leg fractures almost always affect the integrity of the calf muscles. You should only do exercises to strengthen the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles after a fracture of any leg bone, under the guidance of a physical therapist, once the pain and inflammation are significantly reduced.
Considerations
The early phase of rehabilitation after a broken leg includes controlling pain, swelling and inflammation as well as improving the flexibility of the muscles and joints to regain range of motion. This can take as long as six weeks before strengthening exercises come into the rehab program, depending on the rate of healing.
Apply a heat pack for 10 minutes around the injured leg to increase blood circulation and tissue temperature, improving elasticity of the tissues so the strengthening exercises can be more easily performed.
Rubber Tube Ankle Presses
Ankle presses among the first exercises to strengthen the calf muscles. The exercise uses wide sheets of resistance bands looped around the front half of the foot on the injured leg. Perform this exercise by sitting on the floor or on a chair. Wrap each end of the band around your palms and then loop the band around your foot. Contract your calf muscles to press your toes away from your body, holding the contraction for six seconds. Repeat for three sets of 10 repetitions. You may adjust the resistance of the band by wrapping more of the band around your hands or holding the ends closer to your waist.
Calf Raises
You do calf raises at the edge of a step or a platform as long as you have an immovable bar close by for balance and to adjust the weight on the injured leg. This exercise should first be performed with one foot entirely on the step, controlling how much bodyweight you place on the injured leg. Complete this exercise by placing the ball or base of your toes of the injured leg at the edge of a step.
Support most of your bodyweight on the uninjured leg by holding the stair's rail or a bar. Transfer a small amount of your weight as you stand up on the tip toes of your injured leg; hold the contraction for six seconds then lower your heel until it is just past the edge of the step. Repeat for three sets of 10 repetitions, slowly transferring slightly more of your bodyweight to the injured leg.
Stork Stand
Balancing on one leg is also referred to as a "stork stand." You can do this on an exercise ball, a mini trampoline or on an exercise ball which has been cut in half and attached to a flat platform. Performing stork stands on unstable surfaces increases activation of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles and strengthens them. Do this first using your uninjured leg while you hold on to an immovable bar.
To strengthen your injured calf, hold the bar as you step on the surface with your uninjured leg. Raise your injured leg to the surface, slowly transferring the weight of your body from the uninjured to the injured leg. Begin with 15 seconds of balancing on your injured leg, continuing to hold the bar. Gradually increase your time to one minute as you decrease your reliance on the bar.
References
- "Examination of Musculoskeletal Injuries"; Sandra Shultz, Ph.D., Peggy Houglum, Ph.D., and David Perrin, Ph.D.; 2005
- "Therapeutic Exercise for Musculoskeletal Injuries"; Peggy Houglum, Ph.D.; 2005
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