An injury to your ankle often requires a period of immobilization to allow your bones and connective tissue to heal. This immobilization commonly is followed by therapeutic exercise designed to help restore strength, stability and flexibility to your ankle joint. Using resistance bands, or elastic tubing, allows you to strengthen your ankle progressively because the resistance from the tubing increases the farther you stretch the band.
Ankle Plantarflexion
Sit down on a bed, bench or the floor with your injured leg extended in front of you and your knee straight. Loop the center of a band around the ball of your foot and hold the ends in your hands. Slowly point your toes away from your body while holding the band taut with your hands. Point your toes as far away from your body as you can and hold this position for about 10 seconds. Use a slow and controlled motion to return to the starting position and repeat.
Ankle Dorsiflexion
Sit down on the floor or a bench with the ends of the elastic tubing secured around a sturdy object and the center of the tubing wrapped around the ball of your foot. Be sure that there is a little resistance in the band when beginning this exercise. Use the muscles on the front of your calf to pull your toes in toward your body against the resistance of the tubing. Hold this position for about 10 seconds and relax. Repeat.
Ankle Eversion
Secure the ends of the resistance band against a door or other sturdy object and loop the center of the band around the outside of your foot near your toes. Your ankle should be pulled toward the center of your body by the elastic tubing. Pull your foot away from the center of your body against the resistance of the tubing. Hold this position for about 10 seconds and relax. Repeat.
Ankle Inversion
Secure the ends of the resistance band around a sturdy object and loop the center of the band around the ball of your foot with the ends of the band pulling your foot away from the center of your body. Use the muscles of your lower leg to pull your foot toward the center of your body against the resistance of the tubing. Hold this position for about 10 seconds and relax. Repeat.
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