Ankle Exercises After A Sprain

Ankle Exercises After a Sprain

Mar 23, 2010 | By Dr. Franchesca Harper

A sprain can be a minor injury or a major setback. In addition to treating the pain and swelling of the sprain, it is important to strengthen the area of injury to prevent re-aggravation. Certain exercises can assist the sprained ankle in recovery.

Proprioception

Proprioception is a fancy term for balance. There are small receptors in all the joints of the body that send information to the brain about where it is in space. If these receptors are not sending the proper information, it will lead to a likely hood of the ankle rolling under the food during movement. Balance is tested by a one-legged stand with eyes open and closed. Being able to stand on the injured ankle for 30 seconds with eyes opened and eyes closed is a good indication that the ankle has good proprioception. If it is difficult to stand on the injured ankle, the best place to start is with one legged stands through out the day.

Range of Motion

As part of the healing process after a sprain, it is important to keep the ankle moving in pain free ranges of motion. This motion helps to keep the joints from stiffening up and causing other problems. The best way to get the ankle to move in the full range of motion is to trace the alphabet in the air with the foot. It does not matter if the alphabet is in upper or lower case or even in cursive, it is just important to get the ankle joint moving around.

Strengthen

The muscles that surround and support the ankle are smaller muscles and do not need as hard of a workout like some of the larger abdominal or back muscles on the body. Isometric movements and exercises with therabands are enough to give the ankle muscles a workout without over-stressing them. Theraband has different colors to indicate the level of difficulty; usually a red or green band is the appropriate tension for the ankle. One side of the theraband needs to be attached to furniture, or stood on, so the injured ankle can be looped through it. The specific movements for the ankle will be decided depending what way the ankle was injured, but typically the ankle will be strengthened by tilting the ankle in and out, and turning the ankle in and out and pointing and flexing the toe.