Ankle Support
Exercises to help prevent recurrent ankle sprains
If you have rolled or sprained your ankle in the past, you are more susceptible to roll it again and quite possibly end up with a worse injury the second time around. Sports and activities that require you to start, stop and turn abruptly, or exercise on uneven terrain put you at a higher risk for injuring your ankle. Some activities that fit this description are soccer, basketball, ultimate Frisbee and trail running. Here are some exercises to help strengthen your ankles and prevent ankle injury.
1. Balance
Stand on one foot and try to stay like that without placing your other foot on the ground. This causes all of the muscles in the lower leg to fire and try to stabilize the ankle. Here are some other variations to make the balancing more challenging:
- Stand on one foot with the other leg raised so that the bent knee is level with the hip.
- Balance on a wobble board with one or two feet.
- Balance on a Bosu ball on one or two feet.
- Catch a ball and throw it back while standing on one foot or while balancing on the wobble board or Bosu ball (with one or two feet).
All of these exercises can be made more challenging by closing your eyes, which will definitely make balancing much more difficult. I don’t recommend closing your eyes if you’re catching or throwing the ball, though!
2. Ankle Circles
This exercise will help to maintain a good range of motion in your ankle joint, especially if you have sprained it before. An ankle sprain results in the development of scar tissue, which forms haphazardly and can cause the ankle to become tight and have a decreased range of motion. The following exercises can be performed anywhere and require no equipment.
- Do circles with your ankle in both directions (at least 20 times each way).
- Spell the alphabet with your toes instead of doing just plain circles. This will force you to move your ankle in all possible directions, and it’s more fun than circles! (Go through the alphabet at least once on each side).
