Ankle Exercises

Here are a few exercises you can use to strengthen your ankle after an injury or after surgery:

Stretching

Achilles Stretch (Plantar Fascia Stretch)

• Stand with the ball of your foot on a step,
  gently stretch your heel down.
• Do Not Bounce up and down!!
• You will feel a stretch in the back of your leg
  and arch of your foot.
• Hold for 5-10 seconds, Repeat 10 times.
  

Runner's Achilles Stretch (Gastroc Stretch)

• Keep back leg straight with your heel
  on the floor, and foot slightly outward.
• Slowly lean towards the wall until you
  feel a gentle stretch in your calf.
• Hold for 5-10 seconds, Repeat 5 times
• Do the same for the other leg.

 

Exercises

Ankle Range of Motion Exercises

Ankle Alphabet:

• Use your ankle and foot to write the letters
  of the alphabet. 
• Make sure you do from A to Z.
• Repeat 2 times.

Ankle Curls:

• While sitting, draw circles with your foot.
• Circle the foot clockwise 10 times, then
  counter-clockwise 10 times.
• Repeat 2 times.

 

Toe Curls:

• With your foot resting on a towel,
  slowly bunch up the towel as your curl your toes.
• Repeat 10 times.

 

Ankle Strengthening

Isometrics

           Isometric Plantarflexion:

• With a rolled pillow or towel against a wall,
  press foot into the pillow.
• Hold for 10 seconds, relax, and then repeat.
• Repeat this 10 times

Isometric Dorsiflexion:

• Place a towel or pillow over the affected ankle.
• Then place the good foot on top.
• Squeeze together and hold for 10 seconds. Relax,
  and then repeat.
• Repeat this 10 times.

     Isometric Eversion:

• With a rolled pillow or towel against a wall,
  press the outer border of your foot into the pillow.
• Hold for 10 seconds, relax, and then repeat.
• Repeat this 10 times.

• Another way to do this is  to cross your legs and push your little toes together.

Isometric Inversion:

• With a rolled pillow between feet, press the inner
  borders of your feet into the pillow.
• Hold for 10 seconds, relax and then repeat.
• Repeat this 10 times.

Balance Drills - great for getting back to sports after a sprained ankle

Note: Until you can do these drills for as long on the injured ankle as the uninjured ankle, you are more likely to re-insure your ankle.  These exercises help to retrain and strengthen the ligaments in your ankle.

• Standing on good foot only, close your eyes and time how long you can balance.
• Repeat on the sprained ankle.
• Standing on good foot only, throw a ball against wall and catch it.  See how many times you can catch the ball before putting your other foot down.
• Repeat on your sprained ankle.

• Hop on both feet at once, then progress to hopping on just on the sprained side.

The calf muscles can take a long time to regain it's strength after an ankle sprain. You need to be sure work on this as well.