Balance Training Exercises after Ankle Sprains/Injury
What helps a sprained ankle heal faster?
An ankle sprain is a medical condition when ankle ligaments are totally or partially torn and can range significantly in severity from grade 1 to grade 3. Ankle sprain commonly occurs during many sports or other activities and are primarily caused by sharp movements like turning or rolling the foot. It is important to treat the ankle sprain immediately after the injury occurs. Leaving this injury untreated could lead to chronic ankle instability, and increased risk of chronic ankle sprain.
The goal of treatment for an ankle sprain or chronic ankle instability at WestcoastSCI is to return the ankle to full function and improve ankle strength, range of motion and ankle proprioception (awareness of the limb in space). Balance training is an important part of ankle injury recovery and studies show that it is highly effective training method for rehabilitation of an unstable ankle along with prevention of future ankle injuries.
Important Goals for Ankle Sprain Recovery:
- Reduce inflammation
- Regaining full ankle range of motion
- Increase muscle strength around ankle
- Improve Proprioceptive abilities.
Check out the video below to see some examples of balance training for improving ankle stability and come on in and see us if you have an ankle sprain or a history of ankle injuries.
References:
Hubbard, T. J., & Cordova, M. (2009). Mechanical Instability After an Acute Lateral Ankle Sprain. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 90(7), 1142-1146. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2009.01.020
Faizullin, I., & Faizullina, E. (2015). Effects of balance training on post-sprained ankle joint instability. International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine, 27(S1). doi:10.3233/jrs-150707
Verhagen, E, van der Beek, A, Twisk, J, Bouter, L, Bahr, R, and van Mechelen, W. The effect of a proprioceptive balance board training program for the prevention of ankle sprains: A prospective controlled trial. Am J Sports Med 32: 1385-1393, 2004
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