Top 3 Things to do for that Sprained Ankle that Never Fully Healed

by westcoastsciJul 2, 2020Health and Wellness, Top Tips

Best exercises for a sprained ankle?

If you are or were an athlete, chances are that you have experienced a sprained ankle at some point in your life. It is very common for people to stop rehabilitation of their sprained ankle once the pain has gone away. A lot of the time, this leaves people with ankles that feel unstable or tight. There are lots of exercises that can still be done to help get you feeling more comfortable on those ankles.

Tip #1: Strengthen the muscles around the ankle and continue to move it

CALF RAISES

Try this on both feet to start
Can be progress with weight or single leg position
Try it off a ledge to get stability through full range of motion
Try it with a bent knee or straight knee to challenge difference muscles

TOE WALKS, HEEL WALKS

Walk a length of the room just on your toes or just on your heels
This may challenge your balance as well as your muscles

BANDED ANKLE EVERSIONS

Place a loop band around the mid-foot and turn the bottom of your foot outwards as far as it is comfortable
Slowly return to neutral position

Tip #2: Try training on a single leg

SINGLE LEG BALANCE + BALL THROW

Maintain a single leg balance position as you throw a ball with a partner
Root the 4 corners of your foot into the ground
See how long you can go for

SINGLE LEG DEADLIFTS

Come into a slight hip hinge and transfer all of your weight onto 1 foot
Hinge a little deeper and let the other foot come off the ground and glide up behind you
Contract your glutes to return to an upright position
Try to avoid putting your foot down before doing the next rep

LUNGES/BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUATS

There are all sorts of lunge variations to try
The goal is to spend time loading on a single leg
Try with your back foot on a bench (Bulgarian split squat) or lunging to the side (lateral lunge) or swapping between a forward and a reverse lunge on one foot.

SINGLE LEG SQUATS

This is essentially like the lunge without the 2nd foot to support you
Try from a seated position to start, to with something to help you balance like TRX
This will take a lot of balance and control

Tip #2: Try training on a single leg

SINGLE LEG JUMPS

Try jumping forwards, backward and sideways
See if you can pick a particular spot to jump
Try jumping so your footprint makes a tight circle or square

BOX JUMPS

Start with 2 legs, try jumping onto a stable platform
Be safe and very careful with this one!

JUMPING LUNGES

Go to the bottom of your lunge
Push off the ground with both legs and swap the front leg mid-air
Listen to how your body reacts to the movement

Remember, this is just general information.
If you have specific medical conditions, are experiencing pain, or you’re just not sure where to start when it comes to exercise, please remember we’re here for you.

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Banner/Thumbnail Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom from Pexels.
Exercise Photos from PhysioTec.