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Ankle Rehabilitation - Restoring range and strength

Date:
By Tommy

 

Ankle Rehabilitation - Restoring range and strength

Our ankle moves in many different ways which is why we can walk and run on uneven and slanted surfaces. It is a mobile adaptor that has the ability to respond and stabilise to whatever surface is under our foot.

The different movements include;

Plantarflexion - Pointing your toes
Dorsiflexion - Pulling your toes up
Inversion - Turning your foot in
Eversion - Turning your foot out
Pronation - Flattening on the arch of the foot
Supination - Lifting the arch of the foot

Many of the muscles will get stronger with starting your balance work especially your supinators and pronators but it is important to strengthen through range. Focus on the 4 main movements of the ankle.

 

Plantarflexion

PF
Start early with a theraband and pointing your toes into resistance, progress to bilateral calf raises. Once that gets easier try to go up with 2 down slowly with 1, progressing to a single leg calf raise.

 

 

 

 

 

Dorsiflexion

DF
Place a theraband over the top of your foot and attach it to a stationary object. Pull your toes up and repeat as many times as you can.

 

 

 

 

 

Inversion

IN
Place a theraband around the front of your foot and attach it to a stationary object. Turn your foot in and repeat as many times as you can.

 

 

Eversion

EV
Place a theraband around the front of your foot and attach it to a stationary object. Turn your foot out and repeat as many times as you can.

 

 

You can complete these exercises as much as you like. Do them until you get bored, then do them some more. We are used to walking for kilometers on end. They say its good to take 10,000 steps a day so every time we take a step on that foot those muscles are working.