Who Else Wants to Recover from a Sprained Ankle in Half the Time?

Whether you have just sprained your ankle or play sports enough to knock out a sprain now and again, getting an exercise routine for this injury is important.

Luckily, there are loads of different exercises you can try which are designed to stretch your weakened muscles, prevent re-sprain, and build flexibility back up.

Types of Exercises for Sprained Ankles

Sprained ankles are one of the most common sprains, occurring when forceful twisting forces the ligaments around the ankle joint to stretch beyond their normal length.

• Range of Motion

• Strengthening

• Flexibility

• Balance and Control

Range of Motion

If you have a sprained ankle, one of the most important things to do is to get your range of motion back. It's essential for performing the activities you enjoy and that will help return your ability to move about without pain or stiffness.

Ankle Circles

The ankle circles exercise is a simple but effective way to increase circulation in the ankle and helps speed up the healing process for your ankle injury.

To do this exercise, sit on a couch or a comfortable chair. Begin by slowly making large circles, clockwise, with your foot and ankle. If there's no pain, perform 10 repetitions and repeat moving counterclockwise.

Ankle Alphabet

The ankle Alphabet is another great exercise for people suffering from a sprained ankle. It is said to be effective in quickening the healing process.

To do this exercise, sit on a couch or a comfortable chair. Extend your leg and trace each letter of the alphabet in the air with your foot. If there's no pain, repeat the exercise 2-3 times.

Knee Motion

To do this exercise, sit on a chair with your foot flat on the floor. Slowly move your knee from side to side without raising your foot for 2-3 minutes.

This exercise stretches and strengthens the muscles and ligaments around your ankle.

Strengthening

Strengthening exercises for sprained ankle help strengthen the muscles surrounding the injured area to prevent further injury, and increase mobility.

Towel Curls

Towel curls stretch the muscles in the feet and ankles.

To do this exercise, sit with both feet flat on the floor. Place a towel under one foot. With bare feet, curl your toes to grab the towel. Hold this for a couple of seconds and release. Repeat 10 times if there’s no pain.

Towel Stretch

The towel stretch will stretch the muscles in the lower legs and ankles.

To do this exercise, sit flat on the floor with both legs straight out in front. Place a towel around the ball of your foot, hold the towel at both ends, and gently pull back towards your body. Push against the towel so your toes point slightly forward. Repeat this 10 times.

Heel Raises

The heel raise exercise is a great place to start. This exercise targets the muscles that support the ankle, which is one of the most common sites for sprains.

To do the heel raise exercise, simply stand with your feet together and slowly lift your heels off the ground as high as you can with both feet supporting each other. Hold for a count of two before slowly lowering back down to an initial position.

Flexibility

Improving flexibility in the ankle is crucial as it can prevent the risk of sprain.

Calf Stretch

This is an effective way to improve the flexibility of your calf muscles.

This exercise is similar to towel stretch. To do this, sit on the floor with your legs out in front of you. Wrap a towel around your foot just below your toes. Keep your back straight and your shoulders down and slowly pull the towel towards you.

Standing Calf Stretch

Stand near a wall with one foot in front of the other, front knee slightly bent. Place your hands on the wall, keep your back leg straight, your heel on the ground, and lean toward the wall. Hold for 30 seconds, repeat the action 3 times.

Balance and Control

One of the most important things you can do to prevent and/or recover from a sprained ankle is to build up your balance.

One Leg Balancing

All sprained ankle exercises involve balancing on one leg. This may be challenging for some people, but can provide great results if you work at it and stay consistent.

To do this exercise, stand behind a chair and hold the back of the chair for support. Let the healing leg take the weight of your body by lifting the uninjured leg off the ground.

Conclusion

Sprained ankles are painful conditions that result when the ligaments of the ankle are stretched or torn. The main cause of sprained ankles is walking on hard surfaces that will irritate the ankle's ligaments during movement. The different exercises in this blog can help s heal sprained ankles.

Disclaimer:

Although the information is gathered with great care, please note that the tips given on this website by no means substitute medical advice. If you’re experiencing any pain, consult your healthcare professional immediately and follow his advice regardless of what you’ve learned on this website.