Sprained Ankle Exercises

Okay, so before we get into exercises, it is also important to stretch and move the ankle. Why? Well, for one thing the ligaments are damaged and scar tissue is going to develop. Second, adhesions, otherwise known as knots, will also form in and around the ankle joint. These things are going to damage your range of motion.

That is bad, because your ankle is meant to be a mobile joint. If you cannot get mobility from your ankle, because of inhibited range of motion, you will most likely get it from your knees. And that is really bad, because the knees are NOT meant to move around. ACL tears a re usually a direct result of an immobile ankle joint!

So, it is important to stretch the ankles and calves before doing exercises. For specific ankle stretches that we recommend, you will want to check out our review of H.E.M. - THis is a complete ankle rehab program created by a top National Academy of Sports Medicine trainer. It is an at home rehab program for sprained ankles.

So, you need to stretch first. Then, you need to strengthen. Why? Well, stretches improve range of motion. But, then you need to strengthen the ligaments and muscles to hold that new range of motion in place. Just stretching alone is not enough.

Okay, so what kinds of exercises should you be doing? Well, as we said before, you do not want to do anything that will cause pain. Calf raises can be a good start, but there are a number of other exercises that require some more movement of the ankle laterally (to the side). Since an ankle sprain is almost always a lateral injury, it is important to work the ankle from these angles too.

If you are going to do ankle circles, make sure you go very slowly and push your ankle to hit all the various ranges of motion. You will notice it is most likely very jerky. Go slowly and make sure it stays smooth. If you hit spots that cause pain, pull back and stay away from that angle. You can go back to it as your ankle heals. Same with doing the alphabet drawing with your toes.

In addition to the large number of important exercises you should be doing to rehabilitate your ankles properly, eventually you will be all healed. That is when you want to start doing even more challenging balance and agility exercises to really take your ankle strength to the next level. In the picture, you can see someone running up a hill of rocks. THis will really challenge your ability to keep your ankles flexible and strong.

There are actually a number of different ankle exercises that will help you fully recover from a sprained ankle. The best format we have seen them in is in the H.E.M. program. It has a full rehab and prehab section of sprained ankle exercises. If you are serious about recovering quickly and fully from a sprained ankle, we highly recommend you try it or at least learn more about it. Thousands of people have used it successfully of all ages and fitness levels. Read our review here of H.E.M.