Exercises for Ankle Sprain

Following our article on the most common ankle sprain, this article focuses on the rehabilitation exercise that will help with an ankle sprain.

Rehabilitation

Proper rehabilitative exercise is crucial in ensuring that new tissues are laid down and aligned properly during the healing phase. Rehabilitation exercise should comprise of four components: (i) range of motion exercises, (ii) progressive muscle-strengthening exercises, (iii) proprioceptive/ balance training, and (iv) activity-specific training.

Below are some recommended exercises that you can do at home. It is necessary to progressively increase the intensity of these exercises. Discuss with your sports physiotherapist so that they can progress you safely.

Range-of-Motion Exercise

Alphabet Exercise

Draw each letter of the alphabet in the air using your big toe as the “pencil”. Repeat the entire alphabet 5 times.

Ankle Strengthening Exercise

Elastic band exercise

Attach one end of an elastic band (Theraband) to the leg of a chair. Loop the opposite end around the foot of the injured ankle. Keeping the heel on the ground, slide the foot outward (evert) as far as possible and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Heel Raises

Raise your heels up slowly by going into a tip-toe, and then slowly drop the heels back down. Repeat 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Ankle Proprioception/ Balance Exercise

Single leg balance

Stand and balance on the affected leg for 30 to 60 seconds, repeat 3 sets. To increase the intensity, stand on a folded towel or repeat the exercise with eyes closed.

Activity-specific Exercise

2-foot lateral jumps

Start with both feet on the side of a straight line. Hop side to side over the line for 3 sets of 10 repetitions. Try to jump and land on the ball of the foot