Ankle Rehab

Good Ankle Rehab Imperative For Athletes

By Bart Welte, MS,ATC

Proper rehabilitation following an ankle injury can greatly reduce aggravation of the unhealed injury, and even re-injury at a later time.

A proper rehab program will combine strengthening with proprioceptive and balance activities that will help prevent further injury from occurring. The key to injury prevention is the ability of the ankle to recognize and compensate for abnormal motions/stresses before those stresses become great enough for ligaments to tear.

An example would be the athlete’s ability to recognize after jumping, that they are landing on another athlete’s foot. This causes the first athlete’s foot to rapidly invert (turn inward), resulting in a lateral ankle sprain.

The body can be trained through rehabilitation to compensate for these types of situations by rapidly contracting muscles to counteract the injury-causing motion, shifting weight to the other foot, or simply falling to take the stress off of the ankle. Of course, there are always times when the athlete is in the “wrong place at the wrong time” and suffers an injury regardless of preventive measures.

When an injury does occur, a proper rehabilitation program will help an athelete return to the sport as quickly and as safely as possible.

Some examples of ankle rehabilitation exercises include:

Theraband Exercises for strengthening:
Figure 1 – Inversion (inward rotation)
Figure 2 – Eversion (outward rotation)
Figure 3 – Plantarflexion (toes down)
Figure 4 – Dorsiflexion (toes up)

Stretching:
Figure 5 – Calf stretching; balance on a flat surface with eyes open, then closed.

Balancing:
Figure 6 – Balance on a pillow or cushion with eyes open, then closed. Jump down off a step to flat surface and keep balance; then jump down to a pillow or cushion.





Remember to consult with a physician or sports medicine professional before attempting any of these exercises. The staff at Blanchard Valley Sports Medicine is highly trained and experienced in managing athletes with ankle injuries.

Call (419) 425-3199 (Findlay), or (419) 358-9010, Ext. 2316 (Bluffton) to schedule an appointment.

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