Following any ankle injury it is not only important to get the full range in order to walk in a normal way but it is also very important to build up full strength and balance reactions.
Any ankle that has been swollen for a while will affect your balance. The swelling interrupts the balance receptors that send back the information to the brain.
Exercises in lying- Ankles up and down
Bring your toes up towards you and then point your toes as far as you can moving the ankle up and down as far as you can x 20
Ankle circles
Make large circles with your foot in each direction x 10
Then move feet in and out like a windscreen wiper x 10
In sitting
Heel-Toe raises
Go up onto your toes lifts heels up and then rock back and put heels on the floor and lift your toes up x 20
For stiff ankles
Sit with the bad leg up on the thigh of the other leg.
Now try and move your foot in and out easing it with your hands
Then for strengthening you can resist this movement with your hands
Squats
Hold onto something and squat with both legs x 20
Tiptoes
Standing on both legs lifts up both heels to go up onto tiptoes x 10 and progress to x 20
Lunges
With your feet facing forwards and the bad leg in front lean forwards over the standing leg.
Lunge on a step
Place your foot on the step and lean forwards putting extra pressure with your hands on your knee x 10
A more advanced exercise to gain dorsiflexion
Stand on the step with your heels hanging off- Let both heels drop down over the step keeping your knees straight x 10
Kneeling- Lean back
If you are having trouble getting the ankle to extend out try kneeling and then sitting back onto your heels
Stretches on the skirting-
Place your toes up on the skirting. Keep your knee straight and lean forward and feel the stretch. Repeat x 5 slowly
Balance exercises-Stand on one leg
Stand on the affected leg and try to balance without holding on.
Have something close by to hold if needed as you do not want to turn your ankle
Marching on the spot
Concentrate on even timing so spend the same amount of time on each foot x 10
Running on the spot
Now do running on the spot with little steps
Jumping on the spot
When able to jumping on the spot
Hopping
Then do hopping on the spot
Standing on one leg throwing a ball against the wall- to improve balance
For further Balance exercises see Balance exercise program
More advance exercise to get ankle dorsiflexion movement
Step downs
Stand on a step and keeping bad leg on the step step-down with the good leg
Strengthening exercises for the ankle with a theraband
Dorsiflexion-Sit on floor with both knees extended. Make a loop with the band and securely attach one end of the loop near the floor. Place exercising foot inside loop. Pull your ankle toward your head against the resistance of the tubing. Hold and slowly return.
Plantaflexion in sitting or lying and before you are strong enough or allowed to full weight bear-
Sit on floor with both knees extended. Loop the middle of the band around one foot and grasp the ends of the band. Push the foot down against the resistance of the band. Slowly return.
Inversion of the ankle
Either sit on a chair as per the picture and pull up and in against the elastic or as below.
Sit on floor with both knees extended. Make a loop with the band and securely attach one end of the loop near the floor. Place exercising foot inside loop. Pull your ankle inward against the resistance of the band. Hold and slowly return.
Keep your knee steady and do not rotate your leg to complete the motion.
Eversion of the ankle
Keep your knee steady; don’t rotate your leg to complete the motion.