How to strengthen weak ankle?

[No Name]

Ok so I have a terrible left ankle that seems to get injured very often.

A few months ago i sprained it so bad that i needed crutches and ever since my ankle sucks more than usual. How do i strengthen my ankle to stop getting demolished every other week?

[TSFP]

What I did was weight training. Like seated calf raises, squats, leg press, etc.

[theydidntnameme]

you have to stand on one foot and balance as long as you can. do that every day. when you get better balance, do it barefoot (itsharder). then when you get better, do it with your eyes closed. keeping yourself balanced on 1 foot strengthens the ankle. ive been doing it for awhile now and i havent sprained my ankle in years. im 22. several times this year i landed on someones foot and my ankle bent inward but my ligament didnt sprain. i was perfectly fine each time... so my ankles are stronger now for sure. i never had that happen to me before. it used to be if my ankle went out like that then it was a sprain and i was on the ground. but so far everytime my ankle goes out its fine (not that it happens alot..)

[01amberfirewv]

you have to stand on one foot and balance as long as you can. do that every day. when you get better balance, do it barefoot (itsharder). then when you get better, do it with your eyes closed. keeping yourself balanced on 1 foot strengthens the ankle.


This, I came here just to post a similar response. I'll add a video of a more basketball specific exercise later

[01amberfirewv]

Try these. You will need a basketball and a wobble board for one of them and just a basketball for the other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEBctwHMX44

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmAftiqsb7E

[Dizzle-2k7]

real talk last time i sprained my ankle i did some exercises and stretches in the POOL and it helped alot.

[ClutchBucketz]

Anybody in here got experience with ruptured ligaments in the ankle? Sprained my ankle on the weekend and upon 2nd review managed to get ultrasounds which showed 3 ruptured ligaments in my right ankle. Any information, recommendations on how i can get it back to game shape asap would be appreciated.:(

[Aussie Outcast]

I assume you've done ATFL, CFL and PTFL? Did your ankle roll outwards?

If you've done all those 3 then in short your not going to be back playing for a while. If its a complete rupture of all 3 thats bad.

Basically rest up. Start doing some real gentle ROM exercises.

Just go from dorsi flexion to plantar flexion with your foot in the air until you can achieve full ROM without pain. nce you can do this use the weakest theraband you can find and dont move to the next one up until you can achieve full ROM without pain.

Keep doing that until you are able to do a calf raise (Full ROm) without extra weight.

Once you have achieved this you can start doing some inversion / eversion type stuff. but very gently. Focus on inversion + plantar flexion but be careful as this is where ATFL is the most strained so dont over do it at all.

Continue up to using a wobble board until you can do a squat on it without pain.

Only then start doing power type stuff and adding excessive weight.

US and manual therapy can be used but seeing how I just saved you the physio consult fee you might not want to spend the money on it.

[ClutchBucketz]

I don't think i ruptured the PTFL, pretty sure it was the AIFL, ATFL and CFL.. and yeah i rolled it outwards.

Saw an Orthopaedic surgeon yesterday and he sent me home with a Ankle Stabilizer to wear for 4-6 weeks

http://www.orthocare.com.au/products.asp?id=45&category=301

^^Think that's the exact thing i've got, and with a shoe on it feels very supported..

May i ask what US is?:cheers:

[Aussie Outcast]

Its a good thing you didnt rupture PTFL. In that case you would have had almost no stability. Now at least its sort of limited anterio-laterally.

US stands for ultra sound. Will help the collagen fibres heal back into their normal formation instead of healing all wavy and in a knot which causes the ligament to be weaker.

Even after you get your foot out of the brace its still going to be a couple of weeks until you play. Just follow the rehab guide I set out once your foot is out of the brace. Bare in mind though that it will be over a number of weeks.

[ClutchBucketz]

Ahh yep thought it stood for that, just didn't think it could benefit like that:hammerhead:

Would it be detrimental to be doing some of the earlier exercises now when i take off the brace once a day?

Cheers for the advice btw:cheers:

[Aussie Outcast]

It will defs help but im not sure if you want to spend the money for that added benefit.

Doing exercises as early as possible is always recommended, as long as it isnt painful then try and get through as many of the early exercises as you can. Just dont over do it

[ClutchBucketz]

Fair enough i'll get onto them then, i've got a pretty good range of motion without it being painful so i'll do some of those when i can and hopefully strengthen it a little while it's in the brace.