The ankle is a joint of the body that is prone to injury. Once broken or injured, the ankle is susceptible to future injuries. The broken ankle exercises are important since they strengthen the ankle and improve the range of motion. This can help prevent future ankle injuries.
After an ankle break or severe injury, the doctor may instruct the patient to perform broken ankle exercises or participate in physical therapy. The doctor may also recommend when the patient should begin the broken ankle exercises. At first, a doctor typically instructs the patient to rest and allow the joint to heal. During the rest period, the person should try to avoid putting pressure on the injured ankle. Part of ankle rehab is to perform exercises after this resting period.
Following the doctor’s prescribed rest period, the patient should try to perform exercises to improve flexibility and strength of the injured ankle. Exercises should begin with easy stretching exercises and get progressively more difficult. A towel stretch is a common stretching exercise to use to improve flexibility after ankle injuries. While sitting on a chair or other hard surface, the person should loop a towel around the ball of the foot.
Keeping the leg extended straight, the person should gently pull the towel towards their torso. The person should hold this position for several seconds before releasing the towel’s tension and repeating this ankle stretch. The towel stretch should be repeated three or four times.
Ankle rolls are another way to improve the range of motion of the injured ankle before the person can do weight-bearing exercises. While lying on their backs or sitting, people with broken or injured ankles can improve their ranges of motion by practicing moving their injured ankles. The person should keep the knees straight and turn the foot inward then outward and up and down. With the knee kept straight, the person can begin to move the ankle in circles. The person should repeat these exercises several times.
When these stretches become too easy, the person can progress to more weight-bearing ankle stretches. People with broken ankles should not do weight-bearing exercises until they can stand without pain unless otherwise directed by their doctors. Heel raises are one exercise that can increase the strength of injured ankles. Standing behind a chair or near a table or counter, the person may hold onto the back of the chair or other surface for balance.
The person should stand on the balls of their feet then slowly lower their heels to the floor. As this becomes easy, the person can perform the broken ankle exercise while standing on just their injured foot. The person may receive detailed instructions from the doctor on exercises to perform for ankle rehab.
