Sprain Ankle

For anyone who has experienced an ankle sprain, it is essential to know the ankle exercises that can help you get your ankle back to normal. Sprained ankles happen all the time and you want to get back on your feet so that you can go about your daily activities. No one wants to be sidelined from a simple problem like a sprain, so you must to an appropriate rehab in order to regain function. By following a specific plan, you can prevent further injury and have the best outcome.

Immediately after a sprain, one should try to prevent problems from the inflammation and swelling. Using a cold pack or cold compresses can chill the area. This prevents the leakage of fluid from blood vessels, which stops the swelling before it starts. The cold temperature can also slow down the bodies' enzymes so there is less inflammation and less pain. The cold prevents the formation of cytokines and inflammatory markers that would otherwise be produced.

Once the immediate stage is over, which tends to be 1-2 days, it is important to maintain flexibility. At this time there will still be swelling, but specific exercises for ankles can be performed so that a person can keep their range of motion. The usual set of motions involved moving the ankle in small circles. This should be done without any shoes or weight on the foot. But doing sets of thirty circles both ways in the air, the ankle can be kept from becoming too stiff. The other thing that is commonly recommended is to write out the alphabet with your toes. By moving the ankle in many different directions to spell out the letters, the flexibility is maintained.

After the swelling has completely subsides and a person is able to begin to bear weight, ankle strengthening exercises will allow for a much speedier recovery. Ankle strengthening exercises focus on using the ankle in a safe manner to regain function without causing another injury. Some times people push their bodies too hard after an injury and set themselves up for having another injury. But doing simple exercises that use your body weight or less, the ankle can be strengthened without risking injury.

Ankle strengthening exercises involve lifting the body against increasing levels of pressure. To start, a person could sit in a chair and use their ankle to life their leg. The the leg could be lifted while their are book on it. After several days of increasing the amount of books or using a weight machine, the ankle should be used to life the entire body. These ankle exercises will progress until one ankle can life the entire body. With that level on strength, side to side movement can then be worked on to improve the lateral stability. These are better for maintaining ankle strength. Ankle exercises are a key to recovery and will be very helpful in rehabilitation after an injury and preventing another.