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Well, use our ankles to work out every day. Whether you run, take a yoga class, or do cardio. However, that all changes when you begin to have pain in your ankle. This can make it almost unbearable to put any weight on your foot. Walking can be quite the chore and your daily routine is adversely impacted. You obviously want to do whatever it takes to reduce ankle pain as quickly as possible so that you can resume walking as you normally would. Here are five exercises that will help you.
Stretch Your Ankles
For this exercise, you will just need a sports cord of some type and a chair. Place the cord at the instep of your right foot. Extend the leg and pull up on the cord until you feel the proper resistance and difficulty. Hold it there for twenty seconds. Try to do twenty of these and then repeat for the other ankle.
Do An Ankle Flexion
For this exercise, you simply need to sit on a chair and then extend the leg out. You will then flex the top of the toe backward as much as you can. Hold it there for twenty seconds.
You can also do this while you sit on the floor with your back straight. Loop a flexible band over the back of your foot as you grab the ends of the band with your hands.
Point your toes and relax them over and over as you release the tension. Repeat this one ten times if possible.
Heel Raises
You can use either a wall of a stationary chair for this exercise. You will balance yourself against the object and then raise one foot back until the lower leg is at a 90-degree angle.
You want to make sure that you stand on the balls of your feet and your heels are no longer touching the floor.
Hold this position for five seconds and then lower the foot again. Repeat this at least ten times.
Toe Raise on a Step
You will need a step for this variation. This is a harder version of the feeling lift because you will work your ankle muscles more.
Stand on the step ladder or the bottom step. You will want to maintain your weight on the balls of your feet and have your heels dangle off the step.
You will balance yourself with the walls or banister if you need support. You want to make sure that you start standing on the balls of your feet and your heels hanging out of the step.
Raise up to your toes and slowly lower your feet with your heels dropping below the steps.
Hold this position for five seconds and then lower the foot again. Repeat this at least ten times.
Heel Slides
You will lie flat on the floor for this exercise. Slide your heel up towards your butt as far as you comfortably can. Once you do that, lower the leg back down slowly. Repeat about ten times for each leg.
Rotate Your Ankles
You will also lie flat on the floor for this exercise. Raise your foot up about twenty inches. You will then rotate your foot to the left and then to the right. Hold this for about ten seconds before lowering the foot back to the floor.
These are five simple yet effective exercises that can help strengthen your ankles. Over time, this will also help to reduce the amount of pain that you feel in that area of the foot.
It is important to notice when your ankle is injured and take care to not make the problem worse. Each of these exercises can be performed at home with equipment that you probably already have lying around.
Seek physical therapy if the problem persists so a professional can make sure you are not making your injury any worse.
